25+ Celebration of Life Quotes & Sayings for a Funeral | Cake Blog (2024)

Speaking at acelebration of life ceremony can be really difficult. You may have a hard time expressing exactly what you’re feeling. Why not incorporate a quote that depicts what you are trying to say? It’ll take the pressure off you to find the right words.

Jump ahead to these sections:

• Celebration of Life Quotes for the Loss of a Mother or Father
• Celebration of Life Quotes for the Loss of a Grandfather or Grandmother
• Celebration of Life Quotes for the Loss of a Sibling
• Celebration of Life Quotes for the Loss of a Spouse or Partner

We’ve collected 25+ celebration of life quotes and sayings that you may want to include in your loved one’s funeral. Each verse is unique and could include the exact words that you’ve been searching for. They can express your love and admiration for this person. You might also help yourself and others process such a significant loss.

Celebration of Life Quotes for the Loss of a Mother or Father

Losing a parent is a significant loss in anybody’s life. To express this kind of love well, it’s best to find a quote intended for this very special relationship. Feel free to use these in a eulogy for a mother or a eulogy for a father, too.

1. “But I think, maybe, there is some validity in accepting that a part of you went with the person who died, and a part of them stayed with you.” — Jane Wells, author
2. “A great soul serves everyone all the time. A great soul never dies. It brings us together again and again.” — Maya Angelou, author
3. “No matter how far we’ve come — our parents are always in us.” — Brad Meltzer, novelist
4. “I think all of us are five years old in the presence and absence of our parents.” — Sherman Alexie, author
5. “Love your parents. We are so busy growing up, we forget that they are also growing old.” — Unknown
6. “Parental love is the only love that is truly selfless, unconditional, and forgiving.” — Dr. T.P. Chia, former political prisoner
7. “Children learn to smile from their parents.” — Shinichi Suzuki, Japanese musician, philosopher, and educator
8. “Mothers are like glue. Even when you can’t see them, they are still holding the family together.” — Susan Gale, author
9. “Life doesn’t come with a manual — it comes with a mother.” — Unknown
10. “The sands of time will never wash away the love that I have for you. Your sweet memory will remain forever in my heart.” — Louise Hay, author

Quotes for the Loss of a Grandfather or Grandmother

There’s nothing quite like the loss of your grandparents. Grandparents hold such an important place in your heart. It's only natural to highlight their significance through a moving and inspiring quote. Any of these phrases can add to a funeral or celebration of life ceremony.

11. “When it comes to death, we know that laughter and tears are pretty much the same thing. And so, laughing and crying, we said goodbye to my grandmother. And when we said goodbye to one grandmother, we said goodbye to all of them.” — Sherman Alexie, author
12. “Grief is the price we pay for love.” — Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
13. “Grandpas bring a little wisdom, happiness, warmth, and love to every life they touch.” — Kate Summers, actress
14. “Crying is a way your eyes speak when your mouth can’t explain how broken your heart is.” — Prakhar Sahay, actor
15. “Nobody can do for little children what grandparents do. Grandparents sort of sprinkle stardust over the lives of little children.” — Alex Haley, author
16. “Grandmas hold our tiny hands for a little while, but our hearts forever.” — Unknown
17. “May the winds of heaven blow softly and whisper in your ear how much we love and miss you and wish that you were here.” — Unknown
18. “Those who love never truly leave us. There are things that death cannot touch.” — Jack Thorne, screenwriter and playwright
19. “My grandpa taught me everything — except how to live without him.” — Unknown
20. “There will never be a day where I won’t think of you and wish that you were by my side.” — Unknown

Quotes for the Loss of a Sibling

Your sibling was your first friend. You may have built special memories and experienced many life changes together. Sibling dynamics can be different for everybody but there’s no denying the bond that develops.

The following phrases may be good eulogy or headstone quotes to add to the funeral.

21. “Our brothers and sisters are there with us from the dawn of our personal stories to the inevitable dusk.” — Susan Scarf Merrell, author
22. “Grief is like the ocean; it comes in waves, ebbing and flowing. Sometimes the water is calm, and sometimes it is overwhelming. All we can do is learn to swim.” — Vicki Harrison, author
23. “The greatest gift our parents gave us was each other.” — Unknown
24. “Our family chain is broken and nothing seems the same, but as God calls us one by one the chain will link again.” — Ron Tranmer, author
25. “You don’t choose your family. They are God’s gift to you, as you are to them.” — Desmond Tutu, South African cleric
26. “To have a sister is to have a true soulmate.” — Unknown
27. “Little by little we let go of loss — but never of love.” — Unknown
28. “Your life is a blessing and your memory a treasure. You are loved beyond words and missed beyond measure.” — Unknown
29. “Grief for the living lost aches in the heart’s most hopeful chamber.” — Unknown
30. “How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.” — Winnie the Pooh, fictional character

Quotes for the Loss of a Spouse or Partner

Your spouse or partner is the person who you chose to spend your life with. When that person passes away, it is likely that your entire world will shift in a way you never thought possible.

Paying tribute to that person is something many people want to do. Here are a fewfuneral quotes for a eulogy that may help you start.

31. “When he died, all things soft and beautiful and bright would be buried with him.” — Madeline Miller, novelist
32. “What we have once enjoyed we can never lose; all that we deeply love becomes a part of us.” — Helen Keller, author
33. “To live in hearts we leave behind is not to die.” — Thomas Campbell, Scottish poet
34. “Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, love leaves a memory no one can steal.” — Unknown
35. “The risk of love is loss, and the price of loss is grief, but the pain of grief is only a shadow when compared with the pain of never risking love.” — Hilary Stanton Zunin, teacher
36. “Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.” — Emily Brontë, author
37. “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.” — Dr. Seuss, author
38. “I planned to say a lot of things to you, but in the end, all I could muster was ‘I miss you.’” — Unknown
39. “What was, still is.” — Unknown
40. “At the blueness of the skies and the warmth of summer, we remember them.” — Rabbi Sylvan Kamens and Rabbi Jack Riemer

Words to Move the Heart

Words have a way of bringing people together. All the quotes here may have a very different meaning to you, but they can still move you and inspire you to speak about the person that you miss and love. Using a short phrase can help explain your feelings when it’s too painful or difficult to find the right words.

A quote can help you express yourself and also help you celebrate the life of the deceased. Remember how this person impacted your life and what his or her relationship meant to you. If you keep those things in mind, you’re sure to choose the best quote or saying.