15 Memorial Day Quotes From Presidents

No matter how many great plans you have scheduled for the three day weekend, make sure you don't forget to take a few moments (or more) to recognize exactly why you're getting Monday off. These 15 Memorial Day quotes from presidents will quickly remind you if you've forgotten. Freedom is a beautiful thing, but it sometimes comes at a terrible price. While we can't bring back those who we have lost in the fight for freedom, we can remember them and the sacrifices they made during their lives.

This collection of quotes comes from none other than the commanders-in-chief of this unique and amazing country. From George Washington all the way up to Barack Obama, presidents from every decade have something thoughtful to say on the matter of freedom and what it costs. No matter who you are voting for during this election, or what your thoughts are on America's political system in general, there is no denying that the freedom we have is something we should never take for granted.

It only takes a few seconds to remember those who have fought for our country, so be sure to take some time to acknowledge our fallen soldiers. Read some quotes, share some quotes, and never forget how fortunate you are to be living in this country.

1. "For love of country they accepted death." — James A. Garfield

2. "Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty." — John F. Kennedy

3. "There is nothing wrong with America that cannot be cured by what is right with America." — Bill Clinton

4. "They do not need our praise. They do not need that our admiration should sustain them. There is no immortality that is safer than theirs. We come not for their sakes but for our own, in order that we may drink at the same springs of inspiration from which they themselves drank." — Woodrow Wilson

5. "In the truest sense, freedom cannot be bestowed; it must be achieved." — Franklin D. Roosevelt

6. "Each of the patriots whom we remember on this day was first a beloved son or daughter, a brother or sister, or a spouse, friend, and neighbor." — George H. W. Bush

7. "It was the transcendent fortitude and steadfastness of these men who in adversity and in suffering through the darkest hour of our history held faithful to an ideal. Here men endured that a nation might live." — Herbert Hoover

8. "Heroism is not only in the man, but in the occasion." — Calvin Coolidge

9. "I don't have to tell you how fragile this precious gift of freedom is. Every time we hear, watch, or read the news, we are reminded that liberty is a rare commodity in this world." — Ronald Reagan

10. "The price of freedom is eternal vigilance.” — Thomas Jefferson

11. "This Memorial Day should remind us of the greatness that past generations of Americans achieved from Valley Forge to Vietnam, and it should inspire us with the determination to keep America great and free by keeping America safe and strong in our own time, a time of unique destiny and opportunity for our nation." — Richard Nixon

12. "Our nation owes a debt to its fallen heroes that we can never fully repay, but we can honor their sacrifice." — Barack Obama

13. "Guard against the impostures of pretended patriotism." — George Washington

14. "Our debt to the heroic men and valiant women in the service of our country can never be repaid. They have earned our undying gratitude. America will never forget their sacrifices." — Harry S. Truman

15. "Looking across this field, we see the scale of heroism and sacrifice. All who are buried here understood their duty. All stood to protect America. And all carried with them memories of a family that they hoped to keep safe by their sacrifice." — George W. Bush

Images: Andrew Pons, Patrick Tomasso, Alex Martinez/Unsplash