Choosing what is going to be on a loved one's headstone can be difficult, as you struggle to sum up a life into a few words. However, if your friend or family member was a lover of literature, choosing a literary quote or passage can be a great option for their headstone, as described below.
Think About Their Favourites
It is natural to want a loved one's memorial to reflect their life, and so choosing a short passage or quotation from one of their favourite works of literature is a truly beautiful, personal option. Practically, as Funeral Guide suggests, you should choose a short inscription for the front of the headstone, though you may be able to have a longer passage on the back. However, it does depend on the size of the stone. Make a list of the literature your loved one liked best, and then search online for famous passages from that work. If you don't know what their favourite book was, you can choose something you remember them talking about, or something from a certain point in their life, such as a book they reread over and over again to their children, or the poem that was read at their wedding.
Work With A Chosen Theme
If you're struggling to think of a literary quote to use for your loved one's headstone, think about the feeling you want it to convey, and choose a theme. For example, you could choose a theme of family, hard work, faith, hope, kindness, music or love – it all depends on what was important to your loved one, and how they spent their life. This will make it easier to search for passages that deal with this theme. For example, Goodreads has a page of popular quotes on faith and will let you look at passages by particular authors and on other themes and topics. There is no incorrect answer, so spend some time browsing.
Express Your Feelings
You may not want to choose a piece of literature that reflects the life of your loved one but one that expresses how you feel about them. There is a lot of poetry about loss, grief and love, and it is likely that your funeral director will have some popular suggestions. You might also choose a line or two from something that was read at their funeral. If you are not sure, you can search online for poetry and passages that would be appropriate for a headstone or funeral, as there is sure to be something that captures your feelings, providing some comfort as you read it.
If you spend some time thinking about their tastes, your feelings and the mood you want to convey, you can choose a quote that works perfectly. If you would like to know how much inscriptions cost on the granite memorial or marble stone you have chosen, ask your funeral director.