Inspiring Resilience: 9 Powerful Quotes from 9/11

"Now, we have inscribed a new memory alongside those others. It’s a memory of tragedy and shock, of loss and mourning. But not only of loss and mourning. It’s also a memory of bravery and self-sacrifice, and the love that lays down its life for a friend—even a friend whose name it never knew."

- George W. Bush

"I know that being here today is hard... I know that it aches to remember this milestone year after year. And I know that nothing can make it right... And, as the years go by, it may feel that the world is moving on or even forgetting what happened here on Sept. 11, 2001. But please know this: The men and women of the Department of Defense will always remember."

- Lloyd J. Austin III

"Remember the hours after September 11 when we came together as one! It was the worst day we have ever seen, but it brought out the best in all of us."

- John Kerry

"I still have the shoes I wore to work that day. The soles are melted, and they’re caked in ash. I keep them in a shoebox with the word ‘deliverance’ written all around it. They’re kind of like my ark, a reminder of God’s presence and the life I owe to him."

- Stanley Praimnath

"For me and my family personally, September 11 was a reminder that life is fleeting, impermanent, and uncertain. Therefore, we must make use of every moment and nurture it with affection, tenderness, beauty, creativity, and laughter."

- Deepak Chopra

"I was in New York on September 11 when those planes hit the World Trade Center. At the time, it seemed like it was a local thing. But three or four days later, by the time we drove across the country in the bus, we realized it wasn’t a local thing. You could really feel the states become united. We became the United States of America."

- John Madden

"Time is passing. Yet, for the United States of America, there will be no forgetting September the 11th. We will remember every rescuer who died in honor. We will remember every family that lives in grief. We will remember the fire and ash, the last phone calls, the funerals of the children."

- George W. Bush

"If we learn nothing else from this tragedy, we learn that life is short and there is no time for hate."

- Sandy Dahl

"September 11, 2001, revealed heroism in ordinary people who might have gone through their lives never called upon to demonstrate the extent of their courage."

- Geraldine Brooks

"We will win this struggle—not for glory, nor wealth, nor power, but for justice, for freedom, and for peace… so help us God."

- Tom Harkin

"Remember the hours after Sept. 11 when we came together as one! It was the worst day we have ever seen, but it brought out the best in all of us."

- John Kerry

"The devastating punch we took on September 11 still reverberates throughout American society."

- Tom Harkin

"On that terrible day, a nation became a neighborhood, all Americans became New Yorkers."

- Jeff Parness

"Even the smallest act of service, the simplest act of kindness, is a way to honor those we lost, a way to reclaim that spirit of unity that followed 9/11."

- Barack Obama

"You can be sure that the American spirit will prevail over this tragedy."

- Colin Powell

"The attacks of September 11th were intended to break our spirit. Instead we have emerged stronger and more unified. We feel renewed devotion to the principles of political, economic and religious freedom, the rule of law and respect for human life. We are more determined than ever to live our lives in freedom."

- Rudy Giuliani

"These acts shattered steel, but they cannot dent the steel of America's resolve."

- George W. Bush

"The lesson of 9/11 is that America is truly exceptional. We withstood the worst attack of our history, intended by our enemies to destroy us. Instead, it drew us closer and made us more united. Our love for freedom and one another has given us a strength that surprised even ourselves."

- Rudy Giuliani

"When Americans lend a hand to one another, nothing is impossible. We’re not about what happened on 9/11. We’re about what happened on 9/12."

- Robert Reeg

"September 11 impressed upon us that life is a precious gift…. And I think we all have a duty to devote at least a small portion of our daily lives to ensuring that neither America nor the world ever forgets September 11."

- Bill Frist

"What separates us from the animals, what separates us from the chaos, is our ability to mourn people we’ve never met."

- David Levithan

"Ten years have passed since a perfect blue sky morning turned into the blackest of nights. Since then we’ve lived in sunshine and in shadow, and although we can never unsee what happened here, we can also see that children who lost their parents have grown into young adults, grandchildren have been born and good works and public service have taken root to honor those we loved and lost."

- Michael Bloomberg

"September 11 is one of our worst days but it brought out the best in us. It unified us as a country and showed our charitable instincts and reminded us of what we stood for and stand for."

- Lamar Alexander

"America was not built on fear. America was built on courage, on imagination and an unbeatable determination to do the job at hand."

- Harry Truman

"True patriotism hates injustice in its own land more than anywhere else."

- Clarence Darrow

"Americans never quit."

- Douglas MacArthur

"On September 11, I always take the day off. I want to be in a peaceful quiet place praying. It is a day I both mourn and celebrate."

- Genelle Guzman-McMillan

"I may never know the answers to the questions that plagued me after 9/11. But I know if we lean on God and each other, we will be guided to a better, brighter future."

- Michael Hingson, 9/11 survivor

"It’s the nature of the world that most people have moved on, but the people directly involved with 9/11, for them, twice a day it’s 9/11."

"On September 11, I always take the day off. I want to be in a peaceful, quiet place praying. It is a day I both mourn and celebrate."