睿智的英女皇伊利沙伯二世

 

英女皇伊利沙伯二世去世了。她於1952年25歲時首次登基，2022 年6月成為世界歷史上在位時間第二長的君主。伊利沙伯二世在任70年，不時發表充滿人生智慧的名言金句、字字珠璣，為不少人帶來啟發。星島報業刊登及翻譯了她一些睿智的語句：

關於人生
「悲傷是我們為愛付出的代價」（Grief is the price we pay for love）。在美國發生911事件後，英女皇說出了這番話，以表達當時在襲擊中失去親友的人們給予的支持。

「美好的回憶是我們獲得幸福的第二次機會。」（Good memories are our second chance at happiness）。英女皇不管甚麼時候或甚麼紀念日，都覺得要把握當下的幸福，回憶是給未來去回味的，在平淡的生活裡多製造一些美好的回憶，當我們再次回味時絕對會是幸福的。

「別對自己太嚴苛！世上沒有人通曉一切智慧。」（Let us not take ourselves too seriously. None of us has a monopoly on wisdom）

「我希望人們都能夠謹慎思考未來。」（I hope people will think very carefully about the future）

關於穿衣時尚
「如果我穿米白色，不會有人知道我是誰。」（If I wore beige, nobody would know who I am）

關於家人
「家人不只代表血緣上有關係的親戚，它更象徵一個群體、組織，或者國家。」（Family does not necessarily mean blood relatives but often a description of a community, organisation or nation）

關於逆境
「當遇見生活中的困難，期許自己當那個為了未來起身奮鬥的人，而不是直接屈服於失敗。」（When life seems hard, the courageous do not lie down and accept defeat; instead, they are all the more determined to struggle for better future）

「膽小的人可以逃跑，但危機往往是由擁有膽識的人解決。」（Cowards falter, but danger is often overcome by those who nobly dare）

「世界上沒有成功的唯一秘訣」（I know of no single formula for success） 

「不做任何事通常是最好的做法，但從個人經驗來說，這樣做只會令人感到沮喪，歷史不是由甚麼都不做的人所創造的。」（To do nothing is often the best course of action, but I know from personal experience how frustrating it can be. History was not made by those who did nothing）

 

關於婚姻
「我知道菲利浦親王不喜歡接受讚美，但一直以來他都是指引我方向、給我力量的人。」（Prince Philip is, I believe, well-known for declining compliments of any kind. But throughout he has been a constant strength and guide）

關於紀律
「凡事皆與訓練有關：若擁有完善的訓練，一個人可以成就許多事。」（It's all to do with the training: you can do a lot if you're properly trained.）

關於心靈
「去建立關係並珍惜，比起厭惡與破壞本就困難許多。」（It has always been easy to hate and destroy. To build and to cherish is much more difficult）

 

 

 

英女皇伊利沙伯二世也有以下的金句：

 

On being a leader:

• "Although we are capable of great acts of kindness, history teaches us that we sometimes need saving from ourselves — from our recklessness or our greed."
• "Over the years I have observed that some attributes of leadership are universal, and are often about finding ways of encouraging people to combine their efforts, their talents, their insights, their enthusiasm and their inspiration, to work together."
• "Even when your life seems most monotonous, what you do is always of real value — and importance to your fellow men."
• "It's worth remembering that it is often the small steps, not the giant leaps, that bring about the most lasting change."

 

 

On her quest for equality:

• "Everyone is our neighbor; no matter what race, creed, or color."
• "We may hold different points of view but it is in times of stress and difficulty that we most need to remember that we have much more in common than there is dividing us.”

On aging throughout her reign:

·        Some cultures believe a long life brings wisdom. I'd like to think so. Perhaps, part of that wisdom is to recognize some of life's baffling paradoxes such as the way human beings have a huge propensity for good, and yet a capacity for evil."

• "Through the many changes I have seen over the years, faith, family, and friendship have been not only a constant for me, but a source of personal comfort and reassurance."

 

• "I believe that, young or old, we have as much to look forward to with confidence and hope as we have to look back on with pride.”

 

• "No age group has a monopoly of wisdom, and indeed I think the young can sometimes be wiser than us. But the older I get, the more conscious I become of the difficulties young people have to face as they learn to live in the modern world."

 

• “Over the years, those who have seemed to me to be the most happy, contented and fulfilled have always been the people who have lived the most outgoing and unselfish lives.”

 

• This is Life.   It is full of final partings as well as first meetings.

On her faith:

• "Religion and culture are much in the news these days, usually as sources of difference and conflict, rather than for bringing people together. But the irony is that every religion has something to say about tolerance and respecting others.”
• "Each day is a new beginning, I know that the only way to live my life is to try to do what is right, to take the long view, to give of my best in all that the day brings, and to put my trust in God.”

 

 

On her family:

• "Like all the best families, we have our share of eccentricities, of impetuous and wayward youngsters and of family disagreements."

·        "We think of our homes as places of warmth, familiarity and love; of shared stories and memories, which is perhaps why at this time of year so many return to where they grew up. There is a timeless simplicity to the pull of home."