Military Resources
Military life can seem unfamiliar and scary at times. When it comes to navigating the many new situations that come our way as service members, military spouses, or family members, it’s helpful to know that others have also gone through them. Here’s when it’s nice to hear from others that there is hope!
We’ve gathered a variety of quotes that you’ll experience as a service member, military spouse, family member, or loved one throughout your years.
From encouragement to inspiration, from weathering deployments to another move, and for those times you are so fiercely proud of your service member you simply can’t find the words.
These quotes are perfect for letters, social media posts, and even a gentle reminder to yourself that this adventure is worth it.
Quotes on Bravery
Bravery is a required quote topic in military life. All those who think “I don’t know how you do it” are really thinking, “They are so brave.” Be brave!
Bravery is being the only one who knows you’re afraid. -Franklin P. Jones
It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are. -E.E. Cummings
It is courage, courage, courage, that raises the blood of life to crimson splendor. Live bravely and present a brave front to adversity. -Horace
“The bravest are surely those who have the clearest vision of what is before them, glory and danger alike, and yet notwithstanding, go out to meet it. —Thucydides” – Dave Grossman, On Combat: The Psychology and Physiology of Deadly Conflict in War and in Peace
The best way out is always through. -Robert Frost
Being brave means knowing that when you fail, you don’t fail forever. -Lana Del Rey
Be brave. Take risks. Nothing can substitute experience. -Paulo Coelho
I don’t lose any sleep at night over the potential for failure. I cannot even spell the word. – Jim Mattis
Quotes for Moving
Saying good-bye can get old quickly in this military life. But when you say it with a fun or moving quote, it takes on another level.
Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened. -Dr. Seuss
You’ve changed me forever. And I’ll never forget you. -Kiera Cass
There are far better things ahead than we ever leave behind. -C.S. Lewis
It takes a minute to say hello and forever to say goodbye. -Unknown
Quotes on Courage
It takes courage for our service members to train and deploy. It also takes courage for us to pack up our houses every few years and start over.
It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends. – J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts. -Winston S. Churchill
It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are. -E.E. Cummings
Courage is the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can’t practice any other virtue consistently. -Maya Angelou
Above all, be the heroine of your life, not the victim. -Nora Ephron
Quotes for Inspiration and Motivation
Inspiration comes from a lot of different places, and these quotes are a great place to start when you need a little extra motivation.
Military spouses find their strength along the way. Everyone began frightened of distance, deployment, and the unknown. -The Seasoned Spouse
The most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or touched, they are felt with the heart. -The Little Prince
How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard. -A.A. Milne
She stood in the storm. And when the wind did not blow her way, she adjusted her sails. -Elizabeth Edwards
Motivation is the art of getting people to do what you want them to do because they want to do it. – Dwight D. Eisenhower
For more inspirational quotes, read here.
Quotes on Perseverance
Pushing forward on your career and goals while balancing the military lifestyle and holding down the home front can be intimidating. Remember that perseverance is key!
Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish. -John Quincy Adams
Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after the other. -Walter Elliot
Perseverance is the hard work you do after you get tired of doing the hard work you already did. -Newt Gingrich
Perseverance, secret of all triumphs. -Victor Hugo
“There are not enough chinamen in the world to stop a fully armed Marine regiment from going where ever they want to go” – General Lewis B. “Chesty” Puller
Great works are performed not by strength but by perseverance. -Samuel Johnson
Quotes for Deployment
No one quite understands the strains of deployment like another military spouse. There are good times and bad, and no matter how long they’re gone, you miss them!
True love doesn’t mean being inseparable; it means being separated and nothing changes. – Unknown
Distance means so little when someone means so much. – Unknown
When we can’t be together, keep me in your heart, I’ll stay there forever. -Winnie the Pooh
Quotes on Gratitude
When you’re looking for things to be grateful for, it’s harder to be upset. Even with the military! Start your gratitude journal with one of these great quotes and list all those things you’re grateful for today.
Gratitude is a currency that we can mint for ourselves, and spend without fear of bankruptcy. -Fred De Witt Van Amburgh
“These Marines left their home–all these great Americans left their home–signed up during a time of war and said, ‘I wanna do that.’ And we owe them so much gratitude. I am so, so proud. And they understand that in our profession there can be no second place. There can be no losing. Because the weight of our nation rests on their shoulders.” – Sergeant Major Bradley Kasal
Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough. -Oprah Winfrey
It is impossible to feel grateful and depressed in the same moment. -Naomi Williams
When I started counting my blessings, my whole life turned around. -Willie Nelson
Gratitude and attitude are not challenges; they are choices. -Robert Braathe
Quotes for Encouragement
When life has you down, and Murphy is visiting, remind yourself that tomorrow is a fresh day and you can do it!
It doesn’t get easier. You just get stronger.
Anything worth having is worth waiting for.
A soldier doesn’t fight because he hates what is in front of him. He fights because he loves what he left behind.
Only the strongest woman can survive missing half her heart.
Read more quotes on encouragement here.
Quotes on Thankfulness
Sharing your gratitude with others lifts them up too. While saying “thank you” may be hard, these quotes can help you remember why it’s so important.
We would worry less if we praised more. Thanksgiving is the enemy of discontent and dissatisfaction. -H.A. Ironside
Silent gratitude isn’t very much use to anyone. -Gertrude Stein
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
Gratitude is a duty which ought to be paid, but which none have a right to expect. -Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Appreciation is a wonderful thing: It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well. -Voltaire
Quotes on Patriotism
There’s no question that we’re proud of our service members and their outward show of patriotism. But it still doesn’t hurt to remind the rest of the world of the work they are doing. These quotes are a great way to do just that, without drawing too much attention to those we love.
Patriotism demands of us sustained sacrifice. -Chiang Kai-shek
It is the pride of my heart to have been one of the earliest adopted sons of America. -Marquis de Lafayette
Liberty has never come from Government. Liberty has always come from the subjects of it. The history of liberty is a history of limitations of governmental power, not the increase of it. -Woodrow Wilson
Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few. -Winston Churchill
Take patriotism away, and the nation’s soul has fled. -Edward Mark Deems
Sometimes quotes help us express our emotions when we struggle to find the words. Sometimes the harsh reality is too much coming from our own lips, and we hide behind the words of someone else.
Whatever the reason that you use these quotes, remember that your words are powerful and the world needs to hear them.
More Unique Military Related Quotes
- 17 Indispensable Leadership Quotes From Post-9/11 Generals
- Motivational Bible Verses For Your Recruit at Basic Training
- 21 Great Military Appreciation Quotes
Want more on quotes military life?
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- 11 Totally Epic Military Retirement Gift Ideas for Service Members
- 21 Best Deployment Quotes for Military Spouses and Significant Others
- 19 Inspirational Quotes for Military Spouses and Families
- 16 Inspirational Quotes for Military Kids That Will Make You Smile
- 42 Best Moving Away Quotes for Saying Goodbye to Friends & Family
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