Need Some Patriotic Inspiration? 30+ Memorial Day Quotes That Respect and Celebrate the Holiday

Family barbecues, pool days, and the indication that summer is right around the corner are Memorial Day staples. However, the true meaning of the holiday is remembering those who have lost their lives while serving our country. Fortunately, you can easily share your appreciation and respect through meaningful quotes. If you’re having trouble coming up with the right things to say, it’s likely others are in the same boat. Luckily, Woman’s World compiled more than 30 Memorial Day quotes that honor the spirit of the occasion. Keep scrolling to see the list. 

Memorial Day quotes about the holiday and the United States   

1. “Land of the free because of the brave.” – Francis Scott Key
2. “This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is home of the brave.” – Elmer Davis
3. “All gave some, some gave all.” – Billy Ray Cyrus
4. “Our debt to the heroic men and valiant women in the service of our country can never be repaid. They have earned our undying gratitude. America will never forget their sacrifices” – Harry S. Truman
5. “Duty, Honor, Country. Those three hallowed words reverently dictate what you ought to be, what you can be, what you will be.” – Douglas Macarthur
6. “Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.” – John F. Kennedy
7. “As America celebrates Memorial Day, we pay tribute to those who have given their lives in our nation’s wars.” – John M. McHugh
8. “One flag, one land, one heart, one hand, one Nation, evermore!” –  Oliver Wendell Holmes
9. “This is the day we pay homage to all those who didn’t come home. This is not Veterans Day, it’s not a celebration, it is a day of solemn contemplation over the cost of freedom.” – Tamra Bolton
10. “Patriotism is not short, frenzied outbursts of emotion, but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime.” – Adlai Stevenson II

Related: Bo Derek, Ann-Margret, Tanya Tucker and More Share Powerful Memorial Day Quotes

Memorial Day quotes honoring fallen soldiers and military members

1. “The legacy of brave men and women who have fought and died for their country is the freedom we enjoy as Americans.” – Lucien Adams
2. “The brave die never, though they sleep in dust: Their courage nerves a thousand living men.” – Minot J. Savage
3. “Our flag does not fly because the wind moves it. It flies with the last breath of each soldier who died protecting it.” – Unknown
4. “And they who for their country die shall fill an honored grave, for glory lights the soldier’s tomb, and beauty weeps the brave.” – Joseph Rodman Drake
5. “I have long believed that sacrifice is the pinnacle of patriotism.” – Bob Riley
6. “Those who have long enjoyed such privileges as we enjoy forget in time that men have died to win them.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt
7. “Our nation owes a debt to its fallen heroes that we can never fully repay.”  – Barack Obama
8. “We come, not to mourn our dead soldiers, but to praise them.” – Francis A. Walker
9. “May we never forget our fallen comrades. Freedom isn’t free.” – Sgt. Major Bill Paxton
10. “A nation reveals itself not only by the men it produces but also by the men it honors, the men it remembers.” – John F. Kennedy

 Memorial Day quotes about military heroes

1. “Without a sign, his sword the brave man draws, and asks no omen, but his country’s cause. ” – Homer
2. “I think of a hero as someone who understands the degree of responsibility that comes with his freedom.” – Bob Dylan
3. “The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him.” – G.K. Chesterton
4. “Whatever you do, you need courage. Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising that tempt you to believe your critics are right. To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires some of the same courage that a soldier needs. Peace has its victories, but it takes brave men and women to win them.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
5. “Unable are the loved to die. For love is immortality.” – Emily Dickinson
6. I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.” – Nathan Hale
7. “How important it is for us to recognize and celebrate our heroes and she-roes!”– Maya Angelou
8. ”A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself.” – Joseph Campbell.
9. “The legacy of heroes is the memory of a great name and the inheritance of a great example.” – Benjamin Disraeli
10. Heroes never die. They live on forever in the hearts and minds of those who would follow in their footsteps.” – Emily Potter

Related: Grieving Sister Finds Hope And Healing On Memorial Day: “Honoring Others Truly Brings Joy To My Heart!”

Memorial Day quotes about freedom

1. “And I’m proud to be an American Where at least I know I’m free And I won’t forget the men who died Who gave that right to me.” – Lee Greenwood
2. “Freely we serve, because we freely love, as in our will to love or not; in this we stand or fall.” – John Milton
3. “No man is entitled to the blessings of freedom unless he be vigilant in its preservation. ” – Douglas MacArthur
4. “The secret of happiness is freedom, the secret of freedom is courage.” – Carrie Jones
5. “May we think of freedom, not as the right to as we please, but as the opportunity to do what is right.” – Peter Marshall

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