The 61 Best Motherhood Quotes from Celebrities Who Totally Get It

Author image: rachel bowie christine han photography 100

By Rachel Bowie

•

Published Apr 1, 2023

Additional reporting by

Greta Heggeness

Motherhood: It’s a special club. (Come on, who else is going to understand the lack of sleep and the tantrums and the fact that conversations about poop are now a daily occurrence?) With Mother’s Day right around the corner, now’s the perfect time to celebrate your membership via these celeb quotes that perfectly define the highs and lows—and the quirks—of being a mom.

Keep reading for 61 motherhood quotes that are bound to bring a smile to every mom’s face, whether you write them in a card, share them on Instagram or use them for a DIY project.

motherhood quotes 1

1. “My mother has always been my emotional barometer and my guidance. I was lucky enough to get to have one woman who truly helped me through everything.” — Emma Stone

motherhood quotes 2

2. “There’s no way to be a perfect mother and a million ways to be a good one.” — Jill Churchill

motherhood quotes 3

3. “Motherhood has a very humanizing effect. Everything gets reduced to essentials.” — Meryl Streep

motherhood quotes angelina jolie

PureWow

4. “Sometimes, when I want to take on the world, I try to remember that it’s just as important to sit down and ask my son how he’s feeling or talk to him about life.” — Angelina Jolie

motherhood quotes halle berry

Victoria Bellafiore

5. “You don't ever balance it completely. [Motherhood] is a constant struggle of a little more time there, a little more time here, and feeling a little bit guilty all the time.” — Halle Berry

motherhood quotes blake lively

PureWow

6. “Having a baby is just living in the constant unexpected. You never know when you’re gonna get crapped on or when you’re gonna get a big smile or when that smile immediately turns into hysterics.” — Blake Lively

motherhood quotes chrissy teigen1

Victoria Bellafiore

7. “Only I can understand my kid. She’s like ‘bdidkdkodkdhjxudhejslosjdhdusjmsozuzusjsixoj’ and I’m like, ‘Ok, I will get you a piece of sausage in just a minute.’” — Chrissy Teigen

motherhood quotes thandie newton

PureWow

8. “I’ve learned the value of absorbing the moment.” — Thandie Newton

motherdhood quotes kristen bell

Victoria Bellafiore

9. “Every day when you’re raising kids, you feel like you could cry or crack up and just scream ‘This is ridiculous!’ because there's so much nonsense, whether it’s what they’re saying to you or the fact that there's avocado or poop on every surface.” — Kristen Bell

motherhood quotes kelly clarkson

PureWow

10. “Becoming a mother has made me next-level confident. I’ve never felt more empowered.” — Kelly Clarkson

motherhood quotes kerry washington

Victoria Bellafiore

11. “I can be covered in spit-up on a conference call while I’m pumping and that's ok because this is my perfect. It may not be somebody else’s, but this is mine.” — Kerry Washington

motherhood quotes zooey deschanel

PureWow

12. “Nothing can really prepare you for it because you never again have a day where you don’t think of your kids first.” — Zooey Deschanel

motherhood quotes reese witherspoon

Digital Art by Victoria Bellafiore/Getty Images

13. “We have rules around the house. I always say, if you’re not yelling at your kids, you’re not spending enough time with them.” — Reese Witherspoon

motherhood quotes connie britton

PureWow

14. “I think twice about traveling now, because it needs to be for a damn good reason if I’m going to leave my kid.” — Connie Britton

motherhood quotes viola davis

Victoria Bellafiore

15. “You have those moments: exhaustion, the stress of having an exuberant child, and you don’t want to be judged by your worst mistakes. It’s a part of life, and it’s a part of what makes us who we are.” — Viola Davis

motherhood quotes marcia cross

PureWow

16. “I use humor instead of getting into that whole yes and no thing all the time. It’s about just getting them to laugh rather than getting in power struggles.” — Marcia Cross

motherhood quotes jennifer garner

Victoria Bellafiore

17. “Stars are just like us. We all got lice. It’s making me itchy just to talk about it.” — Jennifer Garner

motherhood quotes viola davis

PureWow

18. “I tell my daughter every morning, ‘Now, what are the two most important parts of you?’ And she says, ‘My head and my heart.’ Because that's what I’ve learned in the foxhole: What gets you through life is strength of character and strength of spirit and love.” - Viola Davis

motherhood quotes tina fey

Victoria Bellafiore

19. “I think every working mom probably feels the same thing: You go through big chunks of time where you're just thinking, ‘This is impossible—oh, this is impossible.’ And then you just keep going and keep going and you sort of do the impossible.” - Tina Fey

motherhood quotes serena williams

PureWow

20. “It’s not about what we can do, it’s what we must do as working moms and working dads. Anything is possible...if it means warming up and stretching while holding my baby that’s what #thismama will do.” — Serena Williams

motherhood quotes amy poehler

Victoria Bellafiore

21. “Sleep at this point is just a concept. Something I’m looking forward to investigating in the future.” — Amy Poehler

motherhood quotes shay mitchell

PureWow

22. “As a new mom myself, it really was important to hear positive compliments from people just being like, ‘Hey, you’re doing a great job.’” — Shay Mitchell

motherhood quotes alyson hannigan

Victoria Bellafiore

23. “Why don’t kids understand that their nap is not for them, it’s for us?” — Alyson Hannigan

motherhood quotes jennifer lopez

PureWow

24. “When I had my children and I felt that type of love, which I know you understand and every mom out there understands, it made me understand that there was a purity to love. That there is an unconditional love.” — Jennifer Lopez

motherhood quotes katie couric

Digital Art by Victoria Bellafiore/Getty Images

25. “Get rid of the guilt. When you’re at one place, don’t feel bad that you’re not at work. When you’re at work, don’t feel bad that you’re not at home.” — Katie Couric

motherhood quotes carrie underwood

Victoria Bellafiore

26. “It just occurred to me that the majority of my diet is made up of the foods my kid did not finish.” — Carrie Underwood

motherhood quotes chrissy teigen 2

Victoria Bellafiore

27. “When my daughter is awake, I want her to sleep. When she’s asleep, I want her awake. This is my parenting life.” — Chrissy Teigen

motherhood quotes katie holmes1

Victoria Bellafiore

28. “I’ve never met a 2-year-old who is terrible. I’m so cool with every stage my daughter goes through. I just think she’s amazing. I hope she’s not looking at me thinking, ‘Mom, are the terrible 30s coming on with you?’” — Katie Holmes

motherhood quotes emma thompson

Victoria Bellafiore

29. “The one thing you’ve got to be prepared to do as a parent is not to be liked from time to time.” — Emma Thompson

motherhood quotes mila kunis1

Victoria Bellafiore

30. “Children are f--king crazy. They’re also suicidal. Like, at the park, certain jungle gyms have an opening for older kids to jump out of. My daughter can’t jump. She just walks off it as if she’s on a pirate ship.” — Mila Kunis

motherhood quotes reese witherspoon1

Victoria Bellafiore

31. “I don’t think there’s been an hour of my life since Ava was born that I don’t think of my kids. I call it my CNN ticker tape: Is Ava OK? Yes. Is Deacon OK? Yes. Is Tennessee OK? Yes. Back to Ava.” — Reese Witherspoon

motherhood quotes nia vardalos

Victoria Bellafiore

32. “Becoming a mom to me means you have accepted that for the next 16 years of your life, you will have a sticky purse.” — Nia Vardalos

motherhood quotes kate middleton

Digital Art by Victoria Bellafiore/Getty Images

33. “Nothing can really prepare you for the sheer overwhelming experience of what it means to become a mother. It is full of complex emotions of joy, exhaustion, love and worry, all mixed together. Your fundamental identity changes overnight.” — Kate Middleton

motherhood quotes reese witherspoon 3

Victoria Bellafiore

34. “People know not to call me before 8:15. Because 8:15 is when everybody has to either be on the bus or at school and then my whole life starts at 8:15.” — Reese Witherspoon

motherhood quotes kate hudson

Victoria Bellafiore

35. “Parenting shifts as your kids shift. The best thing for me has been throwing any kind of parenting manual out of the window.” — Kate Hudson

motherhood quotes diane keaton

Victoria Bellafiore

36. “Motherhood is the most completely humbling experience I’ve ever had. It puts you in your place because it really forces you to address the issues that you claim to believe in—and if you can’t stand up to those principles when you're raising a child, forget it.” — Diane Keaton

motherhood quotes gwyneth paltrow1

Victoria Bellafiore

37. “I never understand why mothers judge other mothers, like, ‘What do you mean you didn’t breastfeed? What do you mean you didn’t do this?’ It’s like, ‘Can’t we all just be on each other’s side?’” — Gwyneth Paltrow

motherhood quotes julianne moore

Victoria Bellafiore

38. “It’s not difficult to take care of a child; it’s difficult to do anything else while taking care of a child. Trying to clean up the kitchen after you’ve had a baby is a nightmare.” — Julianne Moore

motherhood quotes amy poehler1

Digital Art by Victoria Bellafiore/Getty Images

39. “The sleep deprivation after children is so real. I liken it to what it must feel like to walk on the moon and cry the whole time because you had heard that the moon was supposed to be great but in truth it totally sucks.” — Amy Poehler

motherhood quotes serena williams

Victoria Bellafiore

40. “I’ve conquered a lot of things...blood clots in my lungs—twice. Knee and foot surgeries. Winning Grand Slams being down match point. But I found out by far the hardest is figuring out a stroller.” — Serena Williams

motherhood quotes julia roberts

Victoria Bellafiore

41. “I try to call my mother with more regularity because I think, what if Hazel didn’t call me for two weeks? I’m able to see her mothering now from a different vantage point.” — Julia Roberts

motherhood quotes betty white

Victoria Bellafiore

42. “It’s not easy being a mom. If it were easy, fathers would do it.” — Betty White

motherhood quotes 43

43. “I don’t think empathy is something you can drill in someone’s head. You have to have faith that while your kids can seem to be selfish and concerned only about the word ‘mine’ sometimes, overall, they are watching you really carefully. And if you care about other people, they will too.” — Jennifer Garner

motherhood quotes 44

44. “In the beginning, I didn’t want to think of myself as a mother. I was like, ‘Wait a minute! Ain’t no hollaback girl is who I am!’ I had to learn to accept it.” — Gwen Stefani

motherhood quotes drew barrymore

Digital Art by Victoria Bellafiore/Getty Images

45. “My favorite thing about being a mom is just what a better person it makes you on a daily basis.” — Drew Barrymore

motherhood quotes sheryl crow

PureWow

46. “Little souls find their way to you whether they’re from your womb or someone else’s.” — Sheryl Crow

motherhood quotes lucy liu

Victoria Bellafiore

47. “You’re going to get advice from a lot of people, and you can take bits and pieces, but you know innately what your child needs. You should trust that.” — Lucy Liu

motherhood quotes 45

45. “My mother and I are so close, and I always prayed that I would have that type of relationship with my daughter.” — Beyoncé Knowles

motherhood quotes 46

46. “Sometimes we try to protect our children so much that when something doesn’t go right in their lives, they're unprepared to deal with adversity. I don’t think that does our kids any favors.” — Taraji P. Henson

motherhood quotes 47

47. “Before, my career came first. All I had to think about was myself. Now my children prevail. It doesn’t mean my career is less important; I just have to position things differently.” — Faith Hill

motherhood quotes: “I love our daughters more than anything in the world―more than life itself. And while that may not be the first thing that some folks want to hear from an Ivy-league-educated lawyer, it is truly who I am.” — Michelle Obama

48. “I love our daughters more than anything in the world―more than life itself. And while that may not be the first thing that some folks want to hear from an Ivy-league-educated lawyer, it is truly who I am.” — Michelle Obama

motherhood quotes: “They love you. They want to help you. So in the end, it’s the team you build. And in a way, they are raising you up too. You grow together.” — Angelina Jolie

49. “They love you. They want to help you. So in the end, it’s the team you build. And in a way, they are raising you up too. You grow together.” — Angelina Jolie

motherhood quotes: “You cannot imagine what it’s like to be a mom until you are a mom. I used to give my friends who have kids advice all the time, and they would look at me like I had three heads. And then, when I had you two, the minute I had you two, I literally apologized to all my friends.” — Jennifer Lopez

50. “You cannot imagine what it’s like to be a mom until you are a mom. I used to give my friends who have kids advice all the time, and they would look at me like I had three heads. And then, when I had you two, the minute I had you two, I literally apologized to all my friends.” — Jennifer Lopez

motherhood quotes: “I’m just obsessed with my kids.” — Blake Lively

51. “I’m just obsessed with my kids.” — Blake Lively

motherhood quotes: “When you’re a mother, there’s a love that you experience with your kids that’s deeper than anything you can imagine. The love is beyond earth.” — Beyoncé Knowles

52. “When you’re a mother, there’s a love that you experience with your kids that’s deeper than anything you can imagine. The love is beyond earth.” — Beyoncé Knowles

motherhood quotes: “I just love being a mom. It’s exhausting, it’s grueling, but it’s the best.” — Kim Kardashian

53. “I just love being a mom. It’s exhausting, it’s grueling, but it’s the best.” — Kim Kardashian

motherhood quotes: “I have to keep reminding myself that I created life, and there’s no cooler thing than being able to create life inside of you. So if the repercussions of that are extra stretch marks, saggy skin and more weight on my body, so be it.” — Ashley Graham

54. “I have to keep reminding myself that I created life, and there’s no cooler thing than being able to create life inside of you. So if the repercussions of that are extra stretch marks, saggy skin and more weight on my body, so be it.” — Ashley Graham

motherhood quotes: “After six months of being a full-time mom, I was ready to get back to me.” — Diana Kruger

55. “After six months of being a full-time mom, I was ready to get back to me.” — Diana Kruger

motherhood quotes: “As a parent, you’re the wall. They want to hold onto you and know you’re there, and then when they kick off, they want to know you’re there, too.” — Nicole Kidman

56. “As a parent, you’re the wall. They want to hold onto you and know you’re there, and then when they kick off, they want to know you’re there, too.” — Nicole Kidman

motherhood quotes: “If you’re confident with what you’re doing even if that’s some weird, bizarre parenting technique that you know works for your kid or you feel happy about, do it! Don’t let anyone tell you you shouldn’t be doing that.” — Kristen Bell

57. “If you’re confident with what you’re doing even if that’s some weird, bizarre parenting technique that you know works for your kid or you feel happy about, do it! Don’t let anyone tell you you shouldn’t be doing that.” — Kristen Bell

motherhood quotes: “Kids humble us.” — Serena Williams

58. “Kids humble us.” — Serena Williams

motherhood quotes: “I am completely changed since being a mom. I’m much more open, I’m much more accepting of myself, I’m much more thoughtful. I think about the world more, and what we’re leaving for these kids, and the direction we’re headed in.” — Pink

59. “I am completely changed since being a mom. I’m much more open, I’m much more accepting of myself, I’m much more thoughtful. I think about the world more, and what we’re leaving for these kids, and the direction we’re headed in.” — Pink

motherhood quotes: “You think you’re topped out. But your heart’s ability to expand blows my mind.” — Hoda Kotb

60. “You think you’re topped out. But your heart’s ability to expand blows my mind.” — Hoda Kotb

motherhood quotes: “Twelve years later the memories of those nights, of that sleep deprivation, still make me rock back and forth a little bit. You want to torture someone? Hand them an adorable baby they love who doesn’t sleep.” — Shonda Rhimes

61. “Twelve years later the memories of those nights, of that sleep deprivation, still make me rock back and forth a little bit. You want to torture someone? Hand them an adorable baby they love who doesn’t sleep.” — Shonda Rhimes

rachel bowie christine han photography 100

Senior Director, Special Projects and Royals

Writes and produces family, fashion, wellness, relationships, money and royals content
Podcast co-host and published author with a book about the British Royal Family
Studied sociology at Wheaton College and received a masters degree in journalism from Emerson College

greta

Greta Heggeness

Senior Editor, News and Entertainment

Writes and edits news and entertainment content
Specializes in breaking celebrity news, royal family coverage and TV show and movie recommendations
Has 9 years experience in entertainment coverage