As you celebrate the 4th of July with your festive red, white and blue desserts and your awesome barbecue menu, you'll likely want to commemorate the day with a social media post of all you did to honor America's birthday. For many, you'll want to go the patriotic route, for others, you'll need something short but inspirational. Whatever you decide, before you post anything, you'll want to look at our list of the best 4th of July quotes. From former presidents to founding fathers, we've included messages about America and America's birthday (famous, funny and solemn) that would make the perfect Instagram caption for all of your photos. Or feel free to just post one of these Independence Day quotes by itself as you sit back and reflect on what being an American means to you.
Once you've done that, definitely check out more 4th of July ideas from Good Housekeeping, including decorating must-haves, patriotic songs to play at your party and the best movies to watch before the night ends.
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1
Amy Tan
"In America, nobody says you have to keep the circumstances somebody else gives you."
2
Bill Clinton
"There is nothing wrong with America that cannot be cured by what is right with America."
3
Frederick Douglass
“The life of the nation is secure only while the nation is honest, truthful, and virtuous.”
4
James Baldwin
“I love America more than any other country in this world, and, exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually.”
5
Mark Twain
"Patriotism is supporting your country all the time and your government when it deserves it."
6
Michelle Obama
"The fact is, with every friendship you make and every bond of trust you establish, you are shaping the image of America projected to the rest of the world."
7
Oprah Winfrey
"It’s important that we establish that we are a country that has open arms and not closed borders for people. It’s important because we let people know why America is what it is. It’s about an ideal and that ideal is freedom for everybody."
8
Rosa Parks
“I’d like to be remembered as a person who wanted to be free and wanted other people to be also free.”
9
Thomas Campbell
"The patriot's blood is the seed of freedom's tree."
10
Valerie Jarrett
"For change often seems impossible until it is inevitable. Just as we must own our lives, we must own our country. For, we, the people, are ultimately in control of the America’s story."
11
Barack Obama
In the face of impossible odds, people who love their country can change it.
12
Bob Dylan
I think of a hero as someone who understands the degree of responsibility that comes with his freedom.
13
Nelson Mandela
For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.
14
James Bryce
Patriotism consists not in waving the flag, but in striving that our country shall be righteous as well as strong.
15
Henry James
I think patriotism is like charity — it begins at home.
16
Condoleezza Rice
The essence of America, that which really unites us, is not ethnicity or nationality or religion. It is an idea, and what an idea it is — that you can come from humble circumstances and do great things.
17
J.S.B. Morse
I don't believe in the constitution because I'm American. I'm American because I believe in the constitution.
18
Fanny Lewald
That is the truly beautiful and encouraging aspect of freedom; no one struggles for it just for himself.
19
Ronald Reagan
Freedom is one of the deepest and noblest aspirations of the human spirit.
20
Elmer Davis
This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave.
21
Mike Fitzpatrick
The American flag is the symbol of our freedom, national pride and history.
22
George Bernard Shaw
Liberty is the breath of life to nations.
23
Louis D. Brandeis
Those who won our independence believed liberty to be the secret of happiness.
24
Daniel Webster
Independence now and forever!
25
Abraham Lincoln
Government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the Earth.
26
Benjamin Franklin
Where liberty dwells, there is my country.
27
Robert Frost
Freedom lies in being bold.
28
Harry S. Truman
America was built on courage, on imagination and an unbeatable determination.
29
Eleanor Roosevelt
With freedom comes responsibility.
30
Paul Tsongas
America is hope. It is compassion. It is excellence. It is valor.
31
Patrick Henry
Give me liberty or give me death!
32
Martin Luther King Jr.
From every mountainside, let freedom ring.
33
Hillary Clinton
Freedom is never granted. It is earned by each generation.
34
Ralph Waldo Emerson
America means opportunity, freedom, power.
35
John F. Kennedy
Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.
36
Franklin D. Roosevelt
In the truest sense, freedom cannot be bestowed; it must be achieved.
37
Albert Camus
Freedom is nothing but a chance to be better.
38
William J. Clinton
There is nothing wrong with America that cannot be cured with what is right in America.
39
Mac Thornberry
No other date on the calendar more potently symbolizes all that our nation stands for than the Fourth of July.
40
Lupita Nyong'o
Dreams are the foundation of America.
41
John Adams
It will be celebrated with pomp and parade, bonfires and illuminations from one end of this continent to the other.
42
Wendell L. Wilkie
I believe in America because we have great dreams, and because we have the opportunity to make those dreams come true.
43
Gerald Stanley Lee
America is a tune. It must be sung together.
44
James Madison
The advancement and diffusion of knowledge is the only guardian of true liberty.
45
George Bernard Shaw
Liberty means responsibility. That is why most men dread it.
46
Kahlil Gibran
Life without liberty is like a body without spirit.
47
Gloria Steinem
The truth will set you free, but first it will piss you off.
48
Barack Obama
In the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope.
49
Dwight D. Eisenhower
The history of free men is never really written by chance but by choice; their choice!
50
George Washington
Observe good faith and justice toward all nations. Cultivate peace and harmony with all.
Selena Barrientos
Associate Entertainment and News Editor
Selena Barrientos is the associate entertainment and news editor for Good Housekeeping — she writes and reports on the latest shows and movies, in addition to spotlighting Latinx celebrities.
Yaa Bofah
Editorial Fellow
Yaa Bofah is an editorial fellow at Good Housekeeping.
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