Choosing the right tribute message to engrave on a loved one’s headstone or commemorative monument can take days for some families and months for others. It’s often time well spent, knowing a memorial is a deeply personal, lasting symbol of a life well lived.
Memorial quotes—or epitaphs—are engraved on memorials like cemetery markers and mausoleums to portray the significance and memory of a lost loved one.
Most memorials or monuments include your lost loved one’s name, birth and death date. However, also including a personal tribute message or special saying can help make your loved one’s final resting place much more comforting and unique.
When deciding on a memorial quote, it’s important to consider what kind of message best represents your loved one.
Below, we’ve provided a list of common religious and non-religious tribute messages, categorized by type, as a starting point for inspiration.
Before you keep reading, download our Memorial Quotes Ebook:
Common Memorial Quotes
- We miss you and love you always.
- Loving you forever.
- Forever in our hearts.
- Nothing can ever take away a love the heart holds dear.
- Those who touch our lives, stay in our hearts forever.
- Greatly loved, deeply missed.
- Your life was a blessing, your memory a treasure. You are loved beyond words and missed beyond measure.
- When someone you love becomes a memory, the memory becomes a treasure.
- Not a day goes by when you are not loved and missed.
- A heart of gold stopped beating / Working hands at rest / God broke our hearts to prove to us / He only takes the best / Leaves and flowers may wither / The golden sun may set / But the hearts that loved you dearly / Are the ones that won’t forget.
- In loving memory.
- You may be gone from my sight, but you are never gone from my heart.
- Our hearts still ache in sadness and secret tears still flow. What it means to lose you, no one will ever know.
- It broke my heart to lose you, but you didn't go alone. Part of me went with you, wherever you may roam.
- Remembering you is easy. I do it every day, but there is an ache within my heart that will never go away.
- I did not see you close your eyes or hear your last sigh. I only heard that you were gone, too late to say goodbye.
- No farewell words were spoken, there was no time to say goodbye. You were gone before we knew it and only God knows why.
- You will forever be my always.
- Beautiful as a bright shining star.
- Goodbye is not forever. Goodbye is not the end. It simply means I'll miss you until we meet again.
- It's hard to forget someone who gave me so much to remember.
- Sometimes memories sneak out of my eyes and roll down my cheeks.
- There is no foot too small, that it cannot leave an imprint on this world.
- The loss is immeasurable, but so is the love left behind.
Famous Memorial Quotes
- “There are special people in our lives who never leave us, even after they are gone.”
—D. Morgan - “We do not remember days, we remember moments.”
—Cesare Pavese - “Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened.”
—Dr. Seuss - “The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched, they must be felt with the heart.”
—Helen Keller - “If ever there is a tomorrow when we're not together, there is something you must always remember. You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem and smarter than you think. But the most important thing is, even if we're apart, I'll always be with you.”
—Winnie The Pooh - “How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.”
—Winnie The Pooh - “There are no goodbyes for us. Wherever you are, you will always be in my heart.”
—Mahatma Gandhi - “I'll remember you. When I've forgotten all the rest. You to me were true. You to me were the best.”
—Bob Dylan - “Know when to seek peace / For as long as the moon shall rise / For as long as the rivers shall flow / For as long as the sun shall shine / For as long as the grass shall grow / Let us have peace.”
—Native American Poem - “Our legacy is really the lives we touch, the inspiration we give, altering someone's plan - if even for a moment - and getting them to think, cry, laugh, argue. More than anything, we are remembered for our smiles; the ones we share with our closest and dearest, and the ones we bestow on a total stranger, who needed it right then, and God put you there to deliver.”
—Carrie Hamilton - “To the world you may be one person; but to one person you may be the world.”
—Dr. Seuss - “As long as we live, they too will live; for they are now a part of us; as we remember them.”
—Jewish Prayer - “Lives are like rivers: Eventually they go where they must. Not where we want them to.”
—Richard Russo - “Love is how often you stay alive, even after you are gone.”
—Mitch Albom
Memorial Quotes For Parents and Grandparents
- “Grandfathers give us not only wisdom and encouragement but they are an inspiration to us.”
—Kate Summers - A loving father, tender and kind, what a beautiful memory you left behind.
- A mother holds her children’s hands for a while, their hearts forever.
- A grandma is someone who plays a special part in all the treasured memories we hold within our heart.
- A mother is a mother still; the holiest thing alive.
- You toiled hard Dad, now you rest. We are proud you are ours, one of the best.
- Our parents, you are with us always—whether near or far. For you see, we’re connected by the heart.
For an extended list of memorial quotes for mothers and grandmothers and fathers and grandfathers, take a look at our memorial quotes blog series.
Memorial Quotes About Rest
- Rest in peace.
- May she rest in peace.
- May he rest in peace.
- May they rest in peace.
- Our Lord give us peace.
- Rest in God’s loving care.
- The just man shall be in rest.
- Eternal rest grant unto them O Lord.
- And you may find eternal rest.
- Sleep on now and take your rest.
>>> Download our Memorial Quotes Ebook to print yourself a hard copy of these tribute messages.
Memorial Quotes About Prayer
- Mother of Christ, pray for us.
- Mother of Mercy, pray for us,
- Mother of God, pray for us.
- Holy Mary, pray for us.
- Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us.
- St. Joseph, pray for us.
- St. Anthony, pray for us.
- St. Jude, pray for us.
- St. Patrick of Ireland, pray for us.
- Pray for me to the Lord, our God.
Memorial Quotes About Mercy
- Have mercy on us O Lord.
- Lord have mercy.
- "There is no true justice without mercy. Mercy precedes everything, and it is why we are here."
—Kabir Helminski. - "The way to forget our miseries, is to remember the God of our mercies.”
—Matthew Henry. - Every new morning shows the mercy of the Almighty God.
- "Embrace all people with love, mercy and faith."
—Lailah Gifty Akita. - Lord, have mercy upon us.
- Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us.
- Christ, have mercy on us.
- My Jesus, mercy.
Memorial Quotes About Religious Figures
- I am the good shepherd.
- I am the bread of life.
- I am the light of life.
- To Jesus through Mary.
- The Lord is my refuge.
- God is our refuge and our strength.
- God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference.
- My God and my all.
- My God I love thee.
- My Lord and my God.
- Sacred heart of Jesus.
- The Lord be with you.
- In God’s loving care.
- Go to God, little angel.
- A heart of gold stopped beating, two shining eyes at rest. God broke our hearts to prove, He only takes the best.
- Queen of the most holy rosary.
- Heart of Mary be our salvation.
- Hail Mary full of grace.
Memorial Quotes About Being Blessed
- Blessed be God.
- Bless His holy name.
- Blessed are they that trust in Him.
- Blessed are the pure of heart.
- Blessed is the man who maketh the Lord his trust.
Memorial Quotes For Careers and Special Interests
From values to character, personality and interests, below are several memorial quote options for teachers and educators, sports enthusiasts and athletes, and musicians and music lovers. You can find an extended list of each special interest in our memorial quotes blog series.
- A good teacher is like a candle—it consumes itself to light the way for others.
- A good education can change anyone. A good teacher can change everything.
- A teacher is the greatest blessing of the Lord.
- Those we love never leave us. They become our guardian angels in the outfield.
- I’d give my best day to play ball with you one more time.
- “A trophy carries dust. Memories last forever.”
—Mary Lou Retton - “Music, once admitted to the soul, becomes a sort of spirit and never dies.”
―Edward Bulwer-Lytton - “Music, when soft voices die, vibrates in the memory.”
―Percy Bysshe Shelley - “Musicians want to be the loud voice for so many quiet hearts.”
—Billy Joel
Memorial Quotes For Couples
- Together forever.
- Together forever with God.
- We know that for those who love God, all things work together for good.
- Together forever in God’s loving care.
- “Real love stories never have endings.”
—Richard Bach - “Love never fails.”
—1 Corinthians 13:8 - “You were the love that made all the others irrelevant.”
—Rupi Kaur - I love you more today than yesterday, but not as much as tomorrow and more.
- “In you, I’ve found the love of my life.”
—Anonymous
>>> Related Resource: Download our Memorial Quotes Ebook for more tribute messages like this.
Memorial Quotes About Heaven
- My kingdom is not of this world.
- Theirs is the kingdom of Heaven.
- In thee O God have I hoped.
- My soul hath hoped in the Lord.
- We are saved by hope.
- Thy faith hath saved me.
- I have kept the faith.
- I know Heaven is a beautiful place because they've got you.
Other Religious Memorial Quotes
- Do all for the glory of God.
- Let all that you do be done in charity.
- Into thy hands I commend my spirit.
- He who believes in me hath life everlasting.
- May the angels lead you into paradise.
- Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, serve the Lord with gladness.
—Psalms 100: 1-5 - Let perpetual light shine upon them.
- Thy will be done.
- He who dwells in the shelter of the most high will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
—Psalm 91:1 - Blessed are they that mourn for they shall be comforted.
—Matthew 5:4 - The Lord watch between me and thee, while we are absent one from another.
—Genesis 31:49
Uncover Even More Memorial Quotes
A memorial quote is one of the many design features to consider when personalizing a headstone. If you couldn't find what you were looking for here, download our memorial quotes ebook to find 300+ additional epitaphs you can use for your loved one's final resting place.
Editor's note: This blog post was originally published in 2018. We updated it in 2022 to be more comprehensive and current.