Holidays Mother's Day

125 Mother’s Day Quotes & Card Messages

Gift tag with "Happy Mother's Day" alongside bright flowers

Your biggest, proudest, loudest supporter is probably your mom. It’s an around the clock job that often goes under-appreciated. Mother’s are cheerleaders, role models, mentors, and best friends rolled up into one. They deserve all the thanks in the world year-round, and we can start by making Mother’s Day extra special! The history of Mother’s Day is storied, and it all leads to this year’s celebration. Learn how to choose Mother’s Day flowers and then find the perfect message to go along. 

Encompassing the many hats mom wears and all the many thanks they deserve can be hard to squeeze into one card. Not to mention conveying the right sentiment to grandmothers, step moms, and mother-in-laws. Don’t fret, because we’ve compiled a comprehensive list of notable quotes about motherhood to help describe all the mothers in your life. 

Inspiring Quotes About Mothers

  1. “A mother’s love liberates.” ― Maya Angelou
  2. “The influence of a mother in the lives of her children is beyond calculation.” — James E. Faust
  3. “Motherhood: All love begins and ends there.” —Robert Browning
  4. “If love is as sweet as a flower, then my mother is that sweet flower of love.” ― Stevie Wonder
  5. “A mother’s love is a beacon of light that guides us through life’s darkest storms.” — Unknown
  6. “The only love that I really believe in is a mother’s love for her children.”
    ― Karl Lagerfeld
  7. “A mother isn’t the person who births you; it’s the person who rears you and shows you love.” ― Raquel Cepeda,
  8. “A mother’ slove is the fuel that enables a normal human being to do the impossible.” —Marion C. Garretty. 
  9. “Being a mother is learning about strengths you didn’t know you had and dealing with fears you never knew existed” —Linda Wooten
  10. “The heart of a mother is a deep abyss at the bottom of which you will always find forgiveness.” ― Honore de Balzac
  11. “A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials heavy and sudden fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends desert us; when trouble thickens around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts.”
    ― Washington Irving
  12. “Grandmothers see the best in us, think the best of us, and bring out the best in us.” —Cheryl Hawkinson
  13. “A mother teaches us that there is no end at all to what love can do.” — Keely Chace
  14. “To describe my mother would be to write about a hurricane in its perfect power. Or the climbing, falling colors of a rainbow.” ― Maya Angelou
  15. “We all long for a guardian angel in our lives. The luckiest among us call that angel mother.” ― Richelle E. Goodrich
  16. “Mother is a verb. It’s something you do. Not just who you are.” ― Cheryl Lacey Donovan
  17. “Mother’s love is peace. It need not be acquired, it need not be deserved.” —Erich Fromm
  18. “The heart of a mother is a deep abyss at the bottom of which you will always find forgiveness.” —Honore de Balzac
  19. “A mother is your first friend, your best friend, your forever friend.” —Unknown
  20. “A mother’s love for her child is like nothing else in the world. It knows no law, no pity, it dates all things and crushes down remorselessly all that stands in its path.” ― Agatha Christie
  21. “Being a full-time mother is one of the highest salaried jobs since the payment is pure love.” —Mildred B. Vermont
  22. “A mother is she who can take the place of all others but whose place no one else can take” —Cardinal Mermillod
  23. “A mother is not a person to lean on but a person to make leaning unnecessary.” —Dorothy Canfield Fisher
  24. “In a child’s eyes, a mother is a goddess. She can be glorious or terrible, benevolent or filled with wrath, but she commands love either way. I am convinced that this is the greatest power in the universe.” ― N.K. Jemisin, The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms

Funny Mother’s Day Quotes

  1. “It’s not easy being a mother. If it were easy, fathers would do it.” —Dorothy on The Golden Girls
  2. “Pain cannot be ignored. However, it can be endured. When necessary, a great deal of pain can be endured. Just ask my mother.” ― Charlie Huston, Sleepless
  3. “I think every working mom probably feels the same thing: You go through big chunks of time where you’re just thinking, ‘This is impossible — oh, this is impossible.’ And then you just keep going and keep going, and you sort of do the impossible.” —Tina Fey
  4. “You don’t have favorites among your children, but you do have allies. ” ― Zadie Smith, On Beauty
  5. “Show me a messy house and I’ll show you a really fun mom.” — Ellen Brenneman
  6. “Everybody wants to save the Earth; nobody wants to help Mom do the dishes.”
    ― P.J. O’Rourke
  7. “If evolution really works, how come mothers only have two hands?” ― Milton Berle
  8. “My mother believed in all superstitions, plus she made some up.” ― Donald E. Westlake

Philosophical Mother’s Day Quotes

  1. “There is entirely too much tut-tutting in this realm, if you ask me. All these kings would do a deal better if they put down their swords and listened to their mothers.” ― George R.R. Martin, A Storm of Swords
  2. “Perhaps it takes courage to raise children..” ― John Steinbeck, East of Eden
  3. “There is no way to be a perfect mother, and a million ways to be a good one.” —Jill Churchill
  4. “When your mom is gone, the thing no one ever tells you is that the little compass needle inside keeps spinning around and around, never finding North.” ― Megan Abbott
  5. “The best place to cry is on a mother’s arms.” ― Jodi Picoult, House Rules
  6. “It may be possible to gild pure gold, but who can make his mother more beautiful?” —Mahatma Gandhi
  7. “A queen could leave her throne. But a mother never leaves her son.” ― V.E. Schwab, A Conjuring of Light
  8. “By day the banished sun circles the earth like a grieving mother with a lamp.”
    ― Cormac McCarthy, The Road
  9. “Mothers and their children are in a category all their own. There’s no bond so strong in the entire world. No love so instantaneous and forgiving.” — Gail Tsukiyama
  10. “In a child’s eyes, a mother is a goddess… I am convinced that this is the greatest power in the universe.” ― N.K. Jemisin
  11. “Moms are like buttons — they hold everything together.” ― Unknown
  12. “Youth fades; love droops; the leaves of friendship fall; A mother’s secret hope outlives them all.” ― Oliver Wendell Holmes
  13. “A widow, the mother of a family, and from her heart she produces chords to which my whole being responds.” ― Fyodor Dostoevsky
  14. “The world’s best mom,” her son Matthew said. This is what the editors chose to lead with, about a woman whose inventions made satellites possible.” ― Jessica Knoll, The Favorite Sister
  15. “Mother’s Day is sacred because life is sacred. We owe that breath of life to our mothers. Their sacrifices allow us this extraordinary experience.” ― Richelle E. Goodrich
  16. “A mother’s arms are more comforting than anyone else’s.” ― Princess Diana
  17. “Mother’s love is infinite. A child can’t outgrow it and a mother can’t conceal it.” ― Michael Bassey Johnson
  18. “They wanted the real mother, the blood mother, the great womb, mother of a fierce compassion, a woman large enough to hold all the pain, to carry it away.” ― Janet Fitch, White Oleander
  19. “Being a mother is an attitude, not a biological relation.” —Robert A. Heinlein
  20. “A mother’s happiness is like a beacon, lighting up the future but reflected also on the past in the guise of fond memories.” ― Honoré de Balzac
  21. “It’s a funny thing about mothers and fathers. Even when their own child is the most disgusting little blister you could ever imagine, they still think that he or she is wonderful.” — Roald Dahl
  22. “Maybe she’d never really known her mother at all. And if you couldn’t know the person whose body was your first home, then who could you ever know?” ― Brit Bennett
  23. “A mother is the one who fills your heart in the first place.” ― Amy Tan

Brief Mother’s Day Card Messages

  1. “[My mother] always said I was beautiful and I finally believed her at some point.” —Lupita Nyong’o
  2. All the best parts of me are because of you!
  3. I’ll never stop learning invaluable lessons from your love and guidance. 
  4. “Life began with waking up and loving my mother’s face.” ― George Eliot
  5. “A mother understands what a child does not say.” ― Jewish Proverb
  6. “No man is poor who has a Godly mother.” ― Abraham Lincoln
  7. “I can only hope to be 10% of the mom mine was to me.” ― Charlize Theron
  8. “An ounce of mother is worth a ton of priest.” —Spanish Proverb
  9. “In the end, mothers are always right. No one else tells the truth.” —Randy Susan Meyers
  10. “God could not be everywhere, and therefore he made mothers.” ― Rudyard Kipling
  11. “The phrase ’working mother’ is redundant.” —Jane Sellman
  12.  “There is only one pretty child in the world, and every mother has it.” —Chinese Proverb
  13. “To a child’s ear, ‘mother’ is magic in any language.” —Arlene Benedict
  14.  “I was always at peace because of the way my mom treated me.” ― Martina Hingis

Longer Quotes About Moms

  1. “I don’t think of myself as a terribly confident person. But I have a survival mechanism that was instilled in me by my mother.” —Naomi Watts
  2. “My mother said her friends told her that I had once been seen jumping on the street with my son and playing as if I were a child. She said, “No, she was not playing. She was just being a good mother.” ― Maya Angelou
  3. “My mother was good at that, making people feel normal. Safe. Like as long as she was there, nothing truly bad could happen.” ― Jenny Han, The Summer I Turned Pretty
  4. “If I have done anything in life worth attention, I feel sure that I inherited the disposition from my mother.” ― Booker T. Washington
  5. “My mother said the cure for thinking too much about yourself was helping somebody who was worse off than you.” ― Sylvia Plath
  6. “My mom had four kids, one with special needs. She had a full-time job, and she still came home and made dinner for us every night, from scratch. It was amazing.” —Eva Longoria
  7. “My Mother: She is beautiful, softened at the edges and tempered with a spine of steel. I want to grow old and be like her.” ― Jodi Picoult
  8. “My mother … had a very deep inner spirituality that allowed her to rebuild her life. It’s extraordinary that she had such a strong sense of self and such a commitment to the future and such a strong creative sense that she could build new worlds for herself and for us out of the total devastation in her life.” —Caroline Kennedy
  9. “I realized why I was born and more than anything all of the things I want to pass onto my child, and the best way of doing that is not by preaching or telling her but showing her by example.” ― Beyoncé
  10. “Six years later my mother’s absence remained in the air around us, a deafening silence that I had not yet learned to stifle with words.” ― Carlos Ruiz Zafón, The Shadow of the Wind
  11. “I finally understand / for a woman it ain’t easy tryin to raise a man / You always was committed / A poor single mother on welfare, tell me how ya did it / There’s no way I can pay you back / But the plan is to show you that I understand / You are appreciated” —Tupac Shakur
  12. “When one of us (children) caught measles or whooping cough and we were isolated in bad upstairs, we wrote notes to each other perhaps on the hour. Our devoted mother would pass them for us, after first running them in a hot oven to kill the germs. They came into our hands curled up and warm, sometimes scorched like toast.” ― Eudora Welty
  13. “She drove me to ballet class…and she took me to every audition. She’d be proud of me if I was still sitting in that seat or if I was watching from home. She believes in me and that’s why this [award] is for her. She’s a wonderful mother.” —Elisabeth Moss
  14. “My mother is my root, my foundation. She planted the seed that I base my life on, and that is the belief that the ability to achieve starts in your mind.” —Michael Jordan
  15. “My mother was propelled through the universe by the brute force of reason. She was the judge in all our arguments. One disapproving word from her was enough to send us off to hide in a corner, where we would cry and fantasize our own martyrdom. And yet. One kiss could restore us to princedom. Without her, our lives would dissolve into chaos.” ― Nicole Krauss, The History of Love
  16. “But our mother, the most distant from him, perhaps, seemed the only one who could accept him as he was, maybe because she didn’t try to find an explanation.” ― Italo Calvino, The Baron in the Trees

Messages for Mother-in-laws

  1. “A man who treats his woman like a princess is proof that he has been raised by a queen.” – Taiwan Brown
  2. “A mother-in-law is someone who helps you understand the complexities of marriage, the intricacies of family dynamics, and the depths of love.” 
  3.  “A mother-in-law’s love is like a bridge that connects two families, binding them together with understanding and acceptance.”
  4. “A good mother-in-law can be a blessing, a great one is a treasure.” 
  5. “A mother-in-law is not just a relative by marriage, but a friend by choice.” 
  6. “A mother-in-law’s wisdom is invaluable, her kindness is comforting, and her love is unconditional.”
  7. “A mother-in-law is a second mom who offers guidance, support, and love when you need it most.” 
  8. “A mother-in-law’s love knows no bounds, her advice knows no end, and her presence brings warmth to the heart.” 
  9. “A mother-in-law is a woman who shares her son or daughter with you, but still loves you like her own.” 
  10. “A mother-in-law’s love is a blend of patience, understanding, and acceptance—a true testament to the power of family.” 
  11. “A mother-in-law’s love is a gift that enriches our lives, brightens our days, and fills our hearts with gratitude.”

Messages For Stepmothers

  1. “The only steps in this house are the stair steps, and the only half in this house is the half-and-half creamer.” —Al Hodson
  2. “Parenthood requires love, not DNA.” —Unknown 
  3. “You don’t just complete my dad’s life. You add a special touch to mine, too.”
  4. Happy Mother’s Day to the woman who stepped into my life and filled it with love, laughter, and so much more.” 
  5. “Marriage brought us together, but being a family is just what’s in our hearts.”
  6. “To my stepmom, you’ve always been by my dad’s side. Today, I want to honor you and let you know I’m right by your side.”
  7. “Family means a lot — especially when it’s filled with someone as special as you.”
  8. “You’re a step above the rest, thank you for all your love and guidance.” 

Brief Messages About Grandmothers

  1. “Grandmothers always have time to talk and make you feel special.” — Catherine Pulsifer
  2. “A grandmother is a mom with all the worries worn off.” — Barbara Loots
  3.  “Grandmothers are voices of the past and role models of the present. Grandmothers open the doors to the future.” — Helen Ketchum
  4. “A grandmother is both a sword and a shield.” — Fredrick Backman
  5.  “A grandmother is a little bit parent, a little bit teacher, and a little bit best friend.” 
  6. “Grandmothers hold our tiny hands for just a little while, but our hearts forever.” 
  7. “A grandmother’s love is like no other. She’s a storyteller, a confidante, and a friend who always understands.” 
  8.  “Grandmothers sprinkle stardust over our lives.” 
  9.  “Grandmothers are the people who take delight in hearing babies breathing into the telephone.” 
  10.  “Grandmothers are just antique little girls.” 
  11.  “Grandmothers are like buttons on a sweater — they hold everything together.” — Unknown
  12.  “Grandmothers are the true storytellers, the keepers of tradition, and the pillars of family.”
  13. “Grandmothers make the world a little softer, a little kinder, and a little warmer.” 
  14.  “Grandmothers are the glue that holds the family together, the ones who pass down love and wisdom from generation to generation.” 
  15. “Grandmothers are the heart of the family, the ones who shower us with love, spoil us with treats, and make every day brighter.” 
  16. “Grandmothers are like stars. You don’t always see them, but you know they’re always there.” 
  17.  “Grandmothers are the embodiment of love, grace, and wisdom. They leave a lasting imprint on our hearts.” 
  18. “Grandmothers are the architects of our fondest memories and the keepers of our most cherished traditions.” 
  19. “Grandmothers have ears that truly listen, arms that always hold, and love that’s never-ending.”
  20. “Grandmothers are the guardian angels of childhood memories, the keepers of secrets, and the pillars of strength.” 
  21. “Grandmothers are the silent heroes who make everything better with a hug, a smile, and a cookie.” 

Whatever words you choose, mom will appreciate the love and care put behind your efforts. Nail the exact message mom needs to hear this year, and sweeten it up with one of Bouqs’ colorful Mother’s Day bouquets!

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