50 Princess Diana Quotes to Memorialize the People's Princess

Princess Diana was statuesque and regal in appearance, but down to Earth and incredibly kind at her core. Charming, compassionate, witty and warm, the young woman born Diana Spencer won the hearts of not just the United Kingdom, but the world during her tragically short life. The People's Princess knew how to connect with people, regardless of background or class, and despite her own struggles, she always sought out to be of service to others. Her own words reflect this: These 50 Princess Diana quotes will make it crystal clear why she resonated with the entire world—and why the whole world still misses her to this day. Her tragic death on August 31, 1997, 25 years ago today, still brings a shock. Remember the People's Princess by reading some Princess Diana famous and inspiring quotes below.

Princess Diana Quotes

1. "Carry out a random act of kindness, with no expectation of reward, safe in the knowledge that one day someone might do the same for you."

2. "I want my boys to have an understanding of people’s emotions, their insecurities, people’s distress, and their hopes and dreams."

3. "Nothing brings me more happiness than trying to help the most vulnerable people in society. It is a goal and an essential part of my life – a kind of destiny."

4. "Whoever is in distress can call on me. I will come running wherever they are."

5. "I don't go by the rule book."

6. "I lead from the heart, not the head."

7. "The greatest problem in the world today is intolerance. Everyone is so intolerant of each other."

8. "So many people supported me through my public life and I will never forget them."

9. "Family is the most important thing in the world."

10. "When you are happy you can forgive a great deal."

Related: As Princess Diana, Kristen Stewart Buries Her Face in Her Ballgown in Dramatic New Poster for Spencer

11. "I like to be a free spirit. Some don't like that, but that's the way I am."

12. "They say it is better to be poor and happy than rich and miserable, but how about a compromise like moderately rich and just moody?"

13. "Anywhere I see suffering, that is where I want to be, doing what I can."

Related: Before She Died in August 1997, These Were Princess Diana’s Final Words

14. "The biggest disease the world suffers from in this day and age is the disease of people feeling unloved."

15. "I knew what my job was; it was to go out and meet the people and love them."

16. "Every one of us needs to show how much we care for each other and, in the process, care for ourselves."

17. "Helping people in need is a good and essential part of my life, a kind of destiny."

18. "Only do what your heart tells you."

19. "I'd like to be a queen in people's hearts but I don't see myself being queen of this country."

20. "I want to walk into a room, be it a hospital for the dying or a hospital for the sick children, and feel that I am needed."

21. "I want to do, not just to be."

Related: Can You Visit Princess Diana’s Grave—And What Dress Was She Buried In?

22. "I went to the school and put it to William, particularly, that if you find someone you love in life, you must hang onto it, and look after it, and if you were lucky enough to find someone who loved you, then you must protect it."

23. "HIV does not make people dangerous to know, so you can shake their hands and give them a hug: Heaven knows they need it."

24. "I knew that something profound was coming my way and I was just treading water, waiting for it. I didn't know what it was. I didn't know where it was. I didn't know if it was coming next year or next month. But I knew I was different from my friends in where I was going."

25. "Being a princess isn't all that it's cracked up to be."

26. "Everyone needs to be valued. Everyone has the potential to give something back."

27. "If men had to have babies, they would only ever have one each."

28. "I don’t want expensive gifts; I don’t want to be bought. I have everything I want. I just want someone to be there for me, to make me feel safe and secure."

29. "I touch people. I think everyone needs that. Placing a hand on a friend’s face means making contact."

Related: We Relive the ‘Wedding of the Century’—Including an Investigation Into the Secrets of Princess Diana’s Infamous Wedding Dress!

30. "I think like any marriage, especially when you’ve had divorced parents like myself; you want to try even harder to make it work."

31. "I know that I can give love for a minute, for half an hour, for a day, for a month, but I can give. I am very happy to do that, I want to do that."

32. "You can’t comfort the afflicted with afflicting the comfortable."

33. "Hugs can do great amounts of good — especially for children."

34. "It’s vital that the monarchy keeps in touch with the people. It’s what I try and do."

35. "I felt compelled to perform. Well, when I say perform, I was compelled to go out and do my engagements and not let people down and support them and love them."

36. "It took a long time to understand why people were so interested in me."

Related: Who Are the Children In the Princess Diana Statue? Plus, How Her Belted Outfit Was Inspired By her First Christmas as a Single Mom

37. "The day I walked down the aisle at St. Paul’s Cathedral, I felt that my personality was taken away from me, and I was taken over by the royal machine."

38. "I will fight for my children on any level so they can reach their potential."

39. "I live for my sons. I would be lost without them."

40. "A mother’s arms are more comforting than anyone else’s."

41. "I’m aware that people I have loved and have died and are in the spirit world looking after me."

42. "There’s no better way to dismantle a personality than to isolate it."

43. "I have a woman’s instinct and it’s always a good one."

44. "I should never have played with fire and I did. And I got very burned."

Related: How the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace Has Been Redesigned to Highlight the New Statue of Princess Diana

45. "People think that at the end of the day a man is the only answer. Actually, a fulfilling job is better for me."

46. "There were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded."

47. "Don’t call me an icon. I’m just a mother trying to help."

48. "I am not a political figure, I am a humanitarian figure, always was, always will be."

49. "Call me Diana, not Princess Diana."

50. "Life is just a journey."

Next, learn all about Emma Corrin, The Crown's Princess Diana.