Memorial Day Quotes, Messages and Prayers for a Card

Memorial Day quotes give you a respectful way to begin a card or a short post when your own words feel too small. A line from Abraham Lincoln or a stanza from a war poem can say what many of us feel about the men and women who died in service to the country.

Below are short Memorial Day quotes, quotes to honor the fallen, poem lines, presidential quotes, NIV Bible verses, prayers and messages for a Gold Star family. Every quote comes from a published speech, letter, poem or proclamation, and the source is listed next to it.

Article contents

• How to Use a Memorial Day Quote in a Card
• Memorial Day 2027 Date and Meaning
• Short Memorial Day Quotes
• Memorial Day Quotes to Honor the Fallen
• Memorial Day Poem Lines to Quote
• Presidential Memorial Day Quotes
• Memorial Day Bible Verses
• Memorial Day Prayers
• Memorial Day Messages for a Gold Star Family
• Memorial Day Messages and Sayings for Cards and Social Posts
• Phrases to Leave Out of a Memorial Day Card
• Frequently Asked Questions

How to Use a Memorial Day Quote in a Card

A quote works best as the opening of a card, with a few words of your own below it. These steps keep it simple.

1. Think about who will read the card. A family who lost someone in service will want something gentle and personal. A veterans post or church group may prefer a quote about honor and gratitude.
2. Write one quote at the top. Put the speaker or author on the line below it. A short quote leaves more room for your own note.
3. Add a personal line. If you are writing to a family, use the name of the person who died and share a short memory if you have one.
4. Close with care. "With gratitude," "In remembrance" and "Thinking of you" all suit Memorial Day. Sign your full name so the family knows who remembered.

Here is an example: "'At the going down of the sun and in the morning / We will remember them.' (Laurence Binyon) Dear Linda, we are thinking of you and remembering Mark this Memorial Day. We still talk about the summer he coached the boys' baseball team. With love, Tom and Ann"

Memorial Day 2027 Date and Meaning

Memorial Day is observed on the last Monday in May. In 2027, Memorial Day falls on Monday, May 31.

Memorial Day honors the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military. The day began after the Civil War as Decoration Day. In General Order No. 11, issued in May 1868, General John A. Logan set aside May 30 of that year for decorating the graves of soldiers who had died in the war.

Memorial Day is often confused with Veterans Day. Memorial Day remembers those who died in service. Veterans Day, on November 11, honors everyone who has served in the military. A "thank you for your service" message fits Veterans Day best. For that holiday, see our Veterans Day wishes and quotes.

Short Memorial Day Quotes

These short Memorial Day quotes are one or two lines long, so they fit at the top of a card, on a sign for a local service or in a social post.

• "The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here." (Abraham Lincoln, Gettysburg Address)
• "We here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain." (Abraham Lincoln, Gettysburg Address)
• "We should guard their graves with sacred vigilance." (General John A. Logan, General Order No. 11)
• "Let no wanton foot tread rudely on such hallowed grounds." (General John A. Logan, General Order No. 11)
• "At the going down of the sun and in the morning / We will remember them." (Laurence Binyon, For the Fallen)
• "We can not hope to repay those whom we are assembled to honor." (Calvin Coolidge, 1925)
• "Freedom is Not Free" (inscription at the Korean War Veterans Memorial)

Memorial Day Quotes to Honor the Fallen

These longer quotes to honor the fallen suit a card to a veterans group, a program for a Memorial Day service or a note to someone who served with the person being remembered.

• "The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract." (Abraham Lincoln, Gettysburg Address)
• "It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced." (Abraham Lincoln, Gettysburg Address)
• "I cannot refrain from tendering to you the consolation that may be found in the thanks of the Republic they died to save." (letter to Lydia Bixby, 1864, signed by Abraham Lincoln)
• "If other eyes grow dull, other hands slack, and other hearts cold in the solemn trust, ours shall keep it well as long as the light and warmth of life remain to us." (General John A. Logan, General Order No. 11)
• "It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived." (General George S. Patton, 1945)
• "In their youth and strength, their love and loyalty, those who rest here gave to their country all that mortality can give." (Calvin Coolidge, 1925)

Memorial Day Poem Lines to Quote

Two poems from the First World War are often read at Memorial Day services. John McCrae, a Canadian army doctor, wrote "In Flanders Fields" in 1915, and it inspired the red poppy as a symbol of remembrance. Laurence Binyon wrote "For the Fallen" in 1914. A stanza or two fits well inside a card.

• "In Flanders fields the poppies blow / Between the crosses, row on row, / That mark our place; and in the sky / The larks, still bravely singing, fly / Scarce heard amid the guns below." (John McCrae, In Flanders Fields)
• "We are the Dead. Short days ago / We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, / Loved and were loved, and now we lie, / In Flanders fields." (John McCrae, In Flanders Fields)
• "To you from failing hands we throw / The torch; be yours to hold it high." (John McCrae, In Flanders Fields)
• "They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: / Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. / At the going down of the sun and in the morning / We will remember them." (Laurence Binyon, For the Fallen)

Presidential Memorial Day Quotes

These presidential Memorial Day quotes come from speeches given at Arlington National Cemetery and from Memorial Day proclamations.

• "Today is the day we put aside to remember fallen heroes and to pray that no heroes will ever have to die for us again." (Ronald Reagan, 1986)
• "We owe them first a promise: That just as they did not forget their missing comrades, neither, ever, will we." (Ronald Reagan, 1986)
• "Their lives remind us that freedom is not bought cheaply. It has a cost; it imposes a burden." (Ronald Reagan, 1982)
• "They didn't volunteer to die; they volunteered to defend values for which men have always been willing to die if need be, the values which make up what we call civilization." (Ronald Reagan, 1982)
• "As we honor their memory today, let us pledge that their lives, their sacrifices, their valor shall be justified and remembered for as long as God gives life to this nation." (Ronald Reagan, 1982)
• "The courage and ideals of our noble dead have contributed to the advancement of the cause of world freedom and stand as an inspiration to us all." (John F. Kennedy, Memorial Day proclamation, 1962)

Memorial Day Bible Verses

If the family or group you are writing to shares your faith, a Bible verse is a fitting choice. These Memorial Day Bible verses are from the New International Version (NIV). John 15:13 is a common choice for Memorial Day.

• "Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends." (John 15:13)
• "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." (2 Timothy 4:7)
• "The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit." (Psalm 34:18)
• "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted." (Matthew 5:4)
• "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble." (Psalm 46:1)
• "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God." (Matthew 5:9)
• "They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore." (Isaiah 2:4)

Memorial Day Prayers

Since 1950, Congress has asked that Memorial Day also be observed as a day of prayer for permanent peace. These short Memorial Day prayers can be written in a card or read at a family gathering.

• Lord, we thank you for the men and women who gave their lives in service to our country. Grant them eternal rest, and comfort the families who miss them today. Amen.
• Heavenly Father, be close to every family with an empty chair this Memorial Day. Give them peace, and let them feel the love of the people around them. Amen.
• God of peace, we remember those who died so that others could live in freedom. Help us honor their sacrifice by caring for one another and working for peace. Amen.
• Lord, we pray for the parents, spouses, children and friends of the fallen. Hold them close today and in the quiet days that follow. Amen.

The 1864 letter that Abraham Lincoln signed and sent to Lydia Bixby, a grieving mother in Boston, closes with a prayer: "I pray that our heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement, and leave you only the cherished memory of the loved and lost, and the solemn pride that must be yours to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of freedom."

Memorial Day Messages for a Gold Star Family

A Gold Star family is one that has lost a loved one in military service. Use the name of the person who died and keep the message short and sincere. Knowing that someone else remembers often means the most.

• Thinking of you this Memorial Day and remembering Michael with you.
• We will never forget Sam's service or his sacrifice. We are holding your family close today.
• We are grateful for Daniel's service and for everything your family has given. We are thinking of you today.
• Thank you for sharing Josh's story with us over the years. We will keep telling it.
• No words are enough, but please know that your husband's sacrifice is not forgotten.
• I still think of Katie every time I hear the national anthem. Sending you love this Memorial Day.
• Today and always, we remember Chris with you. If you would like company at the cemetery, we would be glad to come along.
• Your brother was one of the bravest and kindest people I have known. I am remembering him with you today.

Memorial Day Messages and Sayings for Cards and Social Posts

These short messages and sayings work in a card to a veterans post or church group, or as a caption for a photo of flags at a cemetery.

• Remembering the fallen, and thankful for their sacrifice.
• With gratitude to the ones who did not come home.
• Home of the free, because of the brave.
• Taking a moment today to remember the men and women who died in service to our nation.
• We remember their names, their courage and the families who still miss them.
• Their service ended far too soon, and we will keep their memory alive.
• On Memorial Day we pause to honor the fallen and the families who carry their memory.
• Remembering those who served and never came home. Our thanks will never be enough.

Many people also pause at 3 p.m. local time on Memorial Day for the National Moment of Remembrance.

Phrases to Leave Out of a Memorial Day Card

A few common phrases can land the wrong way on Memorial Day, especially with a grieving family.

1. "Happy Memorial Day." It can sound out of place to a grieving family. "Thinking of you this Memorial Day" is a better choice.
2. "Thank you for your service" to a living veteran. Many veterans spend Memorial Day remembering friends who did not come home. Save this phrase for Veterans Day.
3. "At least he died a hero." The family knows he was brave. Words that sound like a silver lining can make the loss feel smaller.
4. Opinions about the war or politics. Keep the card about the person and the family.
5. Weekend plans or sale talk. Wishing a Gold Star family "a great long weekend" can feel careless.

Frequently Asked Questions

When is Memorial Day 2027?

Memorial Day 2027 is Monday, May 31. Memorial Day is always observed on the last Monday in May, so in 2028 it falls on May 29.

Is it OK to say "Happy Memorial Day"?

Many people prefer not to, because the day remembers those who died in service. "Have a meaningful Memorial Day" or "Remembering the fallen today" are good choices, especially in a card to a Gold Star family.

What is the difference between Memorial Day and Veterans Day?

Memorial Day honors the men and women who died while serving in the military. Veterans Day, on November 11, honors everyone who has served, living or not.

Should I send a card to a Gold Star family on Memorial Day?

Yes. A short card that uses the name of the person who died shows the family that someone remembers. Hearing a loved one's name can be a real comfort on a day of remembering.

For more wording for military families and veterans, see our Veterans Day wishes and quotes and our guide to holiday cards for veterans. If you are writing to a veteran, our thank you for your service cards are a good fit.

Our Old Glory American Flag Cards have no words on the front and are blank inside, with room for a quote and a personal note. See all of our patriotic cards for more designs. Every set comes with envelopes and is printed on 100% recycled paper.