80 Profound Tombstone Quotes for Living a Good Life

Tombstones are the things that are left for us to be remembered by.

These tombstone quotes speak of that remembrance, and about the impact we leave on the people we leave behind.

The truth is, death is largely about life, the lives of the people who love us that we leave behind, and the marks our lives leave on the world.

It’s all interconnected.

What can we change about the way we live our lives?

The truth is, our simple existence will leave a lasting mark on the world, but it’s up to us whether that mark is a positive one or a negative one.

These tombstone quotes will bring you through the importance of living a life fulfilled, the impact you have on the ones who love you, and the beauty of being remembered.

Check out our most popular quote article, a list of short inspirational quotes for daily inspiration.

Our inspirational quote category page has even more inspirational and educational quotes.

Tombstone Quotes About Being Remembered

1. “What matters is the effect we have on those around us and those who come after us.” – Lynn Schooler

2. “You have to stand out, do something, to be remembered.” – Patricia Hamill

3. “She would want to be remembered because she’s good.” – Anne Fadiman

4. “Maybe it is enough just to be remembered, if only for your name.” – Emma Berquist

5. “Do you want to be remembered for the money you made or the life you lived?” – Richie Norton

6. “One lives in hope of becoming a memory.” – Antonion Porchia

7. “To live in hearts we leave behind is not to die.” – Unknown

8. “When we think of the past it’s the beautiful things we pick out. We want to believe it was all like that.” – Margaret Atwood

9. “Do you not know that a man is not dead while his name is still spoken?” – Terry Pratchet

10. “If you can remember me, I will be with you always.” – Isabel Allende

11. “I have to live if I want to be remembered.” – Suzanne Young

12. “You are remembered for the rules you break.” – Douglas MacArthur

13. “Humans make art to remember and be remembered.” – Melissa Grey

Also read these thought-provoking quotes from Nacho Libre that observe life.

Tombstone Quotes About Making an Impact

14. “Don’t ever underestimate the impact that you may have on someone else’s life.” – Unknown

15. “Every action we take impacts the lives of others around us.” – Unknown

16. “What you do has far greater impact than what you say.” – Stephen Covey

17. “Small gestures can have a big impact. Create where it matters.” – Unknown

18. “Some people arrive and make such a beautiful impact on your life, you can barely remember what life was like without them.” – Unknown

19. “Never underestimate the valuable and important difference you make in every life you touch. For the impact you make today has a powerful rippling effect on every tomorrow.” – Unknown  

20. “What people see you do may not be remembered; what they hear you say may be forgotten; but how they feel your intervention in their times of need will forever be remembered.” – Unknown

21. “If someone comes into your life and has a positive impact on you, but for some reason they can’t stay, be thankful that your paths crossed.” – Unknown

22. “A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives.” – Unknown

23. “There is no greater gift than thinking that you had some impact on the world, for the better.” – Gloria Steinem

24. “No act of kindness no matter how small is ever wasted.” – Aesop

25. “What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” – Jane Goodall

If you’re enjoying these quotes, you’ll love our collection of inspiring Jane Goodall quotes about the environment.

26. “Your life is your message to the world. Make sure it’s inspiring.” – Unknown  

27. “To make a difference in someone’s life, you don’t have to be brilliant, rich, beautiful, or perfect. You just have to care enough and be there.” – Unknown

28. “The difference we make in other people’s lives is eternal.” – Unknown

You will also enjoy our article on Nacho Libre quotes.

Tombstone Quotes About Being Loved

29. “I think it is all a matter of love; the more you love a memory, the stronger and stranger it becomes.” – Vladimir Nabokov

30. “People you love never die… and he was right. They don’t die. Not completely. They live in your mind, the way they always lived inside you. You keep their light alive. If you remember them well enough, they can still guide you, like the shine of long-extinguished stars could guide ships in unfamiliar waters.” – Matt Haig

31. “And our love goes beyond flesh; it transcends Death’s reminder.” –Louise Blackwick

32. “After many years of knowing her, she died. Instead of leaving me with a heartbreak, she left behind wonderful memories… There are no tears to be shed.” – Unknown

33. “Death ends a life, not a relationship.” – Jack Lemmon

34. “You never realize death until you realize love.” – Katherine Hathaway

35. “The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen, not touched. But are felt in the heart.” – Helen Keller

36. “That love beyond the world cannot be separated by it. Death cannot kill what never dies.” – William Penn

37. “A family is a circle of love, not broken by a loss, but made stronger by the memories.” – Unknown

38. “Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, love leaves a memory no one can steal.” – Unknown

39. “The loss is so unmeasurable but so is the love left behind.” – Unknown

40. “Be the things you loved most about the people who are gone.” – Unknown

You might also like these rest in peace quotes and sayings to help you grieve

Tombstone Quotes About Living a Fulfilled Life

41. “The goal isn’t to live forever, but to create something that will.” – Chuck Palahniuk 

42. “The best way to prepare for death is to live life to its fullest.” – John Bytheway

43. “A life without cause is a life without effect.” – Barbarella

44. “One way to get the most out of life is to look upon it as an adventure.” – William Feather

45. “Nobody gets to live life backward.” – Ann Landers

46. “Live your life to the fullest potential, and fight for your dreams.” – Ashley Smith

47. “I don’t wait for the calendar to figure out when I should live life.” – Gene Simmons

48. “It is not the years in your life but the life in your years that counts.” – Adlai Stevenson

49. “Today’s moment becomes memory tomorrow.” – Anil Sinha

50. “There’ll be two dates on your tombstone and all your friends will read them, but all that’s gonna matter is that little dash between them.” – Kevin Welch

More tombstone quotes

51. “Carve your name on hearts, not tombstones. A legacy is etched into the minds of others and the stories they share about you.” – Shannon Alder

52. “A good character is the best tombstone. Those who loved you and were helped by you will remember you when forget-me-nots have withered. Carve your name on hearts, not on marble.” – Charles Spurgeon

53. “I am learning all the time. The tombstone will be my diploma.” – Eartha Kitt

54. “Every person has a legacy. You may not know what your impact is, and it may not be something that you can write on your tombstone, but every person has an impact on this world.” – Dara Horn

55. You only live once. You don’t want your tombstone to read: ‘Played it Safe.'” – Rosario Dawson

56. “If the Confederacy fails, there should be written on its tombstone: Died of a Theory.” – Jefferson Davis

57. “I never understood why when you died, you didn’t just vanish, everything could just keep going on the way it was only you just wouldn’t be there. I always thought I’d like my own tombstone to be blank. No epitaph, and no name. Well, actually, I’d like it to say ‘figment.'” – Andy Warhol

58. “Memory, in widow’s weeds, with naked feet stands on a tombstone.” – Aubrey de Vere

59. “It’s not a bad thing fighting for equality and helping the poor. It’s not a bad thing to have on your professional tombstone: ‘He believed in equality and he helped the poor.'” – Joe Jamail

60. Fame – a few words upon a tombstone, and the truth of those not to be depended on.” – Christian Nestell Bovee

More tombstone quotes to ruminate on

61. “I looked upon the sea, it was to be my grave.” ― Mary Shelley

62. “Whoever is not in his coffin and the dark grave, let him know he has enough.” ― Walt Whitman

63. “Body is a home, a prison and a grave.” ― James Runcie

64. “My work was done, so it was time to start digging my grave again.” ― Anthony Kiedis

65. “Why not rise from the grave and terrorize a little instead of staying buried and dead in the cemetery?” ― Daniel Handler

66. “From the cradle to the grave, joy and pain is the fertilizer for wisdom.” ― T.F. Hodge

67. “When I lived here and woke up from the fog in my head, I would walk by myself to the grave site set aside for me, so that I could feel comfortable if I lived there after death.” ― Kyung-Sook Shin

68. “I see no end to my misery but the grave.” ― Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

69. “Maybe we are living already inside our own graves.” ― Laura Chouette

70. “I live with one foot in the grave and one on the road to no return.” ― Anthony T. Hincks

Thought Provoking Tombstone Quotes 

71. “Satire does not look pretty upon a tombstone.” — Charles Lamb

72. If I thought you weren’t my friend, I just don’t think I could bear it.” — Doc Holliday

73. “I now believe when I’m dead and buried my tombstone will read, “I’m not entirely sure the band’s over.”” — Nick Mason

74. “Left love behind many years ago. Now it rests under a cross in the cemetery in Tombstone.” — Franco Nero

75. “Having ‘Oscar winner’ on your tombstone is a great thing.” — George Clooney

76. “On my tombstone just write, ‘The sorest loser that ever lived.'” — Earl Weaver

77. “The one thing I would hope would go on my tombstone is, ‘I made my parents proud.'” — Roger Goodell

78. “I want my tombstone to read: If this is a joke, I don’t get it.” — David Brenner

79. “They didn’t understand what they were doing. I’m afraid that will be on the tombstone of the human race.” — Michael Crichton

80. “He made us laugh, he took my pain away. I love you, Lauretta.” — Marty Feldman

Which of these tombstone quotes inspired you to live your life?

Tombstone quotes encapsulate the beauty of a life before death.

What we do in our lives ultimately effects how we’re remembered, from the impact we leave on our loved ones to the way we’re remembered.

Remembrance is one of the most important parts of death, and the mark we leave on the world is an important one.

How do we approach death in a way that’s full of life?

The point is to live your life.

Only then will you feel like your death has true meaning.

Our tombstones are what capture everything our lives contain.

They are the thing that leaves meaning at the end of our days, but it’s up to us what meaning that is.

Which of these tombstone quotes and sayings resonated with you best?

Do you have any other favorite quotes to add?

Let us know in the comment section below.