31 Inspiring Quotes About Adoption [Get the Tissues!]

When it comes to adoption, there are countless experiences and stories across the United States and throughout the world. If you’re considering adoption as a hopeful adoptive parent or are a child waiting to be adopted, the process can feel overwhelming and, at times, a little scary.

Knowing the realities of the adoption process can help you better understand what you may not already know. Sometimes, reading the words and experiences of those who have adopted or been adopted can help give you the full circle and encouragement you need.

Ultimately, the greatest part of adoption is the heart of each and every story. Below are some inspiring and eye-opening quotes from people who have experienced adoption in their lives and how it has impacted them.

Quotes from Adoptive Parents

1. “You never can imagine how much love you can have in your heart until you experience it. We didn’t realize we could love someone so much until she came into our lives, and we’re really thankful to have the opportunity and that she’s with us now.” – Ryan and Jeannine

2. “I just wish I had known it wasn’t as daunting as I thought it would be. I’m glad everything happened the way it did, because we were matched with our son, and I feel like it was meant to be.” – Lindsay and Michael

3. “I just love to tell people about it because it’s such an amazing thing and a great opportunity to shed a positive light on adoption. Whatever opportunity I have, I talk about their stories just to be able to say, you know, adoption is a beautiful thing.” – Kristin and Kirk

4. “It is true what they say, everything was leading to him and him to us. We don’t look back on that one way or the other, other than it was just one more step along the way until we met Garrett.” – Scott and Tristen

5. “Knowing that this child needed a home and that was something we could provide – not only are you getting the family of your dreams, but you’re providing a home to a child that needed it.” – Meg and Tanner

Birth Parent Testimonials

6. “When you have the choice to give life and to make that life the best that it could be, I can’t imagine it any other way.” – Sara

7. “It’s not something I want to hide from her. There’s a way you tell a child about adoption and, as she gets older, I’ll tell her more and more – but it’s not something that I want to keep from her. It’s not a secret; it’s not anything I’m ashamed of.” – Lindsey

8. “You’re not giving your babies up. You’re just giving them a better life…it’s unselfish, you know? That’s their lives you’re thinking about – it’s not just your life. You’re giving them the opportunity to live the best life that they can, and the life you know that you can’t give them.” – Janelle

9. “I knew my life did not stop after adoption. It gave me a second chance to pursue my goals and dreams so that I can be a better version of myself and help people along the way. I wanted to show my daughter that I didn’t give up on myself and, more importantly, her.” – Julia

10. “Adoption has a stigma. You know, there’s that ignorance that you’re ‘giving up’ these children, when you do not ‘give up’ a human being. In reality, you’re choosing something for them…I know a lot of people try to hide it because they’re ashamed of it, and you shouldn’t be. You made a big and hard decision for what was best for your child, and you should be proud of that.” – Casey

Quotes from Adoptees

11. “Being adopted is a beautiful thing to me, because you have your own personal story to tell other people. It’s also a great conversation started when talking to someone you just met.” – Abigail Tolleson

12. “I feel no resentment towards my biological parents; in fact it’s quite the opposite. I’m grateful for what they did. One day, I’m going to meet them. And when I do, I’m going to thank them for what they did for me.” – John DeFrank

13. “Discovering that I was adopted redefined my entire world, but it taught me that who you are doesn’t change.” — DaShanne Stokes

14. “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 me what she felt was a better chance.” — Faith Hill

15. “I wanted to meet my birth mom mostly to see if she was okay and to thank her, because I’m glad I didn’t end up as an abortion. My adoptive parents made me feel special. There were my parents. 1000%.” — Steve Jobs

Quotes About Private Domestic Adoption

16. “We look at Rose and think in so many ways she was meant to be a part of our family. It is true what they say: You wait for the child you are supposed to have. Never for one minute have we ever thought that we didn’t have the right kid for our family.” – Eric and Elizabeth

17. “I really liked the full-service aspect of American Adoptions. When you start researching adoption, it’s so complicated. There are different laws for every state. You can deal with attorneys on your own or create your own advertising company. We just didn’t feel we were capable of doing all that.” – Sarah and Ken

18. “When looking at all of our adoption agency options out there, one thing that we didn’t really take into account when it came to cost structure or anything like that was the level of engagement from our agency. Our adoptive parent specialist Melanie – the level of engagement and passion and kindness and efficacy that she provided was worth every drop of the agency fee that we paid for her alone.” – Mike and Paul

19. “Adoption is a burden on families, but to have an agency that does communicate and does let you know that you’re being shown and prays for you along the way and is there supporting you along the way – that was huge for us.” – Marc and Krystal

20. “If I hadn’t found American Adoptions; I never would have met her new parents. They are perfect for her. Some agencies put the baby in a foster home until all of the paperwork is done. One of my biggest concerns was she would be in a foster home and not with her new mother. I was relieved to know that she was picked up from the hospital by her new parents. I made the right decision and I am proud of it.” — Jane

Foster Care Adoption Quotes

21. “What makes a family is neither the absence of tragedy nor the ability to hide from misfortune, but the courage to overcome it and, from that broken past, write a new beginning.” — Steve Pemberton

22. “We live in a world in which we need to share responsibility. It’s easy to say ‘It’s not my child, not my community, not my world, not my problem.’ Then there are those who see the need and respond. I consider those people my heroes.” — Fred Rogers

Quotes About International Adoption

23. “Adoption is a beautiful, restorative, and redemptive thing for children in need of a family. It is not without pain and risk. It will not solve or even come close to scratching the surface of the ‘orphan crisis’. Many children in orphanages have a living birth-parent. ‘Orphan’ is a misnomer. The more questions you ask of your orphanage about their philosophy and approach, the more assured you can be that you are adopting a child that was ethically taken into the orphanage and needs to be adopted. With international adoption it is good to be cognizant that at any point the country can change their rules or shut down. It is a risk you’ll have to weigh and consider.” – Tara Livesay

24. “I’m drawn to kids that are already born. I think some people are meant to do certain things, and I believe I’m meant to find my children in the world somewhere and not necessarily have them genetically.” — Angelina Jolie

25. “You often hear attacks on international adoption as robbing a child of his or her culture, and that’s both true and false. It’s true that an internationally adopted child loses the rich background of history and religion and culture and language that the child was born into, but the cruel fact is that most children don’t have access to the local beautiful culture within an orphanage.” — Melissa Fay Greene

26. “International adoption does not being to solve the problems of the world’s orphaned children. It’s truly not the answer. At the same time, it solves a problem for a few. I think it can be a brilliant solution to the problem of adults wanting a child in their lives or wanting more children in their lives and the problem of children who want parents in their lives.” — Melissa Fay Greene

Open Adoption Quotes

27. “An open adoption isn’t necessarily a back door for the birth parents to come back and take their baby; it’s just more people to love your kid, that’s kind of how I see it. Don’t be afraid of open; it can be awesome.” – Cathy and Ray

28. “It’s hard, but then I always come back to the whole adoption situation itself, how good I have it, how I shouldn’t be sad and how good she has it. I mean, I have my hard days. But I always talk myself out of being sad because I do have it good. I have a wonderful adoption.” – Randi

29. “From our experiences growing up with closed adoptions that involved lots of privacy, we are excited for an open adoption. We look forward to our future child’s birth family being an extension of our own family…we want this child to be excited and proud to have two families.” – Allison and Seth

30. “I gained a new perspective on adoption, and by choosing two dads for my child, in my heart I would know that I will always be his mother. I made the best decision for him and me (in that order). I knew I needed to heal from what happened to me and that he didn’t deserve to miss a beat. It was the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. However, staying in touch with the adoptive parents and seeing my son healthy and happy reminds me that adoption wasn’t the only choice, it was the best choice.” – Jah

31. “If I can, from our experience, give one piece of advice to prospective adoptive parents, it is DO NOT BE AFRAID! Do not let fear invade your relationship with the birth parents of your child. Remember always, love is never divided, only multiplied. I wish each and every one of you the joy that can come when you are called ‘Mom’ or ‘Dad.’” — Sherry

What’s your favorite adoption quote? Let us know in the comments below!