40 Beautiful Mother-Daughter Quotes That Will Stay with You

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Share these quotes with the most important woman in your life

The connection between mother and daughter is one of the most complex—but rewarding—relationships in the universe. Mother-daughter relationships aren’t always easy, and, of course, some are more complicated than others. Hopefully, she is the shelter in any emotional storm, the one who lifts you up and makes you laugh, and the one who will always be there for you. As Mother’s Day approaches, you may worry about what Mother’s Day gifts to get, or which Mother’s Day quotes to put in a card. To help you tell Mom how you feel, try these brilliant mother-daughter quotes that capture the beautiful bond you two share.

These quotes about moms, daughters, and the relationships they share are inspiring, beautiful, and hilarious. Feel free to use them as meaningful Mother’s Day wishes; after all, writing sweet words about your relationship is one of the most simple, but best, gifts you can give your mom. We’ve got mother-son quotes to celebrate that special relationship, too. If you’re looking for Mother’s Day ideas, these quotes are a good start.

Funny mother-daughter quotes

“Of all the haunting moments of motherhood, few rank with hearing your own words come out of your daughter’s mouth.”—Victoria Secunda

“Mother-daughter disagreements were, in hindsight, basically mother stating the truth and daughter taking her own sweet time coming around.”–Barbara Delinsky

“Yes, it’s quite amazing how I continue to shock my mother, even after all these years together.”–Eloisa James

“My mom is literally a part of me. You can’t say that about many people except relatives and organ donors.”―Carrie Latet

“By the time you realize your mother was right, you have a daughter who thinks that you’re wrong.”—Sada Malhotra

“When your mother asks, ‘Do you want a piece of advice?’ it is a mere formality. It doesn’t matter if you answer yes or no. You’re going to get it anyway.”—Erma Bombeck

“A daughter is a treasure and a cause of sleeplessness.”—Ben Sirach

“Just do everything we didn’t do and you will be perfectly safe.”—F. Scott Fitzgerald

“I keep seeing myself in my daughter, and I see my mother in me and in her. Bloody hell.”—Julie Walters

“I’m going to see my mom. She’s a big mucky-muck in the county school system. She’s my hero. How do I explain her? She is as respected as Mother Theresa, as powerful as Stalin, and as beautiful as Margaret Thatcher.”—Leslie Knope, Parks and Recreation

If you’re looking for more laughs, these funny quotes and mom jokes are guaranteed to get a chuckle.

Inspiring mother-daughter quotes

“My mother shed her protective love down around me and without knowing why people sensed that I had value.”—Maya Angelou, in Mom & Me & Mom. 

“My mother told me two things constantly. One was to be a lady, and the other was to be independent.”—Ruth Bader Ginsburg

“I tell my daughter every morning, ‘Now, what are the two most important parts of you?’ And she says, ‘My head and my heart.'”—Viola Davis

“Maybe I stepped into the skin my mother left behind and became the girl my mother had been, the one she still wanted to be.”—Laura Kasischke, in White Bird in a Blizzard

“When you are a mother, you are never really alone in your thoughts. A mother always has to think twice, once for herself and once for her child.”—Sophia Loren, in Women & Beauty

“A mother’s love for her child is like nothing else in the world. It knows no law, no pity, it dares all things and crushes down remorselessly all that stands in its path.”—Agatha Christie, in A Daughter’s a Daughter

“If you want to understand any woman, you must first ask about her mother and then listen carefully.”—Anita Diamant, in The Red Tent

“My mom is a strong-willed lady. She taught me to believe in myself no matter what anybody else said.”—Tracey Edmonds

“My mom taught me a woman’s mind should be the most beautiful part of her.”—Sonya Teclai

“Children are the anchors that hold a mother to life.”—Sophocles

Need more inspiration? These strong women quotes will do just the trick.

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Sweet mother-daughter quotes

“Mother was comfort. Mother was home.” —Ruta Sepetys, in Salt to the Sea

“When I had my children and I felt that type of love, which I know you understand and every mom out there understands…that there is an unconditional love.”—Jennifer Lopez

“God couldn’t be everywhere, so that is why he invented mothers.”—Diane Keaton as Daphne Wilder in Because I Said So.

“My mother was my first country, the first place I ever lived.”—Nayyirah Waheed

“A mother is one to whom you hurry when you are troubled.”—Emily Dickinson.

For the poetry lovers, you’ll want to read these Mother’s Day poems.

“My mother, she is beautiful, softened at the edges and tempered with a spine of steel. I want to grow old and be like her.”—Jodi Picoult

“It is so nice to come home and have solitude with me and my daughter.”—Mindy Kaling

“A mother understands what a child does not say.”—Jewish proverb

“A mother’s arms are more comforting than anyone else’s.”—Princess Diana

“I grew up in a makeup chair. And to see the women around me getting ready was so aspirational. It’s about mothers and daughters, a girl watching her mom at a vanity table.”—Drew Barrymore

For more sweetness, read these heartwarming Mother’s Day stories.

Mother-daughter quotes about their relationship

“One of the most important relationships we’ll have is the relationship we have with our mothers.”—Iyanla Vanzant

“A mom is a daughter’s first friend. And through life, becomes her best friend.”—Vicki Reece

“As mothers and daughters, we are connected with one another. My mother is the bones of my spine, keeping me straight and true. She is my blood, making sure it runs rich and strong. She is the beating of my heart. I cannot now imagine a life without her.”—Kristin Hannah

“The bond between a mother and her child is the only real and purest bond in the world, the only true love we can ever find in our lifetime.”–Ama H. Vanniarachchy

“Even as a small child, I understood that women had secrets, and that some of these were only to be told to daughters. In this way we were bound together for eternity.”—Alice Hoffman, The Dovekeepers

“There were times, in middle school and junior high, I didn’t have a lot of friends. But my mom was always my friend. Always.”—Taylor Swift

“Your arms were always open when I needed a hug. Your heart understood when I needed a friend. Your gentle eyes were stern when I needed a lesson. Your strength and love have guided me and given me wings to fly.”—Sarah Malin

“Our daughters are the most precious of our treasures, the dearest possessions of our homes, and the objects of our most watchful love.”—Margaret Elizabeth Sangster

“A daughter became a clearer reflection of her mother with time.”—Debasish Mridha, MD

“You make me merry, dear daughter.”—Lori Nelson Spielman, The Life List

Next, browse through these printable Mother’s Day cards you can write one of these mother-daughter quotes in.

Additional research by Kelly Kuehn.