Home is the sailor, home from sea,
And the hunter home from the hill.
— Robert Louis Stevenson“Requiem,” 1887
Funeral and Eulogy Quotes
Six sourced lines for memorial services
Choosing words for a memorial is hard. These lines are gentle, widely loved and short enough to read through a catch in the voice. Each lists its author, work and year, so you can say where it comes from.
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.
— Laurence Binyon“For the Fallen,” 1914
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
— Psalm 23:4King James Bible, 1611
Sunset and evening star,
And one clear call for me!
— Alfred, Lord Tennyson“Crossing the Bar,” 1889
Good night, sweet prince,
And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest!
— William ShakespeareHamlet, 1600
Lives of great men all remind us
We can make our lives sublime,
And, departing, leave behind us
Footprints on the sands of time;
— Henry Wadsworth Longfellow“A Psalm of Life,” 1838
Using a quote in a eulogy
A eulogy needs one short, well-chosen line, not several. Pick words the person loved or that fit the way they lived, say the source, and let the silence after it do the work. If the family is religious, Scripture is often welcome. If not, a poem like “Requiem” is a gentle alternative.