We are always reminded on Memorial Day that while we are barbecuing, swimming, or just getting together with friends and family, we should not forget the real meaning behind the day. On this day, we remember and honor those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation, and the ideas, principles, and values that it represents. One of those ideas is most certainly freedom of speech and expression. It's the one idea that all others hinge on. So, I thought in celebration of those who died defending our right to say what we think, I would ask around and find out what the favorite quotes of some of my favorite people are.
READ MORE: Memorial Day: Remember All the Fallen
I have four favorite quotes, but I will start with this one. Like a lot of people's favorite quotes, it's from a movie. "Practical Magic" is the story of the Owens sisters, who happen to be witches. They have known since they were kids that they were somehow "different." One of the sisters, Sally, only wants to be "normal." One day, as she is walking through town with her aunts, who raised her and her sister, Jillian, Sally laments, "All I want is a normal life." One of the aunts replies, "My darling girl, when are you going to understand that being normal is not necessarily a virtue. It rather denotes a lack of courage." I love this because, as I have found in my own life experience, what's so great about normal? And who has been deemed the arbiter of "normal"? Sorry, I just don't seem to have gotten that email, and frankly, if I did, I would delete it.
Practical Magic (1998) pic.twitter.com/jlPzQKLxxI
— retrocvnt (@retrocvnty) May 22, 2026
I now pass the talking stick to RedState's own Ward Clark. As you might have guessed, Ward has a couple. The first, from "Atlas Shrugged" by Ayn Rand, is "I saw what had to be done. I went out to do it." Ward says that he loves this because "That, to me, epitomizes the mindset of a self-directed man of purpose." It very much describes Ward. Anyone who has read anything he has written can see that purpose shining through. His other favorite comes from his dad, who said, "You never stop being a parent." I don't know that from experience, but I believe it, too.
Jennifer Oliver O'Connell has been inspired by the words of Helen Keller, who said:
"Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. Security does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than exposure."
Jennifer recalls watching a family member who always lived in fear, and ultimately, as she put it, "caved in" both mentally and physically to that fear. She decided that she would go out there and live life, no matter what, because you miss so much by being afraid and shutting yourself off from the world.
Ben Smith's favorite quote is one I could sink my teeth into as well. It is a quote from Author Glennon Doyle, who wrote, "Stop asking people for directions to places they've never been." He says that when he decided to start his own business, he had a lot of naysayers, some in his own family. But that quote spurred him on to work even harder. It obviously continues to work for him in his success as a writer.
Jerry Wilson took his inspiration, as do many people, from the Bible. Psalm 42, verse 11 says, "Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God." Jerry says this verse helps him with personal struggles and encourages him not to give up. God clearly has his hand on Jerry and won't let him give up.
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I think I can just sneak my others in under the wire. In "A League of Their Own," the Rockford Peaches' star catcher, Dottie, quits the team when her husband returns from WWII. Peaches' coach Jimmy Dugan tries to tell her that she will regret quitting for the rest of her life. Dottie says, "It just got too hard." Jimmy lays this total money quote on her, "It's supposed to be hard. If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it. The hard is what makes it great." I think of that quote every morning when I sit down at my computer to write. It spurs me on, it lights me up.
“Liberals claim to want to give a hearing to other views, but then are shocked and offended to discover that there are other views.” ~ William F. Buckley, Jr. pic.twitter.com/e0puJtPXpr
— David Burke 🇺🇸 (@ConservativeTht) September 9, 2023
Finally, I will take a cue from Ward and channel my own dad. My dad loved William F. Buckley. As a political writer, my favorite quote of his is, "Liberals claim to want to give a hearing to other views, but then are shocked and offended to discover that there are other views." No truer words were ever spoken. My dad also preached individualism to my brother and me. He loved to say to us, "Don't be a sheep." Translation: Don't do what everyone else is doing. I can safely say that is the one thing we both heard loud and clear.
On this Memorial Day, I would say "thank you" to the men and women who have ensured the right of all Americans to say exactly what they think.
Memorial Day isn’t about barbecues or beach days—it’s about those American heroes who gave everything for our freedom.
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) May 25, 2025
THIS 70-SECOND VIDEO CAPTURES WHAT THE DAY IS TRULY ABOUT. 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/QbDVNWgreb
