*Originally published on May 8, 2020:

Mother's Day falls on Sunday, May 12. To celebrate moms worldwide, we're delighted to share a collection of inspiring quotes! Throughout history, countless individuals have expressed profound thoughts about their mothers. This profound admiration is well-deserved. While acknowledging the crucial role of fatherhood, we must recognize that our mothers are our first guides on the path of love. The essence of this affection shines through in these 18 quotes about mothers shared by renowned figures across time.

From presidents to poets, read these 18 celebrities' quotes about moms—and grab the Kleenex!

• "Is my mother my friend? I would have to say, first of all she is my Mother, with a capital 'M'; she's something sacred to me. I love her dearly...yes, she is also a good friend, someone I can talk openly with if I want to." –Sophia Loren (Romilda Villani)
• "I remember my mother's prayers, and they have always followed me. They have clung to me all my life." –Abraham Lincoln (Nancy Hanks Lincoln)

• "My mother is a walking miracle.” –Leonardo DiCaprio (Irmelin Indenbirken)
• "Acceptance, tolerance, bravery, compassion. These are the things my mom taught me.” –Lady Gaga (Cynthia Germanotta)
• "If I have done anything in life worth attention, I feel sure that I inherited the disposition from my mother.” –Booker T. Washington (Jane Ferguson)
• “Life began with waking up and loving my mother’s face.” –Mary Anne Evans, aka George Eliot (Christiana Evans)
• “Motherhood: All love begins and ends there.” –Robert Browning (Sarah Anna Wiedemann)
• "My mother is an incredible woman. She's brought me to this point single-handedly ... She's the most important person in my life." –Drake (Sandi Graham)
• "My mother is my root, my foundation. She planted the seed that I base my life on, and that is the belief that the ability to achieve starts in your mind." –Michael Jordan (Deloris Jordan)
• "To describe my mother would be to write about a hurricane in its perfect power. Or the climbing, falling colors of a rainbow.” –Maya Angelou (Vivian Baxter Johnson)
• "Whatever else is unsure in this stinking dunghill of a world, a mother’s love is not.” –James Joyce (Mary Jane Murray)
• “Youth fades; love droops; the leaves of friendship fall; A mother’s secret hope outlives them all.” –Oliver Wendell Holmes (Sarah Wendell)
• “A mother is not a person to lean on, but a person to make leaning unnecessary.” –Dorothy Canfield Fisher (Flavia Camp Canfield)

• "A mother’s arms are more comforting than anyone else’s.” –Princess Diana (Frances Shand Kydd)
• "Mothers are all slightly insane." –J.D. Salinger (Miriam Salinger)
• "The heart of a mother is a deep abyss at the bottom of which you will always find forgiveness." –Honore de Balzac (Anne-Charlotte-Laure Sallambier)
• "Mother is the name for God in the lips and hearts of little children." –William Makepeace Thackeray (Anne Becher)
• "All women become like their mothers. That is their tragedy. No man does. That's his." –Oscar Wilde (Jane Wilde)

As Mother's Day approaches, we are reminded of the profound insights and expressions of maternal wisdom that have been shared by renowned mothers throughout history. These quotes echo the enduring love, strength, and guidance that mothers provide, shaping not just their own families, but often, through their words and deeds, impacting the world at large. Celebrating Mother's Day with these timeless words honors the legacy of mothers past, present, and future, and underscores the universal bond of motherhood that connects humanity across cultures and generations.