Reading adoption quotes can be inspiring and encouraging, especially when you’re in the midst of your adoption wait. A lot of effort goes into adopting a baby, including paperwork, interviews, home visits, your adoption video, and your adoption website, to name a few of the tasks involved before adopting.
Waiting for your sweet child to join your family isn’t a passive experience. Having as much support and encouragement as possible during this time makes all the difference. Reading adoption quotes is an excellent method to lift your mood and feel connected to the adoption community.
Keep your heart and mind busy with encouraging words to lift your mood and help you feel connected to the adoption community. If you happen to face an obstacle in your adoption journey, re-visiting this list of adoption quotes can put you into a positive frame of mind.
Below we’ve listed some of our favorite quotes on adoption. You might save this list to your phone or your Internet favorites, so you can quickly access it when you need extra encouragement during your open adoption journey.
Adoption Quotes to Share or Save
Quotes About What Makes a Family
At the heart of every adoption story is a simple truth: love — not biology — is what binds a family together. These quotes capture that belief, spoken by adoptive parents, celebrities, and adoption advocates who know it firsthand. Keep one of these close on the harder days of your adoption journey as a reminder of what you’re building.
“Anyone who ever wondered how much they could love a child who did not spring from their own loins knows this: it is the same. The feeling of love is so profound, it’s incredible and surprising.”
– Actress Nia Vardalos
“LOVE is what really makes an adoptive family. There are no mistakes. You are wanted, loved, and chosen to be in our forever family.”
– Adoption expert, adoptive mother, and Founder of Lifetime Adoption, Mardie Caldwell
“However motherhood comes to you, it’s a miracle.”
– Valerie Harper
“However motherhood comes to you, it’s a miracle.”
“Every child deserves a home and love. Period.”
– Dave Thomas
“Oh no. He’s our son. He was meant to be ours…he was meant to be matched with us. So it’s perfect.”
– Connie Chung, in response to an interview question if adoption causes her to look at her son differently
“After all, children are children no matter their background.”
– Julie Andrews
“Biology is the least of what makes someone a mother.”
– Oprah Winfrey
“Time and experience have taught me a priceless lesson: Any child you take for your own becomes your own if you give of yourself to that child. I have born two children and had seven others by adoption, and they are all my children, equally beloved and precious.”
– Dale Evans
“It has been said that adoption is more like a marriage than a birth: two (or more) individuals, each with their own unique mix of needs, patterns and genetic history, coming together with love, hope, commitment for a joint future. You become a family not because you share the same genes, but because you share love for each other.”
– Joan McNamara
“They may not have my eyes, they may not have my smile, but they have all my heart.”
– Unknown
“Not of my flesh, nor of my bone, but still miraculously my own. Never forget for a single minute, you didn’t grow under my heart, but in it.”
– Fleur Conkling Heyliger
Quotes Honoring Birth Mothers
Choosing adoption is one of the most profound acts of love a mother can make. These quotes honor the courage, selflessness, and deep love of birth mothers, women who put their child’s future first, even when it meant tremendous personal sacrifice. Whether you are a birth mother, an adoptive parent, or an adoptee, these words speak to the enduring bond that began before an adoption plan was ever made.
“In adoption, a child is not given up. A birth mother gives life, a child a family, unconditional love. She gives a part of her heart that will never feel whole. She gives another mother a part of her heart that was missing…you give a lot, just never give up.”
– Terra Cooper
“She wanted and loved her baby; she decided an adoption plan was the best choice for the baby.”
– Adoption expert, adoptive mother, and Founder of Lifetime Adoption, Mardie Caldwel
“I have a lot of respect for my birth mother…I know she must have had a lot of love for me to want to give what she felt was a better chance.”
– Faith Hill
“Adoption isn’t a birth mother’s rejection but an unconditional love that inspires her to put herself last and do all she can for her baby.”
– Mary Hines, Birth Mother
“A birth mother puts the needs of her child above the wants of her heart.”
– Skye Hardwick
Quotes About the Adoption Journey
The path to adoption is rarely a straight line. It takes patience, resilience, paperwork, and an enormous amount of hope. These quotes from adoptees, advocates, and adoptive parents reflect on the journey itself: the waiting, the meaning, and the moment when everything falls into place. If you’re in the middle of your adoption wait, these words are for you.
“Was it the act of giving birth that made you a mother?…I had a woman who had chosen to give me up; on the other, I had a woman who’d sat up with me at night when I was sick as a child, who’d cried with me over boyfriends, who’d clapped fiercely at my law school graduation. Which acts made you more of a mother? Both, I realized. Being a parent wasn’t just about bearing a child. It was about bearing witness to its life.”
– Author Jodi Picoult, in the book Handle with Care
“Through adoption, Americans can forever change not only a child’s life but also their own.”
-Former President George W. Bush
“My adoption was treated as a celebration.”
Michael Reagan, former President Ronald Reagan’s adopted son
“He is mine in a way that he will never be hers, yet he is hers in a way that he will never be mine, and so together, we are motherhood.”
– Desha Wood
“I am a living testament you can be adopted and successful.”
– Daunte Culpepper
“Adoption is not about finding children for families, it’s about finding families for children.”
– Joyce Maguire Pavao
“We look at adoption as a very sacred exchange. It was not done lightly on either side. I would dedicate my life to this child.”
– Jamie Lee Curtis
“To adopt a child is a great work of love. When it is done, much is given, but much is also received. It is a true exchange of gifts.”
– Pope John Paul II
Quotes to Share with Your Child
One of the most meaningful conversations adoptive parents have is talking with their child about their adoption story. These gentle, heartfelt quotes can help open that conversation, whether you tuck one into a baby book, write it on a nursery wall, or read it aloud at bedtime. They remind every adopted child that they were chosen, wanted, and deeply loved from the very beginning.
“Always remember you were born in my heart.”
– Adoption expert, adoptive mother, and Founder of Lifetime Adoption, Mardie Caldwell
“Not of my flesh, nor of my bone, but still miraculously my own. Never forget for a single minute, you didn’t grow under my heart, but in it.”
– Fleur Conkling Heyliger
“You are wanted, loved, and chosen to be in our forever family.”
– Adoption expert, adoptive mother, and Founder of Lifetime Adoption, Mardie Caldwell
“They may not have my eyes, they may not have my smile, but they have all my heart.”
– Unknown
How to Use These Adoption Quotes
These quotes aren’t just for reading — they’re meant to be shared, displayed, and passed on. Here are some of our favorite ways adoptive families put them to use:
- Nursery wall art
Print a short quote in a frame for the nursery. “Always remember you were born in my heart” or “Not of my flesh, but in it” make beautiful, meaningful decor that grows with your child. - Baby book or memory book
Use a quote to introduce your child’s adoption story in their keepsake book. It sets a loving, celebratory tone for the pages that follow. - Social media
Pair a quote with a photo and share it during National Adoption Month (November) or on your child’s Gotcha Day to raise awareness and celebrate your family’s story. - Thank-you notes
Send a handwritten card to your birth mother or adoption team with a meaningful quote. It’s a small gesture that carries enormous weight. - Starting the conversation
If you’re not sure how to talk to your child about their adoption story, start with a quote. Reading it together opens the door gently and naturally.
Frequently Asked Questions About Adoption Quotes
What is a good quote about adoption?
One of the most beloved adoption quotes comes from Fleur Conkling Heyliger: “Not of my flesh, nor of my bone, but still miraculously my own. Never forget for a single minute, you didn’t grow under my heart, but in it.”
It beautifully captures the bond between an adoptive parent and child without diminishing the love of a birth mother. Other favorites include Mardie Caldwell’s “Always remember you were born in my heart” and Oprah Winfrey’s often-cited “Biology is the least of what makes someone a mother.”
What do adoptive parents say about adoption?
Adoptive parents often describe the experience as profound, joyful, and every bit as natural as biological parenthood. Actress Nia Vardalos put it this way: the feeling of love for an adopted child is exactly the same as for a biological child — profound, incredible, and surprising.
Many adoptive parents also echo the sentiment that their child was “chosen,” which they see as a point of pride and connection rather than difference. Mardie Caldwell, who is both an adoption expert and an adoptive mother herself, describes it simply: love is what makes a family.
What are the most famous quotes about birth mothers?
Several well-known figures have spoken movingly about birth mothers. Faith Hill, who was adopted, has said that her birth mother must have had a lot of love for her to want to give her a better chance.
Terra Cooper’s quote is widely shared in adoption communities: “In adoption, a child is not given up. A birth mother gives life, a child a family, unconditional love.” Birth mother advocate Skye Hardwick captured it in a single line: “A birth mother puts the needs of her child above the wants of her heart.”
When is National Adoption Month, and how can I celebrate it?
National Adoption Month is observed every November in the United States. It’s a wonderful time to share adoption quotes and stories on social media, connect with your adoption community, and raise awareness about open adoption.
Many adoptive families use this month to share their Gotcha Day story or post a meaningful quote paired with a family photo. Lifetime Adoption’s blog and social channels are great places to find shareable content throughout the month.
How do I talk to my adopted child about their adoption story?
Adoption experts recommend talking about adoption early and often, in age-appropriate ways, so it becomes a natural and celebrated part of your child’s identity rather than a secret or surprise. Starting with a quote — reading it aloud at bedtime or writing it in a baby book — is a gentle way to begin those conversations. Phrases like “you were born in my heart” or “you didn’t grow under my heart, but in it” give children a loving framework for understanding their story.
Lifetime Adoption
If you’re considering infant adoption and whether it’s right for you, we encourage you to contact us at Lifetime Adoption. Our experienced and caring team is happy to help you move forward with the adoption process when you’re ready.
Your first step with Lifetime is to fill out our online application. Doing so helps us learn more about you and your adoption search goals. Our application is free and does not obligate you to move forward with Lifetime Adoption. If you’d like to schedule a free consultation with an adoption professional to learn more about starting your family, call 727-493-0933.
Share Your Favorite Adoption Quote
Do you have a favorite adoption quote that didn’t make it on our list? Please share it with us by leaving a comment below!
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published on August 19, 2014, and has since been updated.
Heidi Keefer is a Content Creator for Lifetime Adoption and has over 15 years of experience in the field of adoption. An author of thousands of articles and social media posts over the years, Heidi enjoys finding new ways to educate and captivate Lifetime’s ever-growing list of subscribers.
Heidi has a keen eye for misplaced apostrophes, comma splices, and well-turned sentences, which she has put to good use as a contributor to Lifetime’s award-winning blogs. She has written and published hundreds of adoption articles which explore the various facets of domestic infant adoption today.
Just wanted to send an edit – it’s “you didn’t grow UNDER my heart, but in it.” It is incorrect in the quote at the top of and in the body of your post. Otherwise, love having access to these great quotes!
Thank you for letting us know, Kira! It’s been corrected in both spots. We’re glad that you enjoyed these adoption quotes!
“I didn’t make your body, I made your mind and heart”
Sheri Sand (educator / psychotherapist)
Adoptive Mother
Thank you for sharing your quote, Sheri!
A heart to love and a home to share is the foundation of a loving and caring family! Nothing else really matters!
Sujatha Balakrishnan
A proud adoptive grandmom
The moment I saw your face my heart was yours and I knew an exciting adventure was beginning. Love you to the moon and back, forever and always, sweet child of mine.
Love this! Thank you for sharing, Catherine.