40 May Quotes and Sayings to Savor the last Moments of Spring
May, the last month of spring, is here! Despite the warmer temperatures, flowers continue to bloom and give color to nature. In addition, May holds several holidays, such as Mother's Day and Memorial Day, and its skies also give us the last meteor show of the season. So whether it is your birth month or not, the year's fifth month can be memorable for everyone. We have collected plenty of May quotes below that explore all of the month's events and qualities to inspire an excellent 31 days.
Quick links to our selection of May quotes:
Best May Quotes
May is the fifth month of the year in the Gregorian calendar and is named after the Greek goddess Maia, who was associated with fertility and growth.
Interestingly, the goddess's name's root meaning is mother, which coincides with Mother's Day celebration. An alternate interpretation of the poet Ovid also suggests that May came from the Latin word maiores, meaning elders whom Romans celebrate during the month.
The Anglo Saxons call May the thrimicle or Three-Milkings Month because cows were in their best condition in May, and people could milk them three times a day.
Spend each day of this month well as you read the best quotes for the month of May.
"The world's favorite season is the spring. All things seem possible in May."
- Edwin Way Teale
"May, more than any other month of the year, wants us to feel most alive."
- Fennel Hudson
"It was the month of May, the month when lovers, subject to the same force which reawakens the plants, feel their hearts open again, recall past trusts and past vows, and moments of tenderness, and yearn for a renewal of the magical awareness which is love."
- Thomas Malory
"As full of spirit as the month of May, and as gorgeous as the sun in midsummer."
- William Shakespeare
May Quotes To Enjoy The Warming Spring Sun
As summer is approaching, the weather is also slowly warming. According to NOAA, the average temperature of the contiguous U.S. in May 2022 was 61.9°F, 1.7°F, which makes it the warmest third of the 128-year record.
Furthermore, with precipitation of 0.26 inches above average, it became the wettest third of the historical record. It is safe to believe that climate change induced these anomalies. Since this global issue is vast, we recommend you start reading our article on ways to reduce your carbon footprint.
On a lighter note, the last month of spring allows beautiful flowers to bloom. So, if you are a fan of tulips, lilies, daffodils, daisies, and lilacs, May is the perfect time to get out and enjoy these beauties while you read the following May quotes below.
And for more from the season, you might also like our spring, bloom, and flower quotes.
"Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, and summer's lease hath all too short a date."
- William Shakespeare
"May and June. Soft syllables, gentle names for the two best months in the garden year: cool, misty mornings gently burned away with a warming spring sun, followed by breezy afternoons and chilly nights. The discussion of philosophy is over; it's time for work to begin."
- H. Peter Loewer
"At last came the golden month of the wild folk honey-sweet May. When the birds come back, and the flowers come out, and the air is full of the sunrise scents and songs of the dawning year."
- Samuel Scoville
"Oh! Gladly do we welcome thee, fair pleasant month of May. The month which we've eager longed to see through many a wintry day."
- Rosanna Eleanor Leprohon
"I thought that spring must last forevermore; for I was young and loved, and it was May."
- Vera Brittain
"Sweet May hath come to love us, flowers, trees, their blossoms don. And through the blue heavens above us, the very clouds move on."
- Heinrich Heine
"May can be a month of sneezing, itchy eyes, and runny noses."
- Ellen Jackson
"Another May, new buds and flowers shall bring. Ah! Why has happiness no second spring?"
- Charlotte Smith
"When the sun is out, and the wind is still, you’re one month on in the middle of May."
- Robert Frost
"While from the purpling east departs. The star that led the dawn, blithe flora from her couch upstarts, for May is on the lawn."
- William Wordsworth
When April steps aside for May, Like diamonds all the rain drops glisten; Fresh violets open every day: To some new bird each hour we listen.
~ Lucy Larcom
May, queen of blossoms, and fulfilling flowers, what pretty music shall we charm the hours?
~ Lord Edward Thurlow
Positive May Quotes To Keep You Going
May is the last month of spring, which is already a transition season. Nevertheless, reassessing our daily routine in preparation for summer is an excellent way to end the season with new hope:
- Switch to a lighter moisturizer, and remember your zero-waste sunscreen.
- Bring back all your existing lightweight and bright clothes. And if you want to incorporate new pieces, pick from sustainable clothing brands as much as possible. For your mental well-being, planning the best summer trip can boost your happiness, according to studies.
- Remind yourself to keep the positivity in the following season.
After reading the May quotes below, discover the benefits of having a positive attitude.
"May is the most beautiful month of the year, a month alive with warm color. The flowers and trees are in full bloom, and even the sun joins this rhapsody be emitting warmer rays."
- Lillian Berliner
"A great difference between May and Day is the M and D! Be a good Managing Director of your life each day in May."
- Ernest Agyemang Yeboah
"Step aside to a brand new day. In the month of May, I feel I can start again. Life is feeling new. This is hope. This is love. This is where we all won. If you call, I will hear. I will listen for you."
- Mychal Simka
"The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
"Let all thy joys be as the month of May, And all thy days be as a marriage day."
- Francis Quarles
"Queer things happen in the garden in May. Little faces forgotten to appear, and plants thought to be dead suddenly wave a green hand to confound you."
- William Earl Johns
"Among the changing months, May stands confest The sweetest, and in fairest colors dressed."
- James Thomson
"O, the month of May, the merry month of May. So frolic, so gay, and so green, so green, so green!"
- Thomas Dekker
May Quotes About Mother's Day And Other Events
The most notable event in May celebrated by millions worldwide is Mother's Day, every second Sunday. It is a special day to honor the women who have made a difference in our lives. Our mothers, grandmothers, and mother figures who have nurtured and guided us will receive appreciation.
Coincidentally, one of May's birth flowers is the lily of the valley, which is said to represent motherhood and fertility. So we should use May's blooming flowers by giving them a bouquet full of love.
In addition to Mother's Day, May has other celebrations, such as May Day, Armed Forces Day, Mental Health Awareness Month, Teacher Appreciation Week, and Memorial Day.
Check out the May quotes below talking about the events mentioned above.
Related: May - Awareness Months, Days & Observances.
"When you are looking at your mother, you are looking at the purest love you will ever know."
- Charley Benetto
"The influence of a mother in the lives of her children is beyond calculation."
- James E. Faust
"Motherhood is the exquisite inconvenience of being another person’s everything."
- Unknown
"May day is a great time to plan or put on a Spring Festival for parents. Students can sing their favorite songs, recite poems, and perform the Maypole dance."
- Elizabeth Cole Midgley
"Word to the Nation: Guard zealously your right to serve in the Armed Forces, for without them, there will be no other rights to guard."
- John F. Kennedy
"On Armed Forces Day, let us salute the strong and the brave men and women of our nation who are always there for us, guarding us and keeping us safe."
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"You are not your illness. You have an individual story to tell. You have a name, a history, a personality. Staying yourself is part of the battle."
- Julian Seifter
"Your illness is not your identity. Your chemistry is not your character."
- Pastor Rick Warren
"What mental health needs is more sunlight, more candor, and more unashamed conversation."
- Glenn Close
"May has decked the world, that we may bring the brave on land, or sea Earth's glory on Memorial Day, the lovely meadow gifts of May."
- Annette Wynne
Other Noteworthy May Quotes From Authors And Poets
If you like reading at night, May holds a spectacular sky show that you can gaze at after finishing a good book. Eta Aquarids meteor shower is active almost the whole month of May, peaking in the first week at 10 to 30 meteors per hour. These fast meteors travel at 44 miles per second and leave a glowing trail that lasts for several seconds to minutes.
To enjoy the Eta Aquarids Meteor Shower, find a dark area away from city lights and lie down on a blanket or lawn chair to enjoy the night sky. To get you in the mood, you might also like our night quotes and star quotes.
Enjoy the night skies after reading the rest of our May quotes below.
"In the marvelous month of May, when all the buds were bursting, then in my heart did love arise. In the marvelous month of May, when all the birds were singing, then did I reveal to her my yearning and longing."
- Heinrich Heine
"What potent blood hath modest May."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
"Ah, in those earliest days of love, how naturally the kisses spring into life! So closely, in their profusion, do they crowd together that lovers would find it as hard to count the kisses exchanged in an hour as to count the flowers in a meadow in May."
- Marcel Proust
"I sing of brooks, of blossoms, birds, and bowers. Of April, May, or June, and July flowers."
- Robert Herrick
"When April steps aside for May, Like diamonds all the raindrops glisten; Fresh violets open every day: To some new bird each hour we listen."
- Lucy Larcom
"I’m only wishing to go a-fishing. For this, the month of May was made."
- Henry van Dyke
"Hebe's here, May is here! The air is fresh and sunny, and the miser-bees are busy hoarding golden honey."
- Thomas Bailey Aldrich
"Prose and drama are well enough for winter, but when nature swells the darling buds of May, my spirit craves three things: poetry, painting, and love."
- Joan Smith
More Month Quotes
Isabela is a determined millennial passionate about continuously seeking out ways to make an impact. With a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering with honors, Isabela’s research expertise and interest in artistic works, coupled with a creative mindset, offers readers a fresh take on different environmental, social, and personal development topics.