These Memorial Day Quotes Capture The Importance Of The Holiday
Memorial Day might mean the end of May—but it also kicks off the highly-anticipated summer season. After plenty of snowstorms and freezing temperatures, May 31 brings with it the promise of long days on the beach, barbecues, and road trips. With a three-day weekend (and some lovely, warm weather) to fill with activities, it's easy to get swept up and forget the real reason behind the holiday.
Summer is definitely worth celebrating, but Memorial Day is also a time to honor and remember those who've served in the United States' armed forces. The people who serve and who have served in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and Space Force made immense sacrifices to fight for what they believed in.
It's important to thank and appreciate soldiers and veterans for their brave service to our country. On Memorial Day, it's even more important to recognize how much we owe to members of the military.
This year, in between shopping Memorial Day sales and pulling out your favorite swimsuits, take some time to reflect on the efforts of those those in our military. These quotes from important figures in history, politics, literature, and more highlight just how important these soldiers, veterans, and their families are.
Ahead, find 45 patriotic quotes from people like Maya Angelou, Eleanor Roosevelt, Barack Obama, Harriet Tubman, and Kamala Harris that will help shed light on everything to be thankful for this Memorial Day and beyond.
1. "While the nature of war has changed...the values that drive our brave men and women in uniform remain constant: honor, courage, selflessness."—Barack Obama
2. "This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave."—Elmer Davis
4. "Sometimes, courage is nothing more than a willingness to think differently than those around you. In a culture of conformity, that’s braver than it sounds."—Mary Roach
5. "Ceremonies are important. But our gratitude has to be more than visits to the troops, and once-a-year Memorial Day ceremonies. We honor the dead best by treating the living well."—Jennifer M. Granholm
6. "Veterans are a symbol of what makes our nation great, and we must never forget all they have done to ensure our freedom."—Rodney Frelinghuysen
7. "Our obligations to our country never cease but with our lives."—John Adams
8. "I had reasoned this out in my mind, there was one of two things I had a right to, liberty or death; if I could not have one, I would have the other."—Harriet Tubman
9. "A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself."—Joseph Campbell
10. "In the aftermath, we are because they were."—RJ Heller
11. "We take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude."—Cynthia Ozick
12. "On this day, take time to remember those who have fallen. But on every day after, do more; put the freedoms they died for to greater and nobler uses."—Richelle E. Goodrich
13. "Their remembrance be as lasting as the land they honored."—Daniel Webster
14. "Freedom is never given; it is won."—A. Philip Randolph
15. "True heroism is remarkably sober, very undramatic. It is not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others at whatever cost."—Arthur Ashe
16. "On Memorial Day, we honor those that have fought for the American concept. Men and women that have sacrificed so much in order to defend the ideals that have made us a great nation."—Kamala Harris
17. "Without heroes, we're all plain people, and don't know how far we can go."—Bernard Malamud
18. "While we can never fully repay the debt owed to those who lost their lives defending our nation, we must do everything we can to uphold our commitment to those who've worn the uniform of this great nation and to their families who have made significant sacrifices on our behalf."—Tammy Duckworth
19. "Heroes never die. They live on forever in the hearts and minds of those who would follow in their footsteps."–Emily Potter
20. "On this day of remembrance, we once again renew our pledge: that just as the military leaves no one behind on the battlefield, we must leave no veteran behind when they come home."—Nancy Pelosi
21. "I can do everything in my power to live a life that's worthy of what it took in order to make it possible to be here at home."—Pete Buttigieg
23. "To be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others."—Nelson Mandela
24. "No man is entitled to the blessings of freedom unless he be vigilant in its preservation."—General Douglas MacArthur
25. "For love of country they accepted death, and thus resolved all doubts, and made immortal their patriotism and their virtue."—James A. Garfield
26. "Patriotism is not short, frenzied outbursts of emotion, but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime."—Adlai Stevenson II
27. "There is nothing nobler than risking your life for your country."—Nick Lampson
28. "The willingness of America’s veterans to sacrifice for our country has earned them our lasting gratitude."—Jeff Miller
29. "On Memorial Day, I don’t want to only remember the combatants. There were also those who came out of the trenches as writers and poets, who started preaching peace, men and women who have made this world a kinder place to live."—Eric Burdon
30. "Patriotism was a living fire of unquestioned belief and purpose."—Frank Knox
31. "What I can do for my country, I am willing to do."—Christopher Gadsden
32. "By recognizing and thanking our local veterans, we are reminding them that their selfless service does not go unnoticed."—Abigail Spanberger
33. "In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends."—Martin Luther King, Jr.
34. "Freedom is the sure possession of those alone who have the courage to defend it."—Pericles
35. "With courage and character, American soldiers continue to put themselves on the line to defend our freedom, and so many have paid the ultimate sacrifice."—Dan Lipinski
37. "A battle lost or won is easily described, understood, and appreciated, but the moral growth of a great nation requires reflection as well as observation to appreciate it."—Frederick Douglass
38. "America’s fighting men and women sacrifice much to ensure that our great nation stays free. We owe a debt of gratitude to the soldiers that have paid the ultimate price for this cause, as well as for those who are blessed enough to return from the battlefield unscathed."—Allen Boyd
39. "Without the brave efforts of all the soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines and their families, this Nation, along with our allies around the world, would not stand so boldly, shine so brightly and live so freely."—Lane Evans
40. "We became a great nation also because every time our beliefs and ideals have been threatened, Americans have stepped forward to defend them."—Bill Clinton
41. "Freedom is secured every day by our men and women in uniform. We must build a future worthy of their sacrifice."—Nancy Pelosi
42. "We must dare to be great, and we must realize that greatness is the fruit of toll and sacrifice and high courage."—Theodore Roosevelt
43. "So long as the memory of certain beloved friends lives in my heart, I shall say that life is good."—Helen Keller
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