A funeral or memorial gives friends and family an important opportunity to come together and remember the person they’ve lost. Speeches and readings usually play a large role at these events, evoking fond memories as words of comfort are shared. While you might want to write your own memorial tribute, often someone else’s words can perfectly express what you want to say. Whether from the Bible, a famous writer, or an unknown source, a poignant quote can sum up your feelings and provide a fitting tribute for your loved one. 

Below, you’ll find 26 memorial quotes that you can use in a funeral speech, in a condolence card, on a memorial program, or to simply bring yourself comfort in difficult times.

Memorial quotes for Dad

“My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could ever give another person. He believed in me.” — Jim Valvano

“To her, the name of father was another name for love.” — Fanny Fern

“It is not flesh and blood but the heart which makes us fathers and sons.” — Johann Friedrich Von Schiller

 Memorial quotes for Mom

“Mothers plant the seeds of love that bloom forever.” — Unknown

“Grief and love are conjoined, you don’t get one without the other. All I can do is love her, and love the world, emulate her by living with daring and spirit and joy.” — Jandy Nelson

“Mothers hold their children’s hands for a while, but their hearts forever.” — Unknown

Biblical remembrance quotes

“For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” — 2 Corinthians 4:17-18

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” — John 14:27 

“We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.” — 2 Corinthians 5:8

Remembrance quotes for a sibling

“In this life we will never truly be apart, for we grew to the same beat of our Mother’s heart.” — Daphne Fandrich

“Siblings are a volume of childhood memories; a nostalgia that cannot be easily deleted.” — Vincent Okay Nwachukwu 

“A sibling may be the keeper of one’s identity, the only person with the keys to one’s unfettered, more fundamental self.” — Marian Sandmaier

Memorial sayings for a son or daughter

“Those we have held in our arms for a little while, we hold in our hearts forever.” — Khalil Gibran

“Perhaps they are not stars in the sky, rather openings where our loved ones shine down to let us know they are happy.” — Eskimo Proverb

“Sadly missed along life’s way, quietly remembered every day. No longer in our life to share, but in our hearts, you’re always there” — Unknown

Remembrance quotes for a grandparent

“Those who love deeply never grow old; they may die of old age, but they die young.” — Sir Arthur Wing Pinero

“The greatest love story is not Romeo and Juliet who died together, but Grandma and Grandpa who grew old together.” — Unknown

“My grandmother taught me everything except how to live without her.” — Unknown

Memorial sayings for a significant other

“Love is eternal — the aspect may change, but not the essence.” — Vincent Van Gogh

“The risk of love is loss, and the price of loss is grief — But the pain of grief is only a shadow when compared with the pain of never risking love.”— Hilary Stanton Zunin

“Though lovers be lost, love shall not; And death shall have no dominion.” — Dylan Thomas

“In loving memory” quotes

“When tomorrow starts without me,

Don’t think we’re far apart,

For every time you think of me

I’m right here, in your heart.”

— David Romano 

“Death leaves a heartache no one can heal;

Love leaves a memory no one can steal.”

— Unknown

Short memorial quotes

“To live in hearts we leave behind is not to die.” — Thomas Campbell

“The song is ended but the melody lingers on.” — Irving Berlin

“Unable are the loved to die, for love is immortality.” — Emily Dickinson

More ways to find a fitting tribute

You should choose a memorial quote that speaks to you, but if you feel like you can’t find the right one, that’s okay too. There are many ways to honor a loved one who’s died. Our blog post Memorial service ideas for family and loved ones provides you with ideas on other ways you can make a memorial service special. You could also hold a relaxed, intimate home memorial, which gives you plenty of scope to do something special and memorable.

Read more: 25 ideas for a memorial service at home