Holidays & Occasions Memorial Day 32 Memorial Day Quotes To Honor America's Fallen Soldiers "May we never forget freedom isn't free." By Southern Living Editors Updated on May 22, 2023 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Barbara Rich / Getty Images Many of us celebrate Memorial Day with a start-of-summer barbecue, beach trip, or town parade every May. But, no matter your plans, it's important to remember the true meaning of the celebration. It's a day dedicated to honoring the fallen soldiers that have fought to protect our freedom. These 32 Memorial Day quotes deserve to be shared to remind us of our soldiers' sacrifices every day, past and present, and also to help honor those who inspired such powerful words. Simply put, to say thank you. It's an honor and recognition of service we should have every day, not only on this occasion. "Memorial Day: Celebrate, honor, remember." Patriotic Memorial Day Quotes 01 of 32 Ronald Reagan "Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same." –Ronald Reagan 02 of 32 Franklin D. Roosevelt "Those who have long enjoyed such privileges as we enjoy forget in time that men have died to win them." –Franklin D. Roosevelt 03 of 32 Minot J. Savage "The brave die never, though they sleep in dust: Their courage nerves a thousand living men." –Minot J. Savage 04 of 32 Adlai E. Stevenson II "Patriotism is not short, frenzied outbursts of emotion, but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime." –Adlai E. Stevenson II 05 of 32 Ronald Reagan "Some people live an entire lifetime and wonder if they have ever made a difference in the world. A veteran does not have that problem." –Ronald Reagan 06 of 32 Unknown "Our flag does not fly because the wind moves it. It flies with the last breath of each soldier who died protecting it." –Unknown 07 of 32 James A. Garfield "For love of country they accepted death, and thus resolved all doubts, and made immortal their patriotism and their virtue." –James A. Garfield 08 of 32 Elmer Davis "This nation will remain the land of the free only as long as it is home of the brave." –Elmer Davis Thankful Memorial Day Quotes 09 of 32 Tamra Bolton, Parade "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, Parade 10 of 32 Beth Pennington "As we set today aside to honor and thank our veterans, let us be mindful that we should do this every day of the year and not just one." –Beth Pennington 11 of 32 George S. Patton "It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God such men lived." –George S. Patton 12 of 32 Lee Greenwood "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 13 of 32 Maya Angelou "How important it is for us to recognize and celebrate our heroes and she-roes." –Maya Angelou 14 of 32 Unknown "We don't know them all, but we owe them all." –Unknown Short Memorial Day Sayings 15 of 32 Claudia Pemberton "America without her soldiers would be like God without His angels." –Claudia Pemberton 16 of 32 Unknown "Home of the free, because of the brave." –Unknown 17 of 32 Nathan Hale "I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country." –Nathan Hale 18 of 32 Benjamin Franklin "Where liberty dwells, there is my country." –Benjamin Franklin 19 of 32 Unknown "Memorial Day: celebrate, honor, remember." –Unknown 20 of 32 Thomas Campbell "The patriot's blood is the seed of freedom's tree." –Thomas Campbell 21 of 32 Herbert Hoover "Here men endured that a nation might live." –Herbert Hoover 22 of 32 RJ Heller "In the aftermath, we are because they were." –RJ Heller 23 of 32 Unknown "May we never forget freedom isn't free." –Unknown Inspirational Memorial Day Quotes 24 of 32 John F. Kennedy "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 25 of 32 Eleanor Roosevelt "Freedom makes a huge requirement of every human being. With freedom comes responsibility." –Eleanor Roosevelt 26 of 32 Bob Dylan "A hero is someone who understands the responsibility that comes with his freedom." –Bob Dylan 27 of 32 Thucydides "The bravest are surely those who have the clearest vision of what is before them, glory and danger alike, and yet notwithstanding, go out to meet it." –Thucydides 28 of 32 Franklin D. Roosevelt "In the truest sense, freedom cannot be bestowed; it must be achieved." –Franklin D. Roosevelt 29 of 32 Richelle E. Goodrich "On this day, take time to remember those who have fallen. But on every day after, do more; put the freedoms they died for to greater and nobler uses." –Richelle E. Goodrich 30 of 32 Martin Luther King Jr. "In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends." –Martin Luther King Jr. 31 of 32 Robert A. Heinlein "Liberty is never unalienable; it must be redeemed regularly with the blood of patriots or it always vanishes. Of all the so-called natural human rights that have ever been invented, liberty is least likely to be cheap and is never free of cost." –Robert A. Heinlein 32 of 32 Daniel Webster "Their remembrance be as lasting as the land they honored." –Daniel Webster Frequently Asked Questions When did Memorial Day start, and who created it? The first Memorial Day was May 30, 1868, known as Decoration Day, to honor soldiers who died in the Civil War. Major General John A. Logan designated the day so flowers would be in bloom and could decorate the graves of those who died in the war. Where is the birthplace of Memorial Day? According to the town of Waterloo, New York's website, this is the birthplace of Memorial Day. Other towns contested the title, but Congress passed a resolution to officially recognize Memorial Day's birthplace as Waterloo, New York, in 1966. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit