Grandmother Quotes That'll Make You Long for a Visit

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child running to grandmother with flowers — Photo: Getty Images

Those of us lucky enough to have known them understand the gift of a grandmother in our lives. For some she was a constant presence, ready with a snack, smile, and hug after school. For others, remembering a grandmother recalls weekends at a beach or mountain house (or somewhere far away from parents), free to roam as we pleased, watch more cartoons than normally permitted, and get away with many antics that our mothers wouldn't allow. And yet still for a few others, grandmothers were a yearly or every-few-years visit away, always a treat and never enough. But they were there.

Grandmothers are many things: a friend, a storyteller, and a sharp mouth who can get away with saying anything she pleases. A source for wisdom, a confidant, and someone who will give it to you straight. She loves beyond faults, to a fault.

These grandmother quotes take us back to times spent with our own and are reminding us that maybe, if it's been a while, we should give her a call.

Growing up, I didn't see my grandparents often because they lived far away. We saw my paternal grandparents once a year on average. My maternal grandparents less so. But, I remember that each visit was treasured because we didn't know when the next would be.

I have good memories of my grandmothers. My maternal grandmother often travelled back and forth between Texas and Taiwan, and on her way back would stop to see us in San Francisco. As a child, nothing was more delightful than opening her suitcase to find it brimming with wooden shoes for me and my sister, bought at the famous night markets. And these grandmother quotes make me miss her a little bit more. I wish I could give her a call.

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Sue Monk Kidd

"Grandmotherhood initiated me into a world of play, where all things became fresh, alive, and honest again through my grandchildren's eyes. Mostly, it retaught me love."

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Nikita Gill

"Grandmothers are a gift not to be taken lightly. So many lose them, before they are old enough to know their magic."

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Lilian Li

"Her crown of white hair seemed to stand like a halo around her in the night sky."

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Vindy Teja

"Beware! Authentic communication is not to be confused with Grandma's unfiltered comments!"

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Grace Gegenheimer

"I carry within me
the heart of a warrior,
the mind of a pharaoh,
the soul of a goddess
and the wisdom of
my grandmothers'
grandmothers."

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Regina Barreca

"I could do worse than become my own grandma, or anyone of the strong women who raised us. Our strengths emerged from theirs; we build on their heritage and transform their resilience and competence into our own."

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Curtis Tyrone Jones

"When she smiles, the lines in her face become epic narratives that trace the stories of generations that no book can replace."

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Anne Tyler

"She loved them so much that she felt a kind of hollowness on the inner surface of her arms whenever she looked at them- an ache of longing to pull them close and hold them tight against her."

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R. YS Perez

"I want to love like my grandmother, who loved a woman like Joseph loved Mary. Someone so imperfect, so human, brave enough to love someone who already knows God."

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Lisa Birnbach

"Grandmother. The true power behind the power."

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Sherman Alexie

"My grandmother's last act on earth was a call for forgiveness, love, and tolerance."

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Barbara Cage

"A grandma is warm hugs and sweet memories. She remembers all of your accomplishments and forgets all of your mistakes."

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Unknown

"A grandmother's love is forever and always."

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Unknown

"A grandma is someone who's dear in every way. Her smile is like the sunshine that brightens each new day."

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Zelda Rosenbaum

"For myself, one of the sweetest words I have ever heard is 'Nana'."

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Catherine Pulsifer

"Grandmothers always have time to talk and make you feel special."

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Christopher Morley

"It is as grandmothers that our mothers come into the fullness of their grace."

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Phyllis Theroux

"We should all have one person who knows how to bless us despite the evidence. Grandmother was that person to me."

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Unknown

"A grandma is someone who plays a special part in all the treasured memories we hold within our heart."

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Rebecca Barlow Jordan

"Grandmother opens up a new world of change, challenge, and celebration in a woman's life."

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Italian Proverb

"If nothing is going well, call your grandmother."

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Mary-Lou Rosengren

"To all of the grandmothers who make the world more gentle, more tolerant and more safe for our children. Never doubt your importance."

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Albert Einstein

"You do not really understand something unless you can explain it to your grandmother."

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Sharon Carpenter

"I want to be the grandmother who plays inside and outside, experiencing joy with each grandchild, according to his or her personality and interests."

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Catherine Pulsifer

"Our grandmother didn't like the word retirement, she said life is for living not for retiring."

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Louisa May Alcott

"A house needs a grandma in it."

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Janice Elliott-Howard

"There are grandmothers out there who would move heaven and earth for their grandchildren."

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Bryna Nelson Paston

"Truth be told, being a grandma is as close as we ever get to perfection."

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Prince William

"As I learned from growing up, you don't mess with your grandmother."

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Unknown

"A grandmother is a remarkable woman. She's a wonderful combination of warmth and kindness, laughter and love. She overlooks our faults, encourages our dreams, and praises our every success."

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