34 Mother's Day Quotes, Captions, and Sayings to Make Mom's Day

Can't fit all you want to say into a 5x7 inch card? Try one of these pithy quotes instead.

Mother's Day Quotes: Funny, inspirational, and meaningful quotes and sayings for mother's day
Photo: huePhotography/Getty Images

The lead-up to Mother's Day may be all about finding the right Mother's Day gift and planning great Mother's Day activities, but don't let the day itself flash by without a meaningful Mother's Day quote or two. Your mom—or your wife and mother of your children, or your grandmother, or whomever—is sure to appreciate a Mother's Day quote, saying, or caption along with the meaningful card you give her or the funny post you put on social media.

A good Mother's Day poem will never fail you, but sometimes you want something a little shorter: That's where Mother's Day quotes come in. These short, pithy sayings and phrases from great minds, writers, and thinkers carry a lot of meaning and feeling in just a few words. If you don't know exactly what to say to your mom (or how to caption your Instagram post), these quotes might have the words that you don't. (Some are even funny too.)

Between tracking down gifts for new moms for the women in your circle and planning your Mother's Day itinerary, take a look at these quotes for moms—they'll make you smile and want to call Mom whether it's Mother's Day or not.

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"Mother: the most beautiful word on the lips of mankind."

Mother: the most beautiful word on the lips of mankind.

Real Simple

—Kahil Gibran

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“Motherhood is the biggest gamble in the world. It is the glorious life force. It’s huge and scary—it’s an act of infinite optimism.”

Motherhood is the biggest gamble in the world. It is the glorious life force. It’s huge and scary – it’s an act of infinite optimism.

Real Simple

—Gilda Radner

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"A mother is the one who fills your heart in the first place."

Mother's Day quotes and sayings - quote by Amy Tan
Emma Darvick

– Amy Tan

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“Nothing is really lost until your mom can’t find it.”

Nothing is really lost until your mom can’t find it.

Real Simple

—Unknown

05 of 34

"All that I ever am and hope to be, I owe to my angel mother."

Mother's Day quotes and sayings - quote by Abraham Lincoln
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– Abraham Lincoln

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"There's no way to be a perfect mother, and a million ways to be a good one."

Mother's Day quotes and sayings - quote by Jill Churchill
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– Jill Churchill

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"My mother was my role model before I even knew what that word was."

Mother's Day quotes and sayings - quote by Lisa Leslie
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– Lisa Leslie

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"It's not easy being a mother. If it were easy, fathers would do it."

Mother's Day quotes and sayings - quote by Dorothy, The Golden Girls
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– Dorothy, The Golden Girls

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"A mother is she who can take the place of all others but whose place no one else can take."

Mother's Day quotes and sayings - quote by Cardinal Mermillod
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– Cardinal Mermillod

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"A mother's arms are more comforting than anyone else's."

Mother's Day quotes and sayings - quote by Princess Diana
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– Princess Diana

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"Life began with waking up and loving my mother's face."

Mother's Day quotes and sayings - quote by George Eliot
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– George Eliot

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"Mothers: All love begins and ends there."

Mother's Day quotes and sayings - quote by Robert Browning
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– Robert Browning

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"Maybe it's just a daughter's job to piss off her mother."

Mother's Day quotes and sayings - quote by Chuck Palahnuik, Diary
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– Chuck Palahnuik, Diary

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"Behind all your stories is always your mother's story, because hers is where yours begin."

Mother's Day quotes and sayings - quote by Mitch Albom
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– Mitch Albom, For One More Day

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"You know all my most embarrassing moments, you know that I'm a nut, so what can I do to repay your love...and make sure you keep your mouth shut!?"

Mother's Day quotes and sayings - quote by Holly Giffers
Emma Darvick

– Holly Giffers, "You Know Me"

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"On Mother's Day it isn't smart to give your mom a broken heart."

Mother's Day quotes and sayings - quote by Bruce Lansky
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– Bruce Lansky, On Mother's Day

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"Life doesn't come with a manual. It comes with a mother."

Mother's Day quotes and sayings - quote by unknown about mothers and manuals
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– Unknown

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"Best of wives and best of Women."

Mother's Day quotes and sayings - quote by Alexander Hamilton
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– Alexander Hamilton

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"A mother's love endures through all."

Mother's Day quotes and sayings - quote by Washington Irving
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– Washington Irving

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"God could not be everywhere, and therefore he made mothers."

Mother's Day quotes and sayings - quote by Rudyard Kipling
Emma Darvick

– Rudyard Kipling

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“Only mothers can think of the future because they give birth to it in their children.” 

Only mothers can think of the future because they give birth to it in their children

Real Simple

—Maxim Grosky

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“If you’re a mom, you’re a superhero. Period.”

If you’re a mom, you’re a superhero. Period.

Real Simple

—Rosie Pope

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“There are no rules in this house; I’m not like a regular mom, I’m a cool mom.”

There are no rules in this house; I’m not like a regular mom, I’m a cool mom.

Real Simple

—Mrs. George, Mean Girls

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“It may be possible to gild pure gold, but who can make his mother more beautiful?” 

It may be possible to gild pure gold, but who can make his mother more beautiful?

Real Simple

—Mahatma Gandhi

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“The truth is that no matter how old we are, as long as our mothers are alive, we want our mother.”

The truth is that no matter how old we are, as long as our mothers are alive, we want our mother

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—Goldie Hawn

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“Any mother could perform the jobs of several air-traffic controllers with ease.” 

Any mother could perform the jobs of several air-traffic controllers with ease

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—Lisa Alther

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“Mom: a title just above queen.”

Mom: a title just above queen.

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—Unknown

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“Sooner or later we all quote our mothers.”

Sooner or later we all quote our mothers

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—Bern Williams

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“No language can express the power and beauty and heroism of a mother’s love.”

No language can express the power and beauty and heroism of a mother’s love

Real Simple

—Edwin Chapin

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“The art of mothering is to teach the art of living to children.”

The art of mothering is to teach the art of living to children

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—Elaine Heffner

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“Mother is one to whom you hurry when you are troubled.”

Mother is one to whom you hurry when you are troubled

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—Emily Dickinson

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“A mother is your first friend, your best friend, your forever friend.”

A mother is your first friend, your best friend, your forever friend

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—Amit Kalantri

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“The only love that I really believe in is a mother’s love for her children.”

The only love that I really believe in is a mother’s love for her children

Real Simple

—Kelly Clarkson

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“Mothers are the necessity of invention.”

Mothers are the necessity of invention.

Real Simple

—Bill Patterson

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