The Fourth of July celebrates the day delegates from the 13 colonies adopted the Declaration of Independence, marking the birth of American independence.
On July 2, 1776, the Continental Congress voted in favor of independence from the British monarchy. However, it wasn’t until July 4 that the colonies and the Continental Congress formally adopted the terms of the historic document.
Nowadays, the federal holiday is celebrated with fireworks, barbeques, parades, and other traditions.
In honor of the Fourth of July, check out these inspiring quotes and sayings compiled from AZ Quotes and Good Housekeeping that will help you embrace your patriotism during the special celebration.
“Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty.” — John F. Kennedy
“Patriotism consists not in waving the flag, but in striving that our country shall be righteous as well as strong.” — James Bryce
“We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men and women are created equal.” — Elizabeth Cady Stanton
“In the face of impossible odds, people who love their country can change it.” — Barack Obama
“Four score and seven years ago, our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.” — Abraham Lincoln
“There is nothing wrong with America that cannot be cured with what is right in America.” — Bill Clinton
“This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave.” — Elmer Davis
“Freedom has its life in the hearts, the actions, the spirit of men and so it must be daily earned and refreshed - else like a flower cut from its life-giving roots, it will wither and die.” — Dwight D. Eisenhower
“Let freedom never perish in your hands.” — Joseph Addison
“No other date on the calendar more potently symbolizes all that our nation stands for than the Fourth of July.” — Mac Thornberry
“Then join hand in hand, brave Americans all! By uniting we stand, by dividing we fall.” — John Dickinson
“America is hope. It is compassion. It is excellence. It is valor.” — Paul Tsongas
“Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it.” — Thomas Paine
“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.” — Nelson Mandela
“America was built on courage, on imagination and an unbeatable determination.” — Harry S. Truman
“From the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire, let freedom ring. From the mighty mountains of New York, let freedom ring. From the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania, let freedom ring. But not only that: Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi.” — Martin Luther King, Jr.
The Macy's Fourth of July Fireworks explode on Independence Day on the East River in New York, July 4, 2015.REUTERS/Andrew Kelly
