When writing an obituary for the first time, it can be extremely challenging to find the right words. After all, you’re commemorating the life of someone you love — no small endeavor. And your mind is likely to be clouded with grief and pain, making it even more difficult to write.
A wonderful way to make your obituary writing effort easier is to include a quote from an author, notable figure, poet or other prominent person from history. Often, quotes can capture exactly what you want to convey in an eloquent and poetic manner.
Below are 25 beautiful obituary quotes that are perfect for paying tribute to someone who’s passed.
- “As is a tale, so is a life: not how long it is, but how good it is, is what matters.” – Seneca
- “You are gone
but thank you
for all these soft, sweet things
you have left behind
in my home
in my head
in my heart …” – Nikita Gill - “To live in hearts we leave behind is not to die.” – Thomas Campbell
- “The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen nor touched, but are felt in the heart.” – Helen Keller
- “A person’s true wealth is the good he or she does in the world.” – Nazr Mohammed
- “The song is ended, but the melody lingers on.” – Irving Berlin
- “Precious jewel, you glowed, you shone, reflecting all the good things in the world.” – Maya Angelou
- “Even death is not to be feared by one who has lived wisely.” – Buddha
- “That best portion of a good man’s life, his little nameless unremembered acts of kindness and love.” – William Wordsworth
- “We are not content to pass away entirely from the scenes of our delight; we would leave, if but in gratitude, a pillar and a legend.” – Robert Louis Stevenson
- “We are reminded how short life really is, and how we are just passing through. So, all the people you haven’t told you love lately, tell them, and live your days like you mean it.” – Hal Sutton
- “In the end it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.” – Abraham Lincoln
- “Perhaps they are not stars but rather openings in heaven where the love of our lost ones shines down to let us know they are happy.” – Inuit legend
- “Grief is the price we pay for love.” – Colin Murray Parkes
- “The grave is but a covered bridge, leading from light to light, through a brief darkness.” – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
- “How lucky am I to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.” – A.A. Milne
- “Every life is noted and is cherished, and nothing loved is ever lost or perished.” – Madeleine L’Engle
- “Goodbyes are only for those who love with their eyes. Because for those who love with heart and soul there is no such thing as separation.” – Rumi
- “The idea is not to live forever but to create something that will.” – Andy Warhol
- “More precious was the light in your eyes than all the roses in the world.” – Edna St. Vincent Millay
- “You are with me always – whether near or far. For you see, we’re connected by the heart.” – Unknown
- “If there ever comes a day where we can’t be together, keep me in your heart. I’ll stay there forever.” – Winnie the Pooh
- “They that love beyond the world cannot be separated by it. Death cannot kill what never dies.” – William Penn
- “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
- “Nothing on earth can make up for the loss of one who has loved you.” – Selma Lagerlof
Do you have a favorite from among these obituary quotes? Share your thoughts or other options in the comments below.
