Memorial Day quotes
223 quotes on this topic — from poets, philosophers, and thinkers across history.
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Browse quotes that often appear alongside memorial day — connected by shared ideas and recurring themes.
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"They, and we, are the legacies of an unbroken chain of proud men and women who served their country with honor, who waged war so that we might know peace, who braved hardship so that we might know opportunity, who paid the ultimate price so that we might know freedom."
"Once we have a war there is only one thing to do. It must be won. For defeat brings worse things than any that can ever happen in war."
"Spirit, that made those heroes dare To die, and leave their children free, Bid Time and Nature gently spare The shaft we raise to them and thee."
"Brave men are all vertebrates; they have their softness on the surface and their toughness in the middle."
"On Memorial Day we come together as Americans to let these families and veterans know that they are not alone. We give thanks for those who sacrificed everything so that we could be free. And we commit ourselves to upholding the ideals for which so many patriots have fought and died."
"I would rather be remembered by a song than by a victory."
"True bravery is shown by performing without witness what one might be capable of doing before all the world."
"Cause there ain’t no doubt I love this land, God Bless the U.S.A."
"To those of you mourn the loss of a loved one today, my heart goes out to you. We remember that the blessings that we enjoy as Americans came at a dear cost. Our nation owes a debt to its fallen heroes that we cannot ever fully repay. But we can honor their sacrifice, and we must. We must honor it in our own lives by holding their memories close to our hearts, and heeding the example they set."
"From 1971 onwards, the Memorial Day holiday was officially observed on the last Monday in May and became the unofficial start of the summer, with barbecues, blockbuster movie openings and mattress sales."
"Ah! never shall the land forget."
"Ah! never shall the land forget How gushed the life-blood of her brave -"
"Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more; Or close the wall with our English dead."
"Then imitate the action of the tiger; stiffen the sinews, summon up the blood."
"We shall defend our island whatever the cost may be; we shall fight on beaches, landing grounds, in fields, in streets and on the hills. We shall never surrender and even if, which I do not for the moment believe, this island or a large part of it were subjugated and starving, then our empire beyond the seas, armed and guarded by the British Fleet, will carry on the struggle until in God's good time the New World with all its power and might, sets forth to the liberation and rescue of the Old."
"I don't have to tell you how fragile this precious gift of freedom is. Every time we hear, watch, or read the news, we are reminded that liberty is a rare commodity in this world."
"The Flag still floats unblotted with defeat! But ah the blood that keeps its ripples red, The starry lives that keep its field alight."
"Each man is a hero and an oracle to somebody."
"Our goal is peace. We can gain that peace by strengthening our alliances, by speaking candidly about the dangers before us, by assuring potential adversaries of our seriousness, by actively pursuing every chance of honest and fruitful negotiation."
"They do not need our praise. They do not need that our admiration should sustain them. There is no immortality that is safer than theirs. We come not for their sakes but for our own, in order that we may drink at the same springs of inspiration from which they themselves drank."
