Flower Quotes for Cards: Sunflower and Butterfly Quotes

Flower quotes are an easy way to add a little warmth to a birthday card, a thank you note or a card for Mom. A short line about roses, daffodils or sunflowers can say something kind when you are not sure how to begin.

This page has famous flower quotes from writers such as Emerson, Wordsworth and Shakespeare, short flower quotes, sunflower quotes, butterfly quotes, gentle quotes for a sympathy card, Bible verses about flowers and simple messages for the card that goes with a bouquet. Quotes from named writers are listed separately from common sayings and from our own card lines.

Article contents

• How to Use a Flower Quote in a Card
• Famous Flower Quotes
• Short Flower Quotes
• Sunflower Quotes
• Butterfly Quotes
• Butterfly Quotes for Sympathy and Remembrance
• Spring and Garden Quotes
• Flower Quotes for Birthdays
• Flower Quotes for Mom
• Bible Verses About Flowers
• Card Messages to Go With Flowers
• Frequently Asked Questions

How to Use a Flower Quote in a Card

A quote works best when you pair it with a sentence or two of your own. Here is a simple way to do it.

1. Pick a quote that fits the person and the occasion. A cheerful sunflower line suits a friend's birthday, and a quiet line about remembrance suits a sympathy card.
2. Write the quote first, in quotation marks. Add the author's name after it so the reader knows who said it.
3. Add your own message underneath. Say why the line made you think of them, or simply tell them what you wish for them.
4. Close with a warm sign-off and your name. "Love," "Warmly" and "Thinking of you" all work well.

Example: "'Earth laughs in flowers.' (Ralph Waldo Emerson) This line made me think of your garden and of you. Happy birthday, Linda. I hope your day is full of sunshine. Love, Karen"

Famous Flower Quotes

These lines come from poets and authors whose work is in the public domain. The Andersen line is from the usual English translation of his story "The Butterfly." A slash marks a line break in a poem.

• "Earth laughs in flowers." (Ralph Waldo Emerson)
• "Just living is not enough... one must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower." (Hans Christian Andersen)
• "I wandered lonely as a cloud / That floats on high o'er vales and hills, / When all at once I saw a crowd, / A host, of golden daffodils" (William Wordsworth)
• "And then my heart with pleasure fills, / And dances with the daffodils." (William Wordsworth)
• "To see a World in a Grain of Sand / And a Heaven in a Wild Flower" (William Blake)
• "A thing of beauty is a joy for ever." (John Keats)
• "O my Luve's like a red, red rose / That's newly sprung in June" (Robert Burns)
• "I know a bank where the wild thyme blows, / Where oxlips and the nodding violet grows" (William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night's Dream)
• "To make a prairie it takes a clover and one bee, / One clover, and a bee, / And revery." (Emily Dickinson)

Short Flower Quotes

Short flower quotes fit a small card, a gift tag or the line under a longer note. These come from named writers:

• "Earth laughs in flowers." (Ralph Waldo Emerson)
• "A thing of beauty is a joy for ever." (John Keats)
• "Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May" (William Shakespeare, Sonnet 18)
• "Gather ye rosebuds while ye may" (Robert Herrick)

Common sayings that many people know, with no single author:

• Bloom where you are planted.
• Stop and smell the roses.
• Every flower blooms in its own time.
• April showers bring May flowers.
• No rain, no flowers.

Short card lines of our own that you can copy as they are:

• You make everything around you bloom.
• Sending you a bunch of sunshine today.
• You brighten every room like fresh flowers.
• Thinking of you and hoping your day is full of blooms.
• Thank you for helping our little garden grow.
• Wishing you a season of good things.
• May your days be as bright as a field of daisies.

Sunflower Quotes

Sunflowers are a cheerful choice for a thank you note, a birthday card or a card to a friend who could use some encouragement. Two poets wrote lines about the sunflower turning to follow the sun.

• "Ah Sun-flower! weary of time, / Who countest the steps of the Sun" (William Blake)
• "As the sunflower turns on her god, when he sets, / The same look which she turn'd when he rose." (Thomas Moore)

In the Thomas Moore lines, from the song "Believe Me, If All Those Endearing Young Charms," the word "god" refers to the sun. The poem is about love that lasts, so it also suits an anniversary card.

Sunflower card lines of our own:

• You are my sunshine on a cloudy day. Thank you for everything.
• Like a sunflower, you always find the bright side. Happy birthday.
• Sending you a little sunshine and a lot of love.
• Thank you for being the sunflower in my garden of friends.
• Keep your face toward the light. Better days are coming, and I am here for you.
• Wishing you a year as warm and golden as a field of sunflowers.
• Your kindness is like sunshine, and I am grateful for it.

Butterfly Quotes

Butterfly quotes suit cards about change and new beginnings, such as a graduation, a new job, a move or a birthday. These come from named writers:

• "Just living is not enough... one must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower." (Hans Christian Andersen, from "The Butterfly")
• "The butterfly counts not months but moments, and has time enough." (Rabindranath Tagore)
• "I almost wish we were butterflies and liv'd but three summer days" (John Keats, in a letter to Fanny Brawne)

Butterfly card lines of our own:

• Spread your wings. We cannot wait to see where you go next.
• Congratulations, graduate. It is time to fly.
• Every change brings something beautiful with it. Good luck in your new home.
• Wishing you a year full of color, sunshine and new adventures.
• You have grown so much this year, and it shows. Happy birthday.
• Fly high, sweet girl. Happy birthday.

Butterfly Quotes for Sympathy and Remembrance

Many people think of butterflies and flowers when they remember someone they love. In a sympathy card, keep the message short and gentle, and use the name of the person who died if you knew them. These lines are often used in memorial cards:

• "Though nothing can bring back the hour / Of splendour in the grass, of glory in the flower; / We will grieve not, rather find / Strength in what remains behind" (William Wordsworth)
• "There's rosemary, that's for remembrance." (William Shakespeare, Hamlet)
• "Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, it became a butterfly." (a traditional saying; it is often credited to various people, but the original source is not known)

Gentle sympathy messages of our own:

• Every time I see a butterfly, I will think of your mom.
• She loved her garden, and I will think of her whenever the flowers come back in spring.
• Holding you close in my thoughts as you remember your dad.
• I am so sorry for your loss. I hope the memories of him bring you some comfort in the days ahead.
• Sending love and a little light your way during this hard time.
• Thinking of you and remembering the joy she brought to everyone around her.
• There are no right words, but I want you to know I am here for you.
• May happy memories of your sister stay with you, like flowers that return each year.

Spring and Garden Quotes

Spring and garden quotes fit an Easter card, a housewarming card or a note to a gardener. These come from named writers:

• "Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, / And summer's lease hath all too short a date" (William Shakespeare, Sonnet 18)
• "A little madness in the Spring / Is wholesome even for the King" (Emily Dickinson)
• "And 'tis my faith that every flower / Enjoys the air it breathes." (William Wordsworth)
• "Heaven is under our feet as well as over our heads." (Henry David Thoreau, Walden)
• "Where you tend a rose, my lad, / A thistle cannot grow." (Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden)

Spring and garden card lines of our own:

• Happy spring! I hope your garden is full of color this year.
• Wishing you sunny days, warm afternoons and plenty of blooms.
• Congratulations on your new home. May your garden grow and your door always be open.
• Thank you for sharing your beautiful flowers with the whole neighborhood.
• To a friend with the greenest thumb I know. Happy birthday.
• Spring is here, and so is a little note to say I miss you.
• Thank you for the tomatoes, the zucchini and the friendship.
• Here is to longer days, open windows and flowers on the table.

Flower Quotes for Birthdays

A flower line makes a sweet birthday wish for anyone who loves a garden. Pair one of the famous quotes above with a line from this list, or use one on its own.

• Happy birthday to someone who makes the world bloom.
• Wishing you a birthday as bright as a bouquet of sunflowers.
• Another year older and still the prettiest flower in the garden. Happy birthday.
• May your year be full of sunshine, good friends and fresh flowers.
• Here is a bouquet of birthday wishes, just for you.
• You light up every room like a vase of tulips. Happy birthday.
• Happy birthday, Grandma. Your garden and your hugs are two of my favorite things.
• Happy birthday. I hope this year brings you everything you have been planting.

Flower Quotes for Mom

Flowers and moms go together, especially on Mother's Day. These lines work in a Mother's Day card, a birthday card for Mom or a note tucked into a bouquet.

• Mom, you planted the seeds and helped me grow. Happy Mother's Day.
• Thank you for every bouquet of dandelions you pretended to love. Happy Mother's Day.
• You make every place you live feel like a garden. I love you, Mom.
• Happy Mother's Day to the woman who taught me to stop and smell the roses.
• Of all the flowers in the world, you are my favorite. Love you, Mom.
• Thank you for your patience, your care and your sunny heart. Happy Mother's Day.
• Happy Mother's Day to a mom who helped me bloom in my own time.
• Happy Mother's Day, Grandma. You are the root of this whole family tree.
• Wishing the best mom a day full of flowers, rest and breakfast in bed.

Bible Verses About Flowers

This section is faith-based. These Bible verses about flowers suit a Christian birthday card, an Easter card or a card of comfort. They are quoted from the New International Version (NIV):

• "The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever." (Isaiah 40:8)
• "See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these." (Matthew 6:28-29)
• "See! The winter is past; the rains are over and gone. Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land." (Song of Songs 2:11-12)
• "I am a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valleys." (Song of Songs 2:1)
• "The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom." (Isaiah 35:1)
• "I will be like the dew to Israel; he will blossom like a lily." (Hosea 14:5)
• "As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease." (Genesis 8:22)

Faith-based card lines of our own:

• May God bless you with a year of growth, peace and joy. Happy birthday.
• Praying that this spring brings you new hope and fresh blessings.
• God cares for every flower of the field, and He cares even more for you.

Card Messages to Go With Flowers

The small card that comes with a bouquet has room for only a line or two. These messages fit a florist card or a gift tag.

• Just because. Love you.
• Thinking of you today and every day.
• Thank you for everything you do.
• Happy birthday. These made me think of you.
• Congratulations. You earned every one of these flowers.
• Get well soon. Sending love and a little color for your room.
• Welcome to the world, little one. Congratulations to the proud parents.
• With deepest sympathy and love to your family.
• Happy Mother's Day. Thank you for everything.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a good short flower quote for a card?

"Earth laughs in flowers" by Ralph Waldo Emerson and "A thing of beauty is a joy for ever" by John Keats are both short enough for a small card. Common sayings such as "Bloom where you are planted" also work well.

Who said "The earth laughs in flowers"?

The line comes from Ralph Waldo Emerson's poem "Hamatreya," where it reads "Earth laughs in flowers." It is often quoted with "The" added at the start.

What is a good butterfly quote for a sympathy card?

Rabindranath Tagore's line "The butterfly counts not months but moments, and has time enough" is gentle and fits many losses. You can also write a simple message such as "Every time I see a butterfly, I will think of her."

What do sunflowers mean on a card?

Sunflowers are often linked with warmth, happiness and loyalty because they turn toward the sun. That makes them a good fit for thank you notes, birthday cards and cards of encouragement.

For more quotes, see our gratitude quotes and thank you quotes, nature and national park quotes and grief quotes for sympathy cards.

If you need cards to write them in, our Sunflowers Thank You Cards, Butterfly Garden Thank You Cards, Whimsical Florals Thank You Cards and Spring Florals Thank You Cards are boxed sets of 12 with envelopes. See all floral thank you cards.