Remembrance and Memorial Quotes 

Reasons to Use a Memorial Quote at a Burial/Funeral

One of the best ways to memorialize someone is through a cherished quote. Whether you use the memorial quote during their funeral service, or have it etched into a grave marker, the right words can perfectly encapsulate your loved one's life.

But it can be difficult to determine what memorial quotes to use, to finally decide on the passage that will forever remain in your heart when reflecting on the passing of a loved one. MemorialPlanning.com is here to help as best we can.

A burial quote can be used to immortalize someone via one of the following means:

  • Cremation urn
  • Memorial bench
  • Burial monument or grave marker
  • Personal Items & more

Furthermore, if an individual provides instructions on donating to a charitable or educational institution after his or her death, a quote could be an appropriate addition to a plaque at the site bearing the person's name.

1 Remembrance Quote for Your Loved One

Remembrance Quote for Your Loved One

When you're considering funeral quote ideas for a loved one, think about his or her greatest qualities. Perhaps it was a sense of humor, a love of nature, passion for sports, ability to overcome challenges, charitable heart, devotion to family, deep religious faith, or simple wisdom.

Consider a favorite song or book or movie, or a passage from one of those that best encapsulates the individual. If this person succumbed to an illness, it's often best to remember him or her prior to the illness. That is, think back to times when he or she was in good health, enjoying life to the fullest. That's likely to help you choose a remembrance quote that reflects a positive outlook on the life lived.

Is there a saying that the person was fond of, or that you think sums up his or her personality? Is there a version from a holy book that is particularly apt? Or from a poem? Consider a quote from a beloved celebrity like a sports idol or historical figure. A section further in this page provides some specific examples.

Keep in mind that a funeral quote can be a message to the person, or a way to describe the person, or something else entirely. Read the Biblical Verse samples further down this page for an example of each. Also, remembrance quotes don't have to be reserved for the deceased; you can use them to thank friends and relatives for attending, or in your own burial service after you're gone.

What's important to consider is that the very act of choosing a remembrance quote can promote the healing process for those in grief. It forces surviving friends and relatives to look at the life of the deceased and realize what an impact he or she had on others.

2 Remembrance Quotes for Yourself

Remembrance Quotes for Yourself

If you are in the process of planning your own burial well in advance, so that your family doesn't have to worry about it and so that you can tell your own life story, consider setting a remembrance quote for yourself. It's a way to help others remember you how you want to be remembered, to set your own lasting legacy.

Consider this an act of supreme kindness. When you choose your own quote, you spare your loved ones the anguish of wondering whether they chose the words you would have wanted. But how do you go about choosing a remembrance quote for yourself? Much the same way you would for a loved one.

Think about your favorite things in life. Think about the things that are important to you: family, friends, career, hobbies. What makes you smile? What lasting message do you want to leave for those you love? For future generations? How do you want to be remembered?

A remembrance quote can help set all of that.

Remembrance Quote for Your Loved One

When you're considering funeral quote ideas for a loved one, think about his or her greatest qualities. Perhaps it was a sense of humor, a love of nature, passion for sports, ability to overcome challenges, charitable heart, devotion to family, deep religious faith, or simple wisdom.

Consider a favorite song or book or movie, or a passage from one of those that best encapsulates the individual. If this person succumbed to an illness, it's often best to remember him or her prior to the illness. That is, think back to times when he or she was in good health, enjoying life to the fullest. That's likely to help you choose a remembrance quote that reflects a positive outlook on the life lived.

Is there a saying that the person was fond of, or that you think sums up his or her personality? Is there a version from a holy book that is particularly apt? Or from a poem? Consider a quote from a beloved celebrity like a sports idol or historical figure. A section further in this page provides some specific examples.

Keep in mind that a funeral quote can be a message to the person, or a way to describe the person, or something else entirely. Read the Biblical Verse samples further down this page for an example of each. Also, remembrance quotes don't have to be reserved for the deceased; you can use them to thank friends and relatives for attending, or in your own burial service after you're gone.

What's important to consider is that the very act of choosing a remembrance quote can promote the healing process for those in grief. It forces surviving friends and relatives to look at the life of the deceased and realize what an impact he or she had on others.

Remembrance Quotes for Yourself

If you are in the process of planning your own burial well in advance, so that your family doesn't have to worry about it and so that you can tell your own life story, consider setting a remembrance quote for yourself. It's a way to help others remember you how you want to be remembered, to set your own lasting legacy.

Consider this an act of supreme kindness. When you choose your own quote, you spare your loved ones the anguish of wondering whether they chose the words you would have wanted. But how do you go about choosing a remembrance quote for yourself? Much the same way you would for a loved one.

Think about your favorite things in life. Think about the things that are important to you: family, friends, career, hobbies. What makes you smile? What lasting message do you want to leave for those you love? For future generations? How do you want to be remembered?

A remembrance quote can help set all of that.

Popular Burial/Funeral Remembrance Quotes

The options for remembrance quotes are limitless, so where do you start? Below, we've provided several categories of quotes, along with funeral quote ideas. These should spark some ideas of your own. Keep in mind that the quote should be relatively short, due to limited space depending on where it will appear.

Biblical and Other Religious Verses

If the deceased was a devout person, a passage or quote from religious text would be appropriate. For example:

  • New Testament: Well done, good and faithful servant. - Matthew 25:21
  • Old Testament: A woman of valor (shortened from "A woman of valor, who can find? Her worth is far above jewels.")

For Veterans

For those who served our country, a remembrance quote can reflect selflessness and bravery:

  • "What is a hero without love for mankind." - Doris Lessing
  • "Valor is stability, not of legs and arms, but of courage and the soul." - Michel de Montaigne
  • "I think there is one higher office than president and I would call that patriot." - Gary Hart
  • "We come, not to mourn our dead soldiers, but to praise them." - Francis A. Walker
  • "The legacy of heroes is the memory of a great name and the inheritance of a great example." - Benjamin Disraeli

For a Life Cut Short

The pain is unbearable for someone who has lost a child, a young sibling or anyone in the prime of life. Often, the remembrance quote serves as a source of comfort and solace to those left behind.

  • "Only the good die young." - Billy Joel
  • "It is not length of life, but depth of life." - Emerson Ralph Waldo
  • "What we have once enjoyed we can never lose. All that we love deeply becomes a part of us." - Helen Keller
  • "Wherever you are, I am there also." - Beethoven
  • For an infant or baby: So small, so sweet, so soon.

For a Life Partner

The theme of love is obviously a popular one for a spouse or significant other. Examples include:

  • "Love is eternal, the aspect may change, but not the essence." - Vincent Van Gogh
  • "There are no goodbyes for us. Wherever you are, you will always be in my heart." - Mahatma Gandhi
  • "Death cannot stop true love. All it can do is delay it for a while." - Princess Bride
  • "Love like ours can never die." - Rudyard Kipling
  • "What the caterpillar perceives is the end, to the butterfly is just the beginning." - Anon
  • While this quote is a bit longer, it beautifully reflects true love: "In all the world, there is no heart for me like yours. In all the world, there is no love for you like mine." —Maya Angelou

Popular Burial/Funeral Remembrance Quotes

The options for remembrance quotes are limitless, so where do you start? Below, we've provided several categories of quotes, along with funeral quote ideas. These should spark some ideas of your own. Keep in mind that the quote should be relatively short, due to limited space depending on where it will appear.

Biblical and Other Religious Verses

If the deceased was a devout person, a passage or quote from religious text would be appropriate. For example:

  • New Testament: Well done, good and faithful servant. - Matthew 25:21
  • Old Testament: A woman of valor (shortened from "A woman of valor, who can find? Her worth is far above jewels.")

For Veterans

For those who served our country, a remembrance quote can reflect selflessness and bravery:

  • "What is a hero without love for mankind." - Doris Lessing
  • "Valor is stability, not of legs and arms, but of courage and the soul." - Michel de Montaigne
  • "I think there is one higher office than president and I would call that patriot." - Gary Hart
  • "We come, not to mourn our dead soldiers, but to praise them." - Francis A. Walker
  • "The legacy of heroes is the memory of a great name and the inheritance of a great example." - Benjamin Disraeli

For a Life Cut Short

The pain is unbearable for someone who has lost a child, a young sibling or anyone in the prime of life. Often, the remembrance quote serves as a source of comfort and solace to those left behind.

  • "Only the good die young." - Billy Joel
  • "It is not length of life, but depth of life." - Emerson Ralph Waldo
  • "What we have once enjoyed we can never lose. All that we love deeply becomes a part of us." - Helen Keller
  • "Wherever you are, I am there also." - Beethoven
  • For an infant or baby: So small, so sweet, so soon.

For a Life Partner

The theme of love is obviously a popular one for a spouse or significant other. Examples include:

  • "Love is eternal, the aspect may change, but not the essence." - Vincent Van Gogh
  • "There are no goodbyes for us. Wherever you are, you will always be in my heart." - Mahatma Gandhi
  • "Death cannot stop true love. All it can do is delay it for a while." - Princess Bride
  • "Love like ours can never die." - Rudyard Kipling
  • "What the caterpillar perceives is the end, to the butterfly is just the beginning." - Anon
  • While this quote is a bit longer, it beautifully reflects true love: "In all the world, there is no heart for me like yours. In all the world, there is no love for you like mine." —Maya Angelou