Mother's Day quotes with their real sources
Mother's Day cards are full of quotes credited to the wrong people. These are checked against the original books and speeches, and each comes with a line you can write or say as it is.
Howe called on mothers everywhere to unite and refuse to let their sons be sent to kill other mothers' sons. Her Mother's Day was a day of protest for peace.
Read the full explanation →Part of a poem praising a wise, hard-working, generous woman. Her children and husband honor her because her life has blessed them.
Read the full explanation →One of the Ten Commandments: treat your parents with respect and care. It is the first commandment that comes with a promise, a long life in the land.
Read the full explanation →Talking with her mother after Beth's death, Jo says no one loves you like a mother, while admitting she is starting to long for other kinds of love too.
Read the full explanation →The best part of a good person's life is not their big achievements but the small, everyday kindnesses that nobody records and they themselves forget.
Read the full explanation →Mothers shape the next generation, so their influence on the world is greater than any king's or general's. The poem praises motherhood as the strongest force for good.
Read the full explanation →The habits and values children learn early stay with them for life, so guide them well while they are young.
Read the full explanation →Parents bring children into the world and love them, but do not own them. Children have their own thoughts and their own future, and a parent's job is to send them forward, like a bow sending an arrow.
Read the full explanation →No quotes match these filters yet. New quotes are added every week.
How to use a quote on Mother's Day
In a card, put the quote first and then one sentence that only you could write: a memory, a habit of hers, something she taught you. The quote sets the tone; your sentence is what she will reread.
At a family meal, a quote works as a short toast. Say who wrote it in a few words, add one line about your mother, and raise a glass. Fifteen seconds is plenty.
Think about the person reading it. A Bible verse suits a mother of faith, Little Women suits a reader, and the story of Julia Ward Howe suits a mother who never stops working for others. If Mother's Day is hard for someone because of a loss, a gentle line about remembering works better than a cheerful one.