Memorial Day 2014: Famous Quotes
Two girls salute while posing for a photograph in front of the field of United States flags displayed by the Massachusetts Military Heroes Fund on the Boston Common in Boston, Massachusetts May 24, 2014 ahead of the Memorial Day holiday May 26. Reuters

Memorial Day is celebrated across the US as a federal holiday remembering the men and women who died while serving the United States Armed Forces.

The holiday is celebrated on the last Monday of May and this year it will be celebrated on 26 May.

The history of Memorial Day celebrations goes back to the American Civil War when it was known as Decoration Day. On the day the martyrs were remembered by placing flowers on their graves.

But later, the day was extended to respect all American soldiers who sacrificed their lives while serving their country.

The day also marks the beginning of summer while many Americans wait for the long weekend to go beach travelling, grilling and chilling under the sun.

More than 36 million people are expected to hit the roads this Memorial Day weekend and drive more than 50 miles, the American Automobile Association reported.

But for war veterans and the families of the martyrs, this day is sombre as they will remember their fallen brave hearts.

"I think a lot of people really lose that focus as to what the true meaning of Memorial Day is. I think everybody while they're doing their cookouts, what I would like to see across America, is those families to take a minute or two in silence for respect for those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice," war veteran Robert Brandt told news website pennlive.com.

Here are 15 memorable quotes that remind one of how precious freedom is:

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

2. "Better to die fighting for freedom then be a prisoner all the days of your life." – Bob Marley

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

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

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

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

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

8. "For love of country, they accepted death." – President James A Garfield

9. "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

10. "The price of freedom is eternal vigilance." – President Thomas Jefferson

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

12. "Heroism is not only in the man, but in the occasion." – President Calvin Coolidge

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

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

15. "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