80 Memorial Day Quotes to Honor American Soldiers’ Sacrifice

Memorial Day is a federal holiday in the United States for honoring and mourning the U.S. military personnel who have died while serving in the United States armed forces. It is observed on the last Monday of May. From 1868 to 1970, it was observed on May 30. This year it will be observed on Monday, 27 May, 2024. Here are Memorial Day Quotes to remember them who sacrificed their life in the service of nation.

Memorial Day Quotes

1. “The patriot’s blood is the seed of freedom’s tree.” ~ Thomas Campbell

2. “Our nation owes a debt to its fallen heroes that we can never fully repay.” ~ Barack Obama

3. “How important it is for us to recognize and celebrate our heroes and she-roes.” ~ Maya Angelou

4. “May we never forget our fallen comrades. Freedom isn’t free.” ~ Sgt. Major Bill Paxton

5. “Those who have long enjoyed such privileges as we enjoy forget in time that men have died to win them.” ~ Franklin D. Roosevelt

6. “No duty is more urgent than that of returning thanks.” ~ James Allen

7. “Home of the free, because of the brave.” ~ Anonymous

8. “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

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. “Heroism is not only in the man, but in the occasion.” ~ Calvin Coolidge

Memorial Day Thank You Quotes

11. “As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter the words, but to live by them.”  ~ John F. Kennedy
12. “It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God such men lived.” ~ George S. Patton
13. “If you want to thank a soldier, be the kind of American worth fighting for.” ~ Anonymous
14. “We take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude.” ~ Cynthia Ozick
15. “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
16. “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
17. “The willingness of America’s veterans to sacrifice for our country has earned them our lasting gratitude.” ~ Jeff Miller
18. “Never throughout history has a man who lived a life of ease left a name worth remembering.” ~ Theodore Roosevelt
19. “To those in uniform serving today and to those who have served in the past, we honor you today and every day.” ~ Anonymous
20. “No man is entitled to the blessings of freedom unless he be vigilant in its preservation.” ~ General Douglas MacArthur

Quotes for Memorial Day

21. “Freedom makes a huge requirement of every human being. With freedom comes responsibility.” ~ Eleanor Roosevelt
22. “A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself.” ~ Joseph Campbell
23. “Never was so much owed by so many few.” ~ Winston Churchill
24. “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
25. ”The brave die never, though they sleep in dust, their courage nerves a thousand living men.” ~ Minot J. Savage
26. “May we never forget freedom isn’t free.” ~ Anonymous
27. “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
28. “Our flag does not fly because the wind moves it. It flies with the last breath of each soldier who died protecting it.” ~ Anonymous
29. “The legacy of heroes is the memory of a great name and the inheritance of a great example.” ~ Benjamin Disraeli
30. “For love of country they accepted death, and thus resolved all doubts, and made immortal their patriotism and their virtue.” ~ James A. Garfield

Memorial Day Quotes

31. “Who kept the faith and fought the fight; The glory theirs, the duty ours.” ~ Wallace Bruce
32. “This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave.” ~ Elmer Davis
33. “Heroism doesn’t always happen in a burst of glory. Sometimes small triumphs and large hearts change the course of history.” ~ Mary Roach
34. “Regard your soldiers as your children, and they will follow you into the deepest valleys; look on them as your own beloved sons, and they will stand by you even unto death.” ~ Sun Tzu
35. “Courage is almost a contradiction in terms. It means a strong desire to live taking the form of readiness to die.” ~ G.K. Chesterson
36. “Those that die for a good cause hover as a cloud of witnesses over the nation.” ~ Henry Ward Beecher
37. “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
38. “America without her soldiers would be like God without His angels.” ~ Claudia Pemberton
39. “So long as the memory of certain beloved friends lives in my heart, I shall say that life is good.” ~ Helen Keller
40. “Without memory, there is no culture. Without memory there would be no civilization, no future.” ~ Elie Wisel

Memorial Day Quote

41. “When the will defies fear, when duty throws the gauntlet down to fate, when honor scorns to compromise with death — that is heroism.”  ~ Robert Green Ingersoll
42. “Patriotism is not short, frenzied outbursts of emotion, but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime.” ~ Adlai Stevenson
43. “Patriotism is when love of your own people comes first; nationalism, when hate for people other than your own comes first.” ~ Charles de Gaulle
44. “I believe our flag is more than just cloth and ink. It is a universally recognized symbol that stands for liberty, and freedom. It is the history of our nation, and it’s marked by the blood of those who died defending it.” ~ John Thune
45. “I have long believed that sacrifice is the pinnacle of patriotism.” ~ Bob Riley
46. “There is nothing nobler than risking your life for your country.” ~ Nick Lampson
47. “Over all our happy country – over all our Nation spread, is a band of noble heroes– is our Army of the Dead.” ~ Will Carleton
48. “My fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.” ~ John F. Kennedy
49. “In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” ~ Martin Luther King Jr
50. “I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.” ~ Nathan Hale

Best Memorial Day Quotes

51. “There is nothing wrong with America that cannot be cured with what is right in America.” ~ William J. Clinton
52. “Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it.” ~ Mark Twain
53. “What I can do for my country, I am willing to do.” ~ Christopher Gadsen
54. “A man is a patriot if his heart beats true to his country.” ~ Charles E. Jefferson
55. “Our obligations to our country never cease but with our lives.” ~ John Adams
56. “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We did not pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.” ~ Ronald Reagan
57. “Let their remembrance be as lasting as the land they honored.” ~ Daniel Webster
58. “…And if words cannot repay the debt we owe these men, surely with our actions we must strive to keep faith with them and with the vision that led them to battle and to final sacrifice.” ~   Ronald Reagan
59. “It’s better to fight for something in life than to die for nothing.” ~ Gen. George S. Patton
60. “These fallen heroes represent the character of a nation who has a long history of patriotism and honor – and a nation who has fought many battles to keep our country free from threats of terror.” ~ Michael N. Castle

Memorial Day Messages

61. “Let us remember all our heroes who have left us while fighting for our country.”
62. “Thank you to the brave men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom.”
63. “This Memorial Day, our deepest gratitude goes to the fallen men and women who gave the citizens of the United States a chance to make this world a better place.”
64. “This Memorial Day, we remember those heroes who courageously gave their lives.”
65. “The brave hearts never die… they sleep in the embrace of their soil.”

66. “In honor of those who fought for our freedom until their dying breath, we remember and thank them on this Memorial Day.”
67. “Fallen, but not forgotten.”
68. “Let’s take a moment of silence to remember and honor the sacrifices of the thousands of men and women who gave up their lives for our country.”
69. “We don’t know them all, but we owe them all.”
70. “We are forever grateful for the ultimate sacrifice of those who died for our country. May their courage and dedication never be forgotten.”

Memorial Day Quotes

71. “Take a moment this memorial day to honor those who served our nation and are no longer with us.”
72. “Remember all our uniformed heroes this Memorial Day who made the last sacrifices to defend our country.”
73. “Nothing is more patriotic than laying down your life for the sake of your country. On Memorial Day, we remember those brave souls.”
74. “America stands strong thanks to the sacrifice of many. Today, we honor all who served and gave their lives to protect our freedoms.”
75. “No words can compensate for the loss of the brave men and women who sacrificed their lives. We respect them, honor them, and forever remember them.”
76. “We owe so much to those fallen heroes that we can never repay. Remember them with honor this Memorial Day.”
77. “They never came back, their silence lives on. We remember the fallen this Memorial Day.”
78. “We salute our fallen and give thanks for our freedom on this Memorial Day.”
79. “Remember our fallen heroes on Memorial Day. They are the reason that we are free.”
80. ” Real heroes never die. They always live in our hearts to inspire us, motivate us, and guide us in our lives.”

Thank you for reading this. Which Memorial Day Quote did you like in the above list? Please let us know your favorite Memorial Day Quotes in the comments section.

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