21 Meghan Markle Quotes That Perfectly Showcase Her Charm

Markle's glowing skin and healthy hair are outward signs of the things she does to take care of her health. On the topic, she once told Best Health magazine, "Do the things you enjoy within reason. Know your body and what works for you and you'll be fine."

This is not a woman who feels the pressure to be all things to all people. In 2015, Markle told InStyle that’s a result of aging and maturity: "I’ve also learned that saying 'no' is just as valuable as saying 'yes.' It’s something that, I think, comes with age and really having a sense of your self-worth. And then you make choices based on that."

On her blog, The Tig, Markle wrote back in 2014 about the way to find peace within: "You need to know that you’re enough. A mantra that has now engrained itself so deeply within me that not a day goes by without hearing it chime in my head. That five pounds lost won’t make you happier, that more makeup won’t make you prettier, that the now iconic saying from Jerry Maguire — 'You complete me' — frankly, isn’t true. You are complete with or without a partner. You are enough just as you are."

Her character Rachel Zane on Suits was well-known for her stylish looks, something that Markle adopted for her own life.

"Have a power piece in your wardrobe. If it’s the one dress that makes you feel so badass, or the one crisp button-down — whatever it is so that when you wake up on those days where you’re not really feeling going into work, you put that piece on and it’s almost like your own anthem. It can really shift the energy of your whole day," she once told InStyle.

Markle is realistic about the prospect of getting older, and is happy to embrace it all. As she told Best Health, "As I’m getting older, my approach to aging is quite different. I make sure that I take care of my skin and body, especially with the work hours I have. And I don’t just take care of myself for aesthetic reasons but because how I feel is dictated by what I’m eating, how much rest I’m getting and how much water I’m drinking. If I don’t have time for a long workout, I’ll grab my dog and go for a quick run. Being active is my own moving meditation."

Markle wrote about how she finds purpose in her life on The Tig in 2016. "I’ve never wanted to be a lady who lunches — I’ve always wanted to be a woman who works. And this type of work is what feeds my soul and fuels my purpose."

The now-Duchess of Sussex spoke to the BBC in November 2017 about how meeting Prince Harry ratcheted her fame up infinitely.

"I think I can very safely say, as naive as it sounds now, having gone through this learning curve in the past year and a half, I did not have any understanding of just what it would be like," Markle told the BBC. "There's a misconception that because I have worked in the entertainment industry that this was something I'd be familiar with, but even though I'd been on my show for six years at that point and working before that, I'd never been part of tabloid culture; I was never in pop culture to that degree."

Markle’s mother is Black and her father is Caucasian, and in an essay for ELLE, she shared the advice her father gave her when confronted with people who wanted her to be either-or. "You draw your own box," she told the magazine. "You introduce yourself as who you are."

During her time on Suits, Markle told InStyle about how she works to keep herself balanced while working and running her blog, The Tig: "Take things with a grain of salt and find balance within your life. On your lunch break, leave to go and get some fresh air. You don’t need to make your life your job. I have to find that balance for myself, as well."

Markle is not a high-maintenance celebrity by any means. Describing her perfect day to Best Health, she said: "On my perfect day, I would wake up late, take my dogs for a walk, do some yoga and have a great sashimi lunch. And, because I love to work, if I was able to go and shoot one scene, then that would be fantastic for a little creative impulse. Then I would have a really great dinner with friends. I love to cook. I’m pretty low-key. I travel so much that, in my downtime, I really relish the quiet."

Markle spoke at the Create & Cultivate conference in 2016 and urged people to look at the long-term value of what they got involved in. According to People, she said: "Don’t give it five minutes if you’re not going to give it five years."

Speaking to the University of the South Pacific in Fiji in 2018, Markle emphasized the importance of education equality. "Everyone should be afforded the opportunity to receive education that they want but, more importantly, the education that they have the right to receive," Markle said, according to TIME. "And for women and girls in developing countries, this is vital."

When speaking to a workshop of women sponsored by the Dove Self-Esteem Project, Markle addressed the need to feel self-worth, according to The Toronto Star. "It’s really important that young women be reminded that their involvement matters and that their voice is heard. Even if it feels like it’s small, it really can make an impact."

Speaking to the University of the South Pacific in 2018, Markle addressed one simple path that can help women and girls in developing nations: "Providing them with access to education is the key to economic and social development, because when girls are given the right tools to succeed, they can create incredible futures — not only for themselves but for all of those around them."

Markle spoke at a celebration for women’s suffrage in New Zealand in 2018 and put a new spin on the work of feminism.

"Because, yes, women's suffrage is about feminism, but feminism is about fairness," Markle said. "Suffrage is not simply about the right to vote but also about what that represents: the basic and fundamental human right of being able to participate in the choices for your future and that of your community, the involvement and voice that allows you to be a part of the very world that you are a part of."

For the International Day of the Girl in 2015, Markle spoke to City TV in Canada about the roots of kindness, and they start within. "We just need to be kinder to ourselves. If we treated ourselves the way we treated our best friend, can you imagine how much better off we would be? … Yes, you can have questions and self-doubt, that’s going to come up, that’s human."

Speaking at a forum for the Royal Foundation together with Prince Harry, according to The Evening Standard, Markle commented that women are already well down the road to success, even without her inspiration. "What's interesting is that I hear a lot of people saying, when talking about girls' empowerment and women as well, you’ll often hear people saying, ‘You’re helping them find their voices,' I fundamentally disagree with that," she said. "Women don’t need to find their voice. They need to feel empowered to use it and people need to be encouraged to listen."

Speaking on the occasion of the 125th anniversary of women’s suffrage in New Zealand, Markle gave an impassioned speech about what is a basic right. "The basic and fundamental human right of all people, including members of society who have been marginalized — whether for reasons of race, gender, ethnicity or orientation — is to be able to participate in the choices for their future and their community."

When Larry King posed the idea to Markle that she was not the average American women, the then-actress had a perfect response. "No matter what you look like, you should be taken seriously. And for me also, I think it’s really great to be a feminist and be feminine."

When the Sussexes made their first public appearance as a family of three, according to The Independent, Markle made the sweetest comment about her little family. "It’s magic. It’s pretty amazing. I have the best two guys in the world, so I’m really happy."

Markle demurred the idea that she was giving anything up when the BBC asked about stopping her acting career to be a full-time royal. "Yes, but I don't see it as giving anything up, I just see it as a change. It's a new chapter."

More gems from the Duchess of Sussex are undoubtedly in the future as her little family grows and she continues her work on the world stage.