Veterans Day is a solemn occasion dedicated to recognizing the valor, dedication, and sacrifices made by the men and women who have served in the armed forces. It is a time to reflect on the tremendous contributions of our veterans and to express our profound gratitude for their unwavering commitment to protecting our freedoms. As we observe this important day, it’s fitting to turn to the words of those who have eloquently captured the spirit of sacrifice and heroism.
In this comprehensive collection of Veterans Day quotes, we celebrate the courage and selflessness of our veterans through the voices of notable figures and leaders. These quotes serve not only as a tribute to those who have served but also as a reminder of the enduring values of bravery and sacrifice that underpin our nation. Whether you’re looking for inspiration, reflection, or a way to express your appreciation, these powerful words offer a heartfelt salute to the heroes who have given so much for our country.
Join us as we explore these moving quotations, each one reflecting the profound respect and gratitude we hold for our veterans.
Veterans Day Quotes
- “The willingness of America’s veterans to sacrifice for our country has earned them our lasting gratitude.” – Jeff Miller
- “In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.” – Abraham Lincoln
- “Ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country.” – John F. Kennedy
- “A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself.” – Joseph Campbell
- “America’s veterans embody the ideals upon which America was founded more than 229 years ago.” – Steve Buyer
- “Our nation owes a debt to its fallen heroes that we can never fully repay.” – Barack Obama
- “The greatest glory of a free-born people is to transmit that freedom to their children.” – William Havard
- “Where liberty dwells, there is my country.” – Benjamin Franklin
- “The legacy of heroes is the memory of a great name and the inheritance of a great example.” – Benjamin Disraeli
- “A nation that does not honor its heroes will not long endure.” – Abraham Lincoln
- “We’re blessed with the opportunity to stand for something — for liberty and freedom and fairness. And these are things worth fighting for, worth devoting our lives to. And we have good reason to be hopeful and optimistic.” – Ronald Reagan
- “In valor there is hope.” – Publius Cornelius Tacitus
- “Scared is what you’re feeling. Brave is what you’re doing.” – Emma Donaghue
- “Only our individual faith in freedom can keep us free.” – Dwight Eisenhower
- “Courage is almost a contradiction in terms. It means a strong desire to live taking the form of a readiness to die.” – G.K. Chesterton
- “Freedom is the sure possession of those alone who have the courage to defend it.” – Pericles
- “Patriotism consists not in waving the flag, but in striving that our country shall be righteous as well as strong.” — James Bryce
- “The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him.” – G.K. Chesterton
- “Never was so much owed by so many to so few.” – Winston Churchill
- “Without heroes, we are all plain people, and don’t know how far we can go.” – Bernard Malamud
- “Brave men rejoice in adversity, just as brave soldiers triumph in war.” – Lucius Annaeus Seneca
- “It is the soldier, not the reporter, who has given us freedom of the press. It is the soldier, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech. It is the soldier, not the campus organizer, who gives us the right to demonstrate.” – Zell Miller
- “The finest steel has to go through the hottest fire.” – Richard M. Nixon
- “Duty, honor, country: Those three hallowed words reverently dictate what you ought to be, what you can be, what you will be.” – Douglas MacArthur
- “I think there is one higher office than president and I would call that patriot.” – Theodore Roosevelt
- “A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself.” – Joseph Campbell
- “And we must never forget that it is the mighty arm of the American warrior — never bending, never breaking, never yielding — generation after generation that secured for us the blessings of a nation that still stands today as the beacon of liberty, democracy, and justice around the world.” – Joe Biden
- “May we think of freedom, not as the right to do as we please but as the opportunity to do what is right.” – Peter Marshall
- “If a man hasn’t discovered something that he will die for, he isn’t fit to live.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
- “A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.” – Christopher Reeve
- “This will remain the land of the free so long as it is the home of the brave.” – Elmer Davis
- “Humanity has won its battle. Liberty now has a country.” – Marquis de Lafayette
- “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.” – Arthur Ashe
- “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
- “It doesn’t take a hero to order men into battle. It takes a hero to be one of those men who goes into battle.” – Norman Schwarzkopf
- “Heroism doesn’t always happen in a burst of glory. Sometimes small triumphs and large hearts change the course of history.” – Mary Roach
- “The brave die never, though they sleep in dust: Their courage nerves a thousand living men.” – Minot Judson Savage
- “I only regret that I have but one life to give for my country.” – Nathan Hale
- “There is a certain enthusiasm in liberty that makes human nature rise above itself, in acts of bravery and heroism.” – Alexander Hamilton
- “Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear—not absence of fear.” – Mark Twain
- “Bravery is the capacity to perform properly even when scared to death.” – General Omar Bradley
- “America without her soldiers would be like God without his angels.” – Claudia Pemberton
- “Whenever the world makes you cynical; whenever you seek true humility, and true selflessness—look to a veteran.” – Barack Obama
- “Live as brave men; and if fortune is adverse, front its blows with brave hearts.” – Cicero
- “Wherever the standard of freedom and independence has been or shall be unfurled, there will be America’s heart, her benedictions and her prayers be.” – John Quincy Adams
- “A hero is someone who understands the responsibility that comes with his freedom.” – Bob Dylan
- “Who kept the faith and fought the fight; The glory theirs, the duty ours.” – Wallace Bruce
- “Discipline is the soul of an army. It makes small numbers formidable; procures success to the weak, and esteem to all.” – George Washington
- “One flag, one land, one heart, one hand, one Nation, evermore!” – Oliver Wendell Holmes
- “If the only prayer you said was ‘thank you,’ that would be enough.” – Meister Eckhart
These quotes offer a wide range of reflections on the bravery, sacrifice, and dedication of veterans. On Veterans Day, let these words guide your thoughts and expressions of gratitude as we honor those who have given so much for our freedom and security.
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