Memorial Day, observed annually on the last Monday of May, falls on May 31 this year. The federal holiday honors the women and men who died while in military service.
Here we look at some quotes from various public figures, themed around patriotism, heroism, bravery and freedom, that can be shared in honor of Memorial Day.
Abraham Lincoln, late former U.S. president
"Honor to the Soldier, and Sailor everywhere, who bravely bears his country's cause. Honor also to the citizen who cares for his brother in the field, and serves, as best he can, the same cause—honor to him, less only than to him, who braves, for the common good, the storms of heaven and the storms of battle."
Theodore Roosevelt, late former U.S. president
"We must dare to be great; and we must realize that greatness is the fruit of toil and sacrifice and high courage."
Eleanor Roosevelt, late former U.S. first lady
"Freedom makes a huge requirement of every human being. With freedom comes responsibility."
General Douglas MacArthur, late U.S. military general
"Duty, honor, country. Those three hallowed words reverently dictate what you ought to be, what you can be, what you will be."
Martin Luther King, Jr., civil rights leader
"In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends."
Barack Obama, former U.S. president
"Our nation owes a debt to its fallen heroes that we can never fully repay."
Maya Angelou, late poet/author and civil rights activist
"How important it is for us to recognize and celebrate our heroes and she-roes."
Winston Churchill, late former British Prime Minister
"Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few."
Claudia Pemberton, author
"America without her soldiers would be like God without His angels."
John F. Kennedy, late former U.S. president
"My fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country."
Harriet Tubman, late abolitionist
"I had reasoned this out in my mind, there was one of two things I had a right to, liberty or death; if I could not have one, I would have the other."
Arthur Ashe, late professional tennis player
"True heroism is remarkably sober, very undramatic. It is not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others at whatever cost."
Mary Roach, author
"Heroism doesn't always happen in a burst of glory. Sometimes small triumphs and large hearts change the course of history."
Elmer Davis, late journalist
"This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave."
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Soo Kim is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. She covers various lifestyle stories, specializing in travel and health.
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