Let's give our veterans the recognition they deserve with these Veterans Day quotes—not just on Nov. 11, but every day
60 Veterans Day Quotes to Honor Those Who Served
Updated on Sep. 25, 2024
On Nov. 11, we celebrate Veterans Day to honor the soldiers, both past and present, who have made sacrifices for our freedom. While a simple “Happy Veterans Day” or “Thank you for your service” will suffice, there are even better ways to show your gratitude to our courageous veterans—like sharing these Veterans Day quotes from inspiring leaders, writers and influencers.
Below, you’ll find messages and quotes that honor and thank our soldiers, some from famous veterans, others from their supporters, like Barack Obama and Mark Twain. Whether you write them in a card or text them to a friend, family member or colleague who served, these Veterans Day quotes put into words the appreciation we all feel for our nation’s soldiers.
So read on for some of the most heartfelt and inspiring quotes about service members, along with messages that will help you convey your thanks. Then be sure to wish the veterans in your life a happy Veterans Day.
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Veterans Day quotes about freedom
1. “You can’t separate peace from freedom because no one can be at peace unless he has his freedom.” —Malcolm X
2. “Freedom is fragile and must be protected. To sacrifice it, even as a temporary measure, is to betray it.” —Germaine Greer
3. “The fundamental sense of freedom is freedom from chains, from imprisonment, from enslavement by others. The rest is extension of this sense, or else metaphor.” —Isaiah Berlin
4. “You can only protect your liberties in this world by protecting the other man’s freedom. You can only be free if I am free.” —Clarence Darrow
5. “We breathed the air of freedom without knowing the language or any person.” —Nelly Sachs
6. “We must plan for freedom, and not only for security, if for no other reason than that only freedom can make security secure.” —Karl Popper
7. “The secret of happiness is freedom, and the secret of freedom is courage.” —Thucydides
8. “It isn’t until you begin to fight in your own cause that you (a) become really committed to winning and (b) become a genuine ally of other people struggling for their freedom.” —Robin Morgan
9. “Your determination, selflessness and courage have brought the freedom struggle towards its fulfillment.” —Gerry Adams
10. “The cause of freedom is not the cause of a race or a sect, a party or a class—it is the cause of humankind, the very birthright of humanity.” —Anna Julia Cooper
11. “You should never wear your best trousers when you go out to fight for freedom and truth.” —Henrik Ibsen
12. “When a man hath no freedom to fight for at home, / Let him combat for that of his neighbours; / Let him think of the glories of Greece and of Rome…” —Lord Byron
13. “We, too, born to freedom, and believing in freedom, are willing to fight to maintain freedom. We, and all others who believe as deeply as we do, would rather die on our feet than live on our knees.” —Franklin D. Roosevelt
14. “You don’t have to be a man to fight for freedom. All you have to do is to be an intelligent human being.” —Malcolm X
Veterans Day quotes about courage
15. “Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear—not absence of fear.” —Mark Twain
16. “I learned that courage was not the absence of fear but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid but he who conquers that fear.” —Nelson Mandela
17. “As for courage and will—we cannot measure how much of each lies within us; we can only trust there will be sufficient to carry through trials which may lie ahead.” —Andre Norton
18. “It is only necessary to have courage, for strength without self-confidence is useless.” —Giacomo Casanova
19. “Courage is very important. Like a muscle, it is strengthened by use.” —Ruth Gordon
20. “Love is the most difficult and dangerous form of courage. Courage is the most desperate, admirable and noble kind of love.” —Delmore Schwartz
21. “To have courage for whatever comes in life—everything lies in that.” —Teresa of Ávila
22. “God grant me the courage not to give up what I think is right even though I think it is hopeless.” —Chester W. Nimitz
23. “Courage and perseverance have a magical talisman before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish into air. These qualities have ever been displayed in their mightiest perfection as attendants in the retinue of strong passions.” —John Quincy Adams
24. “One of the marks of a gift is to have the courage of it.” —Katherine Anne Porter
25. “Courage is the ladder on which all the other virtues mount.” —Clare Boothe Luce
Veterans Day quotes about heroes
26. “It is so easy to break down and destroy. The heroes are those who make peace and build.” —Nelson Mandela
27. “The wall belongs to history. But we have history to make as well. And the heroes that came before us now call to us to live up to those highest ideals—to care for the young people who can’t find a job in our own countries and the girls who aren’t allowed to go to school overseas; to be vigilant in safeguarding our own freedoms but also to extend a hand to those who are reaching for freedom abroad.” —Barack Obama
28. “You have shielded your fellow citizens from danger. You have defended the beliefs of your country and advanced the rights of the downtrodden. You have been the face of hope and mercy in dark places and a force for good in the world.” —George W. Bush
29. “In the heat of battle, heroes emerge, sometimes from the most unlikely of sources.” —Brian Herbert
30. “Whenever the world makes you cynical, whenever you seek true humility and true selflessness, look to a veteran.” —Barack Obama
31. “These are the hidden heroes of a peaceful nation: our colleagues and friends, neighbors and family members who answered the call and returned to live in the land they defended.” —George W. Bush
32. “Our children may learn about heroes of the past. Our task is to make ourselves architects of the future.” —Jomo Kenyatta
33. “All who have served in this cause are liberators in the best tradition of America. Their actions have made our nation safer in a world full of new dangers. Their actions have also upheld the ideals of America’s founding, which defines us still.” —George W. Bush
34. “They [veterans] don’t always go around telling stories of their heroism, so it’s up to us to ask and to listen, to tell those stories for them and to live in our own lives the values for which they were prepared to give theirs.” —Barack Obama
Veterans Day quotes about gratitude
35. “The person you pass as you walk down the street might not be wearing our nation’s uniform today. But consider for a moment that a year or a decade or a generation ago, he or she might have been one of our fellow citizens who was willing to lay down their life for strangers like us.” —Barack Obama
36. “Our veterans represent the best of America. You are the very spine of America, not just the backbone. You’re the spine of this country. And all of us—all of us—owe you.” —Joe Biden
37. “What veterans have given our country is beyond our power to fully repay, yet, today we recognize our debt to their honor.” —George W. Bush
38. “We owe each of you that have served a lifelong debt of gratitude. The cause you pursued at the call of duty is the noblest America has to offer.” —George W. Bush
39. “It’s an honor that not only a small percentage of Americans can claim, and one that marks those who are able to claim it as brothers and sisters. It’s a badge of courage that unites across all ages, regardless of background—because to be a veteran is to have endured and survived challenges most Americans will never know.” —Joe Biden
40. “To all the mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, spouses—all those who stand alongside our veterans—and their families, caregivers, survivors: You are the solid steel spine that bears up under every burden, the courageous heart that rises to every challenge.” —Joe Biden
41. “As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words but to live by them.” —John F. Kennedy
42. “I respect every soldier, from every country, who serves beside us in the hard work of history. America is grateful, and America will not forget.” —George W. Bush
43. “Honor to the soldier and sailor everywhere who bravely bears his country’s cause. Honor, also, to the citizen who cares for his brother in the field and serves, as he best can, the same cause.” —Abraham Lincoln
44. “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 Lipinsk
45. “Their remembrance be as lasting as the land they honored.” —Daniel Webster
Happy Veterans Day messages
46. Happy Veterans Day! Thank you for defending our nation with honor.
47. Thank you for your service and sacrifice. Have a wonderful Veterans Day!
48. Thank you for your courage and dedication. May you have a meaningful and joyful Veterans Day.
49. Because of your service, we enjoy the freedoms we hold dear. Thank you for all you’ve given us. Wishing you a very happy Veterans Day!
50. Happy Veterans Day! Your bravery and dedication inspire us all. Thank you.
51. Thank you for your commitment to freedom. Happy Veterans Day!
52. Wishing you a peaceful and proud Veterans Day. Thank you for your courage.
53. Happy Veterans Day! My deepest thanks to you today and always. We’re forever grateful for your service.
54. Sending heartfelt thanks to those who have served this country. Your courage and sacrifice make us proud. Have a meaningful Veterans Day!
55. Thank you for fighting for our freedom! Your dedication to protecting our nation will always be cherished. Happy Veterans Day!
56. The sacrifices you’ve made have shaped our country’s future. We honor your service today and always. Wishing you a proud and Happy Veterans Day!
57. May all veterans feel the deep respect and recognition they deserve today. Your service means the world to us. Happy Veterans Day!
58. Your service is valued beyond words. Have a happy Veterans Day!
59. Thank you for your courage and dedication in defending our nation. Wishing you a peaceful Veterans Day filled with pride!
60. We are grateful every day that you bravely served this country. Wishing you, my hero, a very happy Veterans Day!
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