Memorial Day in the US is a day of remembrance and honor for the brave men and women who have served in the military and made the ultimate sacrifice. A day when Americans stop and take a moment to reflect on the courage and bravery of those who have gone before us. In remembrance of their service, we’ve compiled a collection of inspiring Memorial Day quotes to help remind us of the importance of this special day and honoring those who have fallen.
Sacrifice Makes Sense
“The legacy of heroes is the memory of a great name and the inheritance of a great example.” — Benjamin Disraeli
“The patriot’s blood is the seed of Freedom’s tree.” — Thomas Campbell
“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” — John 15:13
“There is no greater love than to give one’s life for one’s country.” — John 15:13
“It doesn’t take a hero to order men into battle. It takes a hero to be one of those men who goes into battle.” — General Norman Schwarzkopf
“We live in the land of the free because of the brave.” — Unknown
“The price of freedom is eternal vigilance.” — Thomas Jefferson
Appreciating Sacrifice
“The cost of freedom is always high, but Americans have always paid it.” — John F. Kennedy
“No duty is more urgent than that of returning thanks.” — Unknown
“On thy grave the rain shall fall from the eyes of a mighty nation.” — Thomas William Parsons
“Courage is contagious. When a brave man takes a stand, the spines of others are often stiffened.” — Billy Graham
“Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and success of liberty.” — John F. Kennedy
“In valor there is hope.” — Unknown
Never Forgetting the Fallen
“It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived.” — George S. Patton
“The brave die never, though they sleep in dust: Their courage nerves a thousand living men.” — Minot J. Savage
“A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself.” — Joseph Campbell
“We come, not to mourn our dead soldiers, but to praise them.” — Francis A. Walker
“Our nation owes a debt to its fallen heroes that we can never fully repay.” — Barack Obama
“They hover as a cloud of witnesses above this Nation.” — Henry Ward Beecher
“Those who have long enjoyed such privileges as we enjoy forget in time that men have died to win them.” — Franklin D. Roosevelt
Honoring Memorial Day
“At the rising of the sun and at its going down, we remember them.” — Unknown
“How important it is for us to recognize and celebrate our heroes and she-roes!” — Maya Angelou
“On Memorial Day, I don’t want to only remember the combatants. There were also those who came out of the turbulence of war as writers and poets, who started building.” — A. B. Yehoshua
“Let every heart be filled with gratitude and every home a shrine to freedom and love.” — Unknown
“Honor to the soldier and sailor everywhere, who bravely bears his country’s cause. Honor, also, to the citizen who cares for his brother in the field and serves, as he best can, the same cause.” — Abraham Lincoln
“Let us solemnly remember the sacrifices of all those who fought so valiantly, on the seas, in the air, and on foreign shores.” — Dwight D. Eisenhower
Giving Thanks
“Memorial Day isn’t just about honoring veterans, its honoring those who lost their lives. Veterans had the fortune of coming home. For us, that’s a reminder of when we come together as a nation, we can achieve anything.” — Michelle Obama
“To forget the dead would be akin to killing them a second time.” — Elie Wiesel
“Let us salute the brave men and women in the military who have paid the ultimate sacrifice to uphold our freedoms.” — Ben Cardin
“Freedom is never free.” — Unknown
“The homage of silence is the only tribute we can pay the dead of a nation—silence which in itself is more eloquent than the loudest proclamation.” — Albert Pike
“Let us remember all who serve and have served our nation to ensure our right to freedom.” — Scott Peters
Memorial Day is a time to remember and pay tribute to the heroes who have given the ultimate sacrifice for their country. The brave men and women who have served never stopped fighting for our freedoms and for that, we are forever thankful. We hope these memorial day quotes will help to pay homage to all of the heroes who have made and continue to make our country great.
