Article published at Quotery.com
To many, Memorial Day, the federal U.S. holiday that takes place every year on the last Monday of May, is just another excuse for a three-day weekend. It’s also known as the day that marks the official start of summer and as a day devoted to getting great deals at the mall. However, the true meaning of Memorial Day goes far beyond barbecues and mattress sales.
The holiday began after the Civil War, and at that time was known as “Decoration Day.” While it was originally founded to honor the soldiers who died in the Civil War, today, Memorial Day is a day to honor all of the Americans who have died in military service.
Patriotic Americans should take a moment from their day of celebration and leisure to reflect on the brave sacrifices of those who have given their lives for this great nation. Get inspired by the following 25 Glorious Memorial Day Quotes, which celebrate American heroes, as well as the values that make this country worth fighting for.
1. Ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country. – John F. Kennedy
2. Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it. – Mark Twain
[Tweet “3. I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country. – Nathan Hale”]
4. There is nothing wrong with America that cannot be cured by what is right with America. – Bill Clinton
5. I have long believed that sacrifice is the pinnacle of patriotism. – Bob Riley
6. They hover as a cloud of witnesses above this Nation. – Henry Ward Beecher
[Tweet “7. Who kept the faith and fought the fight; The glory theirs, the duty ours. – Wallace Bruce”]
8. A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself. – Joseph Campbell
9. The patriot’s blood is the seed of Freedom’s tree. – Thomas Campbell
10. The legacy of heroes is the memory of a great name and the inheritance of a great example. – Benjamin Disraeli
11. For love of country they accepted death. – James A. Garfield
[Tweet “12. The greatest glory of a free-born people is to transmit that freedom to their children. – William Harvard”]
13. The dead soldier’s silence sings our national anthem. – Aaron Kilbourne
14. On thy grave the rain shall fall from the eyes of a mighty nation! – Thomas William Parsons
15. We come, not to mourn our dead soldiers, but to praise them. – Francis A. Walker
16. 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
17. Four things support the world: the learning of the wise, the justice of the great, the prayers of the good, and the valor of the brave. – Muhammed
Courage is contagious. When a brave man takes a stand, the spines of others are stiffened. – Billy Graham
[Tweet “19. Dead upon the field of glory, Hero fit for song and story. – John Randolph Thomason”]
20. 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
[Tweet “21. Aspire rather to be a hero than merely appear one. – Baltasar Gracian”]
22. 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
23. They fell, but o’er their glorious grave. Floats free the banner of the cause they died to save. – Francis Marion Crawford
24. They are dead; but they live in each Patriot’s breast, And their names are engraven on honor’s bright crest. – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
25. Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty. – John F. Kennedy
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