37 Memorial Day Quotes to Honor Our National Heroes

Memorial Day was first established in 1868 to commemorate the lives of the soldiers killed during the Civil War. Also known as "Decoration Day," the event now honors all Americans lost in war. Below, we've listed several Memorial Day Quotes to help celebrate the brave men and women of the nation's armed forces along with all others who have ever signed up to serve their country.

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Inspirational Memorial Day Quotes

1. "Courage is contagious. When a brave man takes a stand, the spines of others are often stiffened." —Billy Graham
2. "I got to fight on till I leave here, and I hope I leave some footprints." —Mattie Jones
3. "I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country." —Nathan Hale
4. "In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends." —Martin Luther King, Jr.
5. "Memorial Day remains one of America's most cherished patriotic observances. The spirit of this day has not changed—it remains a day to honor those who died defending our freedom and democracy." —Doc Hastings
6. "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
7. "My fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country." —John F. Kennedy
8. "Freedom makes a huge requirement of every human being. With freedom comes responsibility." —Eleanor Roosevelt
9. "A hero is someone who understands the responsibility that comes with his freedom." —Bob Dylan

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Short Memorial Day Quotes

10. "The patriot's blood is the seed of freedom's tree." —Thomas Campbell
11. "Guard against the impostures of pretended patriotism." —George Washington
12. "Liberty is the breath of life to nations." —George Bernard Shaw
13. "No duty is more urgent than that of returning thanks." —James Allen
14. "One flag, one land, one heart, one hand, one Nation, evermore!" —Oliver Wendell Holmes
15. "When duty calls, that is when character counts." —William Safire
16. "The secret of happiness is freedom; the secret of freedom is courage." —Carrie Jones
17. "He who is brave is free." —Lucius Annaeus Seneca

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Best Memorial Day Quotes for Friends

18. "Your silent tents of green / We deck with fragrant flowers / Yours has the suffering been / The memory shall be ours." —Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
19. "The legacy of heroes is the memory of a great name and the inheritance of a great example." —Benjamin Disraeli
20. "So long as the memory of certain beloved friends lives in my heart, I shall say that life is good." —Helen Keller
21. "This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave." —Elmer Davis
22. "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." —Norman Schwarzkopf
23. "I love America more than any other country in the world, and exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually." —James A. Baldwin

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Memorial Day Quotes for Loved Ones We've Lost

24. "For love of country they accepted death, and thus resolved all doubts, and made immortal their patriotism and their virtue." —James A. Garfield
25. "Never throughout history has a man who lived a life of ease left a name worth remembering." —Theodore Roosevelt
26. "Let their remembrance be as lasting as the land they honored." —Daniel Webster
27. "To live in hearts we leave behind is not to die." —Thomas Campbell
28. "The wind is us―it gathers and remembers all our voices, then send them talking and telling through the leaves and the fields." ―Truman Capote
29. "Who kept the faith and fought the fight; the glory theirs, the duty ours." —Wallace Bruce
30. "May we never forget our fallen comrades. Freedom isn't free." —Sgt. Major Bill Paxton
31. "Our nation owes a debt to its fallen heroes that we can never fully repay." —Barack Obama

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Memorial Day Words of Appreciation

32. "The veterans of our military services have put their lives on the line to protect the freedoms that we enjoy." —Judd Gregg
33. "We must dare to be great, and we must realize that greatness is the fruit of toil and sacrifice and high courage." —Theodore Roosevelt
34. "I have long believed that sacrifice is the pinnacle of patriotism." —Bob Riley
35. The willingness of America's veterans to sacrifice for our country has earned them our lasting gratitude." —Jeff Miller
36. "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
37. "How important it is for us to recognize and celebrate our heroes and she-roes." —Maya Angelou