Headstone sayings and epitaph ideas

What is a good saying to put on a headstone?

A good saying is short, true to the person, and easy to read from a few steps away. Words that sound like something you would say out loud often feel right: Beloved mother, Together forever, Gone fishing. Others choose a line of Scripture, or a phrase the person always used. There is no wrong answer, and plenty of headstones carry no words at all beyond the names and dates.

If you are stuck, start with who they were to you (mother, husband, best friend), then add one thing that was true of them. Read it aloud. If it sounds like them, it is the right line.

Headstone sayings for mom

For a mother, families often reach for what she was known for: her warmth, her faith, the home she made. If you called her Mom, it is fine to put Mom on the stone. If you choose a heart-shaped stone, keep the lines short: it narrows toward its point.

• Beloved mother Try it
• Beloved wife and mother Try it
• Beloved wife, mother and grandmother Try it
• Loving mother, always Try it
• Our mother, our friend Try it
• A mother’s love lasts forever Try it
• She loved with her whole heart Try it
• Her love still holds us Try it
• Her kindness lives on in us Try it
• She made our house a home Try it
• Gentle hands, a giving heart Try it
• Always our mom Try it
• In loving memory of our mother Try it
• Thank you, Mom Try it
• Her love was our compass Try it
• Her children arise up, and call her blessed Proverbs 31:28 Try it
• As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you Isaiah 66:13 Try it

See it on a heart stone

Headstone sayings for dad

Fathers often get plain words: what he did, what he gave, how he loved. A short line in his own spirit can say more than a long one. If he loved the lake, Gone fishing is there in the light-hearted list below.

• Beloved father Try it
• Beloved husband and father Try it
• Beloved husband, father and grandfather Try it
• Loving father, always Try it
• Our dad, our hero Try it
• A good man, a great dad Try it
• He gave us his best Try it
• Strong hands, gentle heart Try it
• Dad, forever our guide Try it
• He taught us by example Try it
• His love made us strong Try it
• A father’s love never ends Try it
• Devoted to family Try it
• Hard worker, loving father Try it
• Always there for us Try it
• Thanks for everything, Dad Try it
• Rest easy, Dad Try it

Headstone sayings for parents and couples

A companion stone for two shares one family name across the top, with each person’s names and dates in their own column and one line of words beneath that belongs to both. The line works best when it is about the two of them together. If one of them is still living, the words can be cut now; only their second date waits. For Married 54 years, change the number to your own.

• Together forever Try it
• Our hearts are forever yours Try it
• Together again Try it
• Two hearts, one love Try it
• Side by side, forever Try it
• Married 54 years Try it
• Love that never ends Try it
• Reunited in heaven Try it
• Together in God’s care Try it
• Loving parents, always Try it
• Beloved parents and grandparents Try it
• Forever and always Try it
• Their love built our family Try it
• Whither thou goest, I will go Ruth 1:16 Try it
• My beloved is mine, and I am his Song of Solomon 2:16 Try it
• Many waters cannot quench love Song of Solomon 8:7 Try it

See it on a companion stone

Headstone sayings for a husband

These are written in a wife’s voice, to the man she shared her life with. Many of them work for a partner of any kind.

• Beloved husband Try it
• My love, my friend Try it
• My husband, my best friend Try it
• Forever my love Try it
• Until we meet again, my love Try it
• Loved beyond words Try it
• My heart goes with you Try it
• A devoted husband Try it
• Faithful husband, loving father Try it
• Always my love Try it
• My forever Try it
• Wait for me, my love Try it

Headstone sayings for a wife

And in a husband’s voice. If the stone will be a companion stone you will share one day, choose a line you are happy to have under both names.

• Beloved wife Try it
• My wife, my love, my life Try it
• Forever my sweetheart Try it
• The love of my life Try it
• My heart is with you Try it
• Devoted wife and mother Try it
• Always in my heart Try it
• My bride, forever Try it
• Loving wife, faithful friend Try it
• Together we were home Try it
• My best friend, my wife Try it
• Her love was my home Try it

Headstone sayings for grandparents

Use the name the grandchildren used. Grandma, Nana, Papa or Pop on a stone tells everyone who walks past how this person was loved.

• Beloved grandmother Try it
• Beloved grandfather Try it
• Grandma, forever loved Try it
• Grandpa, forever loved Try it
• Our Nana, always loved Try it
• Our Papa, always loved Try it
• Mother, grandmother, friend Try it
• Father, grandfather, friend Try it
• A legacy of love Try it
• Their love lives on in us Try it
• Generations of love Try it
• The heart of our family Try it

Headstone sayings for a child

There are no right words for a child’s stone, and you do not have to find them quickly. Many parents choose something very short, or the child’s name said with love, or a verse. The stone can wait until you are ready.

• Our precious son Try it
• Our precious daughter Try it
• Loving son and brother Try it
• Loving daughter and sister Try it
• Forever our little one Try it
• Held in our hearts forever Try it
• Loved for every moment Try it
• Our little light Try it
• Our angel Try it
• Safe in the arms of Jesus Try it
• Suffer the little children to come unto me Mark 10:14 Try it
• He shall gather the lambs with his arm Isaiah 40:11 Try it

For a brother, sister or friend

For a brother, a sister or a close friend, the best lines are often about the kind of person they were with other people.

• Beloved brother Try it
• Beloved sister Try it
• Brother, son, friend Try it
• Sister, daughter, friend Try it
• A brother and a friend Try it
• My sister, my friend Try it
• Friend to all Try it
• A true friend Try it
• Loved by all who knew him Try it
• Loved by all who knew her Try it
• Always the life of the party Try it
• He never met a stranger Try it
• She never met a stranger Try it
• A friend loveth at all times Proverbs 17:17 Try it

Headstone sayings for a veteran

Semper Fidelis is the Marine Corps motto, Semper Paratus the Coast Guard’s, This we’ll defend the Army’s, and Duty, honor, country the motto of West Point. Fair winds and following seas is a sailor’s farewell. Home is the sailor, home from sea comes from Robert Louis Stevenson’s poem Requiem, published in 1887.

If the veteran will have a government headstone or marker from the VA, the VA inscribes the name, branch of service and the years of birth and death. You can ask for an extra line, such as a term of endearment, on the application, and each request needs VA approval. It does not inscribe pictures, though it does inscribe approved emblems of belief. On a private stone, the words are your choice.

• Served his country with honor Try it
• Served her country with honor Try it
• Duty, honor, country Try it
• Semper Fidelis Try it
• Semper Paratus Try it
• This we’ll defend Try it
• Fair winds and following seas Try it
• Home is the sailor, home from sea Try it
• Rest easy, soldier Try it
• Proud to serve Try it
• He answered the call Try it
• She answered the call Try it
• Mission complete Try it
• Greater love hath no man than this John 15:13 Try it

Dog and cat headstone sayings

A pet stone is small, so short lines read best. Most of these fit easily under a pet’s name.

For a dog

• Good boy Try it
• Good girl Try it
• Loyal companion Try it
• Our best friend Try it
• Always by our side Try it
• Run free Try it
• The best dog ever Try it
• Every day was better with you Try it
• Faithful friend Try it
• Forever our good dog Try it

For a cat

• Purring in peace Try it
• Queen of the house Try it
• King of the house Try it
• Nine lives, one big heart Try it
• Forever our sweet kitty Try it
• Curled up in our hearts Try it

For any pet

• You were loved Try it
• Thank you for loving us Try it
• Paw prints on our hearts Try it
• In whose hand is the soul of every living thing Job 12:10 Try it

See it on a pet marker

Bible verses for a headstone

These verses are in the wording of the King James Version, which is in the public domain, and each one was checked word for word against Bible Gateway. Many of them are part of a verse, so the line fits on the stone. Cut the reference on its own line below the words, or cut the reference alone, like Psalm 23, which leaves room for larger letters. If your church uses a different translation, ask your pastor for its wording.

• The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want Psalm 23:1 Try it
• I will fear no evil: for thou art with me Psalm 23:4 Try it
• I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever Psalm 23:6 Try it
• I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep Psalm 4:8 Try it
• The Lord is my light and my salvation Psalm 27:1 Try it
• Joy cometh in the morning Psalm 30:5 Try it
• Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him Psalm 37:7 Try it
• Be still, and know that I am God Psalm 46:10 Try it
• Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints Psalm 116:15 Try it
• He giveth his beloved sleep Psalm 127:2 Try it
• To every thing there is a season Ecclesiastes 3:1 Try it
• They shall mount up with wings as eagles Isaiah 40:31 Try it
• The Lord bless thee, and keep thee Numbers 6:24 Try it
• The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away Job 1:21 Try it
• Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted Matthew 5:4 Try it
• Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God Matthew 5:8 Try it
• Blessed are the peacemakers Matthew 5:9 Try it
• Thy will be done Matthew 6:10 Try it
• Well done, thou good and faithful servant Matthew 25:21 Try it
• For God so loved the world John 3:16 Try it
• I am the resurrection, and the life John 11:25 Try it
• In my Father’s house are many mansions John 14:2 Try it
• Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you John 14:27 Try it
• Charity never faileth 1 Corinthians 13:8 Try it
• Death is swallowed up in victory 1 Corinthians 15:54 Try it
• O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? 1 Corinthians 15:55 Try it
• For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain Philippians 1:21 Try it
• I have kept the faith 2 Timothy 4:7 Try it
• God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes Revelation 21:4 Try it
• Psalm 23 Try it

Love never fails is how many modern translations put 1 Corinthians 13:8; the King James reads Charity never faileth. Both are in the lists on this page.

What is a good short verse to write on a headstone?

Short verses cut larger and read better from the path. A few short ones in the King James Version: Be still, and know that I am God (Psalm 46:10). Joy cometh in the morning (Psalm 30:5). Thy will be done (Matthew 6:10). I have kept the faith (2 Timothy 4:7). For a mother, Her children arise up, and call her blessed (Proverbs 31:28) is a fitting choice. Or cut only the reference, such as Psalm 23 or John 14:2.

Short headstone sayings

Two to five words. Short loving memory lines like these keep their letters large on any stone, from a tall upright to a small grave marker set in the grass.

• In loving memory Try it
• Forever in our hearts Try it
• Always in our hearts Try it
• Until we meet again Try it
• Loved beyond measure Try it
• Rest in peace Try it
• At peace Try it
• Gone home Try it
• Gone but not forgotten Try it
• Forever loved Try it
• Always loved Try it
• Always loved, never forgotten Try it
• Deeply loved, deeply missed Try it
• Forever remembered Try it
• Peace at last Try it
• Home at last Try it
• In God’s care Try it
• Asleep in Jesus Try it
• Love never fails Try it
• Loved and remembered Try it

Classic epitaphs

Older headstones often carry phrases that have been used for generations. Requiescat in pace is Latin for rest in peace; it is where the letters R.I.P. come from. Sacred to the memory of usually sits above the name.

• Sacred to the memory of Try it
• Not lost, but gone before Try it
• Not dead, but sleeping Try it
• Gone to rest Try it
• Called home Try it
• Requiescat in pace Try it
• Peace, perfect peace Try it
• Forever with the Lord Try it
• In God’s keeping Try it
• Gone to be with the Lord Try it
• Remembered with love Try it
• Beloved by all Try it
• Until the day break Song of Solomon 2:17 Try it
• The memory of the just is blessed Proverbs 10:7 Try it
• Faithful unto death Revelation 2:10 Try it

What can I write on a headstone instead of In loving memory?

Try a line that says who they were to you, like Beloved mother or Our best friend. Or a line about where they are now: Gone home, At peace, In God’s care. Or a line that sounds like them: Gone fishing, The kettle is on. Forever remembered, Always loved and Loved beyond measure say the same thing as In loving memory in different words.

What three words would you put on a gravestone?

Three words is a good length: short enough to cut large on almost any stone. A few to start with: Loved beyond measure. Rest in peace. In God’s care. Peace at last. Home at last. Our best friend. Or three words only your family understands, like a nickname or something they always said.

Light-hearted headstone sayings

For someone who loved to laugh, a light line can be a real tribute. Talk it over with the family first, and check the cemetery’s rules, since some cemeteries review inscriptions.

• Gone fishing Try it
• Gone golfing Try it
• Gone dancing Try it
• I told you I was sick Try it
• The kettle is on Try it
• Save me a seat Try it
• Keep the coffee hot Try it
• Finally caught up on sleep Try it
• Still telling stories somewhere Try it

How many words fit on a headstone?

It depends on the stone, the lettering and the other lines, but length matters most: every letter you add makes each letter on the line smaller. Headstone Designer works this out as you type. It warns when the family name would cut smaller than 1 inch tall, or any other line smaller than 5/8 inch, which follows the common guidance from monument makers. It splits a long line of words onto two lines when one line would cut too small, and you can type a / where you want the break yourself. The words go on one or two lines.

Here is what it worked out for one line of words, with the family name Calloway and the first names Robert James, on five of its sample stones. Characters count the spaces.

So, as a rough guide: about 20 characters cut at 0.7 inch or more on all five stones. At 36 characters the heart warned, though the words still cut at 0.6 inch on two lines. At 60 characters the grey upright and the pet marker warned too, and at 63 the flat marker. The wide companion stone held the longest lines. These are the designer’s estimates for its own stones; your monument company sets the final sizes for the stone they cut.

The lettering style matters too. See the same words in each style, on a stone, in headstone fonts.

How do you write an epitaph?

An epitaph is the line of words on a headstone. To write one:

• Start with who they were to you. Mother, husband, friend. Then add one true thing about them.
• Keep it short. Short lines cut larger and are easier to read from the path.
• Say it out loud. If it sounds like them, keep it. If it sounds like a greeting card, keep going.
• Check every letter. Spelling, capitals and the verse reference. Whatever is cut stays cut.
• Ask the family. A headstone is shared, and on a companion stone the line sits under both names.
• Check the cemetery’s rules. Some cemeteries review inscriptions before a stone is set.

Then see it on a stone. Letters that look fine on paper can come out small once the names and dates are in place.