84 Mother’s Day quotes: Loving, inspirational, and funny quotes for every mom

Whether your mom lives around the corner or thousands of miles away, Mother's Day is the perfect time to make sure she knows how much you care about her. Visits, phone calls, gifts, and cards will all make her feel special.

But, what do you write in those personalized Mother’s Day cards? How do you find the right words to express everything Mom means to you?

The best way to say “Happy Mother’s Day” might be with the words of others—quotations from writers, comedians, entertainers, and other well-known figures who have a way with words.

We've collected our favorite Mother's Day quotes, sayings, and greetings to share with your mom, stepmom, mother-in-law, wife, or other special mother figures in your life who you want to honor.

Consider writing one of these Mother's Day quotes in your cards or on gift tags to bring even more love and laughter to the day.

What are some good ways to use Mother’s Day quotes?

Mother's Day quotes can enhance any heartfelt gift or card project.

• Copy them into a handmade scrapbook or write quotes as part of a message in a greeting card.
• Emblazon your favorite Mother's Day saying alongside a favorite photo on an acrylic block or a metal print for Mom to display.
• Work a collection of your favorite quotes into a custom photo book for the mom in your life.
• Your kids might enjoy making a custom card with one (or more) of these quotes too. Let them pick a quote that reminds them of their mom so that they can create a unique card.

Loving Mother’s Day quotes

Heart-melting quotes are perfect for sentimental moms who love hearing words of appreciation from their children and loved ones. Enjoy these memorable, touching quotes for Mother's Day.

• “All that I am, or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel mother.”—Abraham Lincoln
• “A mother’s arms are more comforting than anyone else’s.”—Princess Diana
• “If I had a single flower for every time I think of you, I could walk forever in my garden.”—Claudia Adrienne Grandi
• “A mother is the one who fills your heart in the first place.”—Amy Tan
• “A mother's love for her child is like nothing else in the world. It knows no law, no pity, it dares all things and crushes down remorselessly all that stands in its path.”—Agatha Christie
• “A mother’s arms are made of tenderness and children sleep soundly in them.”—Victor Hugo
• "I think in a lot of ways unconditional love is a myth. My mom’s the only reason I know it’s a real thing."—Conor Oberst
• “A mother is she who can take the place of all others but whose place no one else can take.”—Cardinal Mermillod
• “Sometimes the strength of motherhood is greater than natural laws.”—Barbara Kingsolver

Which is your favorite? Remember that you can add Mother's Day quotes to custom gifts that are as unique as she is. Check out these unique gift ideas for inspiration.

Funny Mother’s Day quotes

We all know that laughter is the best medicine. Why not give Mom a healthy dose of giggles with these funny Mother's Day quotes?

• “It’s not easy being a mother. If it were easy, fathers would do it.”—The Golden Girls
• “When your children are teenagers, it’s important to have a dog so that someone in the house is happy to see you.”—Nora Ephron
• “I want my children to have all the things I couldn’t afford. Then I want to move in with them.”—Phyllis Diller
• “Becoming a mom to me means you have accepted that for the next 16 years of your life, you will have a sticky purse.”—Nia Vardalos
• “Children are like crazy, drunken small people in your house.”—Julie Bowen
• “Being a mom has made me really tired and so happy.”—Tina Fey
• “My mother always used to say, the older you get, the better you get. Unless you’re a banana.”—Betty White
• "My mother had a great deal of trouble with me, but I think she enjoyed it."—Mark Twain
• “A mom forgives us all our faults, not to mention one or two we don’t even have.”—Robert Brault
• “By the time you realize your mother was right, you have a daughter who thinks that you’re wrong.”—Sada Malhotra

For more humorous sentiments to share with Mom, check out our list of 47 funny quotes.

Inspirational Mother’s Day quotes

Do you want to let your mom (or another special woman) know how much they've impacted your life? Embrace these inspiring Mother's Day quotes, and share them with all the special moms in your life.

• “A mother is she who can take the place of all others, but whose place no one else can take.”—Cardinal Mermillod
• “God could not be everywhere, and therefore he made mothers.”—Rudyard Kipling
• “A mother is not a person to lean on, but a person to make leaning unnecessary.”—Dorothy Canfield Fisher
• “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
• “Mothers are like glue. Even when you can’t see them, they’re still holding the family together.”—Susan Gale
• "A mother's love liberates."—Maya Angelou
• "A mother's arms are made of tenderness, and children sleep soundly in them."—Victor Hugo
• “Mother love is the fuel that enables a normal human being to do the impossible.”—Marion C. Garretty
• “A mother wants every good, healthy, right thing for her children. She can’t help it; they are the only lives that mean more to her than her own.”― Richelle E. Goodrich
• “My favorite thing about being a mom is just what a better person it makes you on a daily basis.”—Drew Barrymore
• "Whatever else is unsure in this stinking dunghill of a world a mother's love is not."—James Joyce
• "A mother is always the beginning. She is how things begin."—Amy Tan
• "We are born of love; love is our mother."—Rumi

Mother’s Day quotes from daughters

These Mother's Day quotes from daughters to their moms are sure to delight a special mom today and always.

• "My mother was my role model before I even knew what that word was."—Lisa Leslie
• "If love is as sweet as a flower, then my mother is that sweet flower of love."—Stevie Wonder
• “To describe my mother would be to write about a hurricane in its perfect power.”—Maya Angelou
• “I felt the wash of her love every day, pouring over me.”—Aimee Bender
• “There were times when…I didn’t have a lot of friends. But my mom was always my friend. Always.”—Taylor Swift
• “Words are not enough to express the unconditional love that exists between a mother and a daughter.”—Caitlin Houston
• “Life began with waking up and loving my mother’s face.”—George Eliot
• “My mom taught me a woman’s mind should be the most beautiful part of her.”—Sonya Teclai
• “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
• “Acceptance, tolerance, bravery, compassion. These are the things my mom taught me.”—Lady Gaga

Mother’s Day quotes for your wife

Celebrating the moms in your life means celebrating the mother of your children too. Consider these Mother's Day quotes for your wife or partner to express love and appreciation for everything they do day in and day out.

• "Never above you. Never below you. Always beside you."—Walter Winchell
• "No man succeeds without a good woman behind him. Wife or mother, if it is both, he is twice blessed indeed."—Godfrey Winn
• "My most brilliant achievement was my ability to be able to persuade my wife to marry me."—Winston Churchill
• "Never pass up an offer for someone to watch the kids. And never stop dating your wife."—Ken Fite
• "Happy is the man who finds a true friend, and far happier is he who finds that true friend in his wife."—Franz Schubert
• “The phrase ’working mother’ is redundant.”—Jane Sellman
• “You are the finest, loveliest, tenderest, and most beautiful person I have ever known—and even that is an understatement.”—F. Scott Fitzgerald

Mother's Day quotes to honor grandmas

Mother's Day is for grandmothers too! Celebrate Grandma with these meaningful Mother's Day quotes.

• “A grandma is warm hugs and sweet memories. She remembers all of your accomplishments and forgets all of your mistakes.”—Barbara Cage
• “Every house needs a grandmother in it.”—Louisa May Alcott
• “If nothing is going well, call your grandmother.”—Italian Proverb
• “Grandma always made you feel she had been waiting to see just you all day and now the day was complete.”—Marcy DeMaree
• “Parent-child relationships are complex. Grandmother-grandchild relationships are simple. Grandmas are short on criticism and long on love.”—Janet Lanese

Mother’s Day quotes for aunts

Many people have special aunts whom they want to celebrate on Mother's Day too. Let your love shine outward with these special Mother's Day quotes that are perfect for aunts.

• “Aunts are the ones who stand beside Moms when nieces and nephews enter the world.” — Karen Moore
• “An aunt is a safe haven for a child. Someone who will keep your secrets and is always on your side.”—Sara Sheridan
• “I was really lucky that I had an aunt who was very inspiring to me. She was different than anybody in my family on either side.”—Geena Davis
• “I have always maintained the importance of aunts.”—Jane Austen
• “My mom, my aunt, and my grandma banded together and gave me a village of support when I was growing up.”—Michael Tubbs
• “The best aunts aren’t substitute parents, they’re co-conspirators.”—Daryl Gregory

Mother’s Day quotes for sisters & friends

Moms are amazing human beings—that's why it's important to remember and celebrate all of the moms in your life whenever you can. Honor your sister, besties, and closest mom pals with Mother's Day quotes for friends and sisters.

• “There will be so many times you feel like you’ve failed. But in the eyes, heart, and mind of your child, you are a super mom.”—Stephanie Precourt
• "Sisters function as safety nets in a chaotic world simply by being there for each other."—Carol Saline
• “Many people will walk in and out of your life, but only true friends will leave footprints in your heart.”—Eleanor Roosevelt
• “Mother is a verb. It's something you do. Not just who you are.”—Cheryl Lacey Donavan
• “An older sister is a friend and defender—a listener, conspirator, a counselor and a sharer of delights. And sorrows too.”—Pam Brown
• “Your sisters are the only people in the world who know what it’s like to have been brought up the way you were.”—Betsy Cohen
• “It’s not that diamonds are a girl’s best friend, but it’s your best friends who are your diamonds.”—Gina Barreca
• “There is no such thing as a perfect parent. So just be a real one.”―Sue Atkins

Short & sweet Mother’s Day quotes

If you're looking for something simple and sweet, try these short Mother's Day quotes.

• “There’s no way to be a perfect mother, and a million ways to be a good one.”—Jill Churchill
• “You are the jewel in the crown of motherhood.”―Sandra Sealy
• “Mother is the name for God in the lips and hearts of little children.”—William Makepeace Thackeray
• “Mother’s love is peace. It need not be acquired, it need not be deserved.”—Erich Fromm
• “Motherhood: All love begins and ends there. ”—Robert Browning
• “Mothers can look through a child’s eyes and see tomorrow.”—Reed Markham
• “To a child’s ear, ‘mother’ is magic in any language.”—Arlene Benedict
• “Sooner or later, we all quote our mothers.”—Bern Williams

First Mother’s Day quotes

A mom will never forget her first Mother's Day! Whether funny, sentimental, or both, first Mother's Day quotes celebrate the new mom in a truly memorable way. Why not use some of these quotes on a beautiful baby photo book packed with memories of those first special days of motherhood?

• “A mother is always the beginning. She is how things begin.”―Amy Tan
• “All those cliches, those things you hear about having a baby and motherhood—all of them are true. And all of them are the most beautiful things you will ever experience.”—Penelope Cruz
• “The moment a child is born, the mother is also born. She never existed before. The woman existed, but the mother, never. A mother is something absolutely new.”—Rajneesh
• “To the world you may be one person; but to one person you may be the world.”—Dr. Seuss
• “To love and be loved is to feel the sun from both sides.”—David Viscott
• “A mother is a mother from the moment her baby is first placed in her arms until eternity.”―Sarah Strohmeyer
• “The moment a child is born, the mother is also born.”—Osho
• “There are really places in your heart that you don’t know exist until you love a child.”—Anne Lamott

Make Mother's Day even more special

The right quote can bring tears of joy or peals of laughter to a special mom on Mother's Day. Use your favorite quotes to make the day even more special with these DIY Mother's Day gift ideas. Remember to involve your kids too—moms, grandmas, and aunts love receiving gifts crafted by their favorite kids.

No matter the project you want to make for a special mom, Mixbook is here to help.