Memorial Day Quotes

Memorial Day in the United States is a time to remember and honor those who have fought and died for our freedoms. As U.S. citizens, we should never forget the prices paid and the sacrifices made so that we can live in a free nation.

To see a complete history of Memorial Day, check out this link from The History Channel.

I love quotes and perhaps the best quotes related to Memorial Day are all probably from "God Bless the USA" by Lee Greenwood. Here is a link to a newer video in which he and the Air Force Band sing it. I dare you not to get goosebumps.

Other than that powerful song, here are my 30 favorite quotes that sum up Memorial Day and provide us with reminders of the importance of this day . . .

1. “There is nothing wrong with America that cannot be cured with what is right in America.” (Bill Clinton)
2. "Without memory, there is no culture. Without memory, there would be no civilization, no society, no future." (Elie Wiesel)
3. "Duty, honor, country. Those three hallowed words reverently dictate what you ought to be, what you can be, what you will be.” (General Douglas MacArthur)
4. “Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.” (Winston Churchill)
5. "As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words but to live by them." (John F. Kennedy)
6. "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)
7. "The legacy of heroes — the memory of a great name, and the inheritance of a great example." (Benjamin Disraeli)
8. "Our flag does not fly because the wind moves it. It flies with the last breath of each soldier who died protecting it." (Unknown)
9. "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." (General Norman Schwarzkopf)
10. “If you want to thank a soldier, be the kind of American worth fighting for.” (Unknown)
11. “It's better to fight for something in life than to die for nothing.” (General George S. Patton)
12. "Those who have long enjoyed such privileges as we enjoy forget in time that men have died to win them." (Franklin D. Roosevelt)
13. “No man is entitled to the blessings of freedom unless he be vigilant in its preservation.” (General Douglas MacArthur)
14. "Our nation owes a debt to its fallen heroes that we can never fully repay." (Barack Obama)
15. “I think of a hero as someone who understands the degree of responsibility that comes with his freedom." (Bob Dylan)
16. "Never throughout history has a man who lived a life of ease left a name worth remembering." (Theodore Roosevelt)
17. "This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave." (Elmer Davis)
18. "A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself." (Joseph Campbell)
19. “It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God such men lived.” (General George S. Patton)
20. “Freedom makes a huge requirement of every human being. With freedom comes responsibility.” (Eleanor Roosevelt)
21. “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.” (John F. Kennedy)
22. “I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.” (Nathan Hale)
23. “Our obligations to our country never cease but with our lives.” (John Adams)
24. “Heroes never die. They live on forever in the hearts and minds of those who would follow in their footsteps.” (Emily Potter)
25. "So long as the memory of certain beloved friends lives in my heart, I shall say that life is good." (Helen Keller)
26. "The patriot's blood is the seed of freedom's tree." (Thomas Campbell)
27. “Heroism is not only in the man, but in the occasion.” (Calvin Coolidge)
28. “Courage is almost a contradiction in terms. It means a strong desire to live taking the form of readiness to die.” (G.K. Chesterton)
29. “Here men endured that a nation might live." (Herbert Hoover)
30. “Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it.” (Mark Twain)