
In honor of Veterans Day, I decided to compile a list of eleven of my favorite Veterans Day Quotes. I selected quotes that reflect a sense of pride and patriotism in America, something I believe is often absent from today’s leadership and overall attitude about life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, the founding principles of our Great Nation.
Veterans Day was established to honor of end of “the war to end all wars,” or World War I. Celebrated on November 11, to mark the end of hostilities between the Allied nations and Germany went into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month.
In November 1919, President Wilson proclaimed November 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day with the following words:
“To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations…”
– Woodrow Wilson
Eleven of my Favorite Veterans Day Quotes
“Freedom is never free.”
– Author Unknown“Don’t interfere with anything in the Constitution. That must be maintained, for it is the only safeguard of our liberties.”
– Abraham Lincoln“Courage is almost a contradiction in terms. It means a strong desire to live taking the form of readiness to die.”
– G.K. Chesterton“This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave.”
– Elmer Davis“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.”
– John Fitzgerald Kennedy“Valor is stability, not of legs and arms, but of courage and the soul.”
– Michel de Montaigne“On this Veterans Day, let us remember the service of our veterans, and let us renew our national promise to fulfill our sacred obligations to our veterans and their families who have sacrificed so much so that we can live free.”
– Dan Lipinski“America’s veterans have served their country with the belief that democracy and freedom are ideals to be upheld around the world.”
– John Doolittle“The willingness of America’s veterans to sacrifice for our country has earned them our lasting gratitude.”
– Jeff Miller“My heroes are those who risk their lives every day to protect our world and make it a better place — police, firefighters, and members of our armed forces.”
– Sidney Sheldon“Any man who see Europe now must realize that victory in a great war is not something you win once and for all, like a victory in a ball game. Victory in a great war is something that must be won and kept won. It can be lost after you have won it–if you are careless or negligent or indifferent”
– Harry Truman, 1945
What are your favorite Veterans Day Quotes?
I would love to hear your thoughts and favorite quotes as they apply to Veterans Day, leave a comment!