Memorial Day is a United States federal holiday that honors American freedom sought by military veterans who died in service. The day commends soldiers for sacrificing their lives to ensure freedoms enjoyed by every American. The national holiday first began in 1868 to honor the lives lost in the Civil War. Memorial Day is different from Veterans' Day, which occurs in November and honors everyone in the military. It is an annually celebrated holiday. This year, Memorial Day falls on Monday, May 25. Christianity Daily compiled a list of top 25 quotes that shed light and understanding on the special holiday. These quotes remind America that freedom comes at a high cost and it is earned by sacrifice, loyalty, and courage.

Top 25 Quotes on Freedom:

1. "I don't have to tell you how fragile this precious gift of freedom is. Every time we hear, watch, or read the news, we are reminded that liberty is a rare commodity in this world." - President Ronald Reagan

2. "A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both." - President Dwight D. Eisenhower

3. "A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself." -Joseph Campbell

4. "There is nothing wrong with America that cannot be cured with what is right in America." - President Bill Clinton

5. "How important it is for us to recognize and celebrate our heroes and she-roes!" - Maya Angelou

6. "It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived." "” General George S. Patton

7. "The price of freedom is eternal vigilance." - President Thomas Jefferson

8. "The cost of freedom is always high, but Americans have always paid it. And one path we shall never choose, and that is the path of surrender, or submission." -John F. Kennedy

9. "Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it." - Mark Twain

10. "Our nation owes a debt to its fallen heroes that we can never fully repay, but we can honor their sacrifice." - President Barack Obama

11. "On thy grave the rain shall fall from the eyes of a mighty nation!" - Thomas William Parsons

12. "In the truest sense, freedom cannot be bestowed; it must be achieved." - President Franklin D. Roosevelt

13. "Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty." - President John F. Kennedy

14. "Guard against the impostures of pretended patriotism." - President George Washington

15. "I have long believed that sacrifice is the pinnacle of patriotism." -Bob Riley

16. "We come, not to mourn our dead soldiers, but to praise them." - Francis A. Walker

17. "Heroism is not only in the man, but in the occasion." - President Calvin Coolidge

18. "Although no sculptured marble should rise to their memory, nor engraved stone bear record of their deeds, yet will their remembrance be as lasting as the land they honored." - Daniel Webster

19. "They hover as a cloud of witnesses above this Nation." - Henry Ward Beecher

20. "The brave die never, though they sleep in dust: Their courage nerves a thousand living men." - Minot J. Savage

21. "Our debt to the heroic men and valiant women in the service of our country can never be repaid. They have earned our undying gratitude. America will never forget their sacrifices." - President Harry S. Truman

22. "For love of country, they accepted death." - President James A. Garfield

23. "The average American is nothing if not patriotic." -Herbert Croly

24. "The brave die never, though they sleep in dust: Their courage nerves a thousand living men." -Minot J. Savage

25. "Better to die fighting for freedom than be a prisoner all the days of your life." -Bob Marley