50 Quotes About Family | Examples & Inspiration

Our families shape us in countless ways and are among our most important relationships. Families can also be complex, and their impacts on our lives can be hard to put into words that do them justice.

Thankfully, many writers, philosophers, and poets have taken on this task so you don’t have to. This curated list of quotes about family describes the importance and meaning of familial bonds in ways that have withstood the test of time.

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What are family quotes?

Family quotes are lines from poetry, literature, song lyrics, and film that speak to the defining features of familial relationships. This list of 50 family quotes describes the special importance of family, along with its more complicated aspects.

You’ll find quotes that touch your heart, make you laugh, and offer advice on how to be a good family member.

Quotes about family

The following quotes about family are sourced from literary greats, philosophers, actors, psychologists, and poets who share their unique perspectives on the blessed but complex nature of families.

1. “You must remember, family is often born of blood, but it doesn’t depend on blood. Nor is it exclusive of friendship. Family members can be your best friends, you know. And best friends, whether or not they are related to you, can be your family.” —Trenton Lee Stewart, author
2. “One day you will do things for me that you hate. That is what it means to be family.”
   ―Jonathan Safran Foer, novelist
3. “If you cannot get rid of the family skeleton, you may as well make it dance.”
   ―George Bernard Shaw, playwright and critic
4. “The love of family and the admiration of friends is much more important than wealth and privilege.” —Charles Kuralt, journalist and author
5. “My dear young cousin, if there’s one thing I’ve learned over the eons, it’s that you can’t give up on your family, no matter how tempting they make it.” ―Rick Riordan, author
6. “That’s what people do who love you. They put their arms around you and love you when you’re not so lovable.” ―Deb Caletti, writer
7. “One of the things that binds us as a family is a shared sense of humor.” —Ralph Fiennes, actor and director
8. “Family faces are magic mirrors. Looking at people who belong to us, we see the past, present, and future.” —Gail Lumet Buckley, journalist and author
9. “Happiness is having a large, loving, caring, close-knit family in another city.” ―George Burns, comedian and actor
10. “The foundation of family – that’s where it all begins for me.” —Faith Hill, singer
11. “There’s nothing I value more than the closeness of friends and family, a smile as I pass someone on the street.” —Willie Stargell, baseball player
12. “The family is the test of freedom; because the family is the only thing that the free man makes for himself and by himself.” —Gilbert K. Chesterton, writer
13. “After a good dinner one can forgive anybody, even one’s own relations.” ―Oscar Wilde, author and poet
14. “In the world I aspire to, friends can become family. Lovers can become friends. And even family—the one you came from … can come to understand that you’re no less a person, no less lovable, because of who you love. And if that never happens … know there is a family of choice waiting for you.” —Esther Perel, psychotherapist
15. “Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family: Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one.” —Elizabeth Jane Howard, novelist
16. “The capacity for friendship is God’s way of apologizing for our families.” ―Jay McInerney, novelist and screenwriter
17. “The extended family, the community, and religion may indeed have limited our freedom … but in return they offered us a much-needed sense of belonging.” —Esther Perel, psychotherapist
18. “The greatest thing in family life is to take a hint when a hint is intended and not to take a hint when a hint isn’t intended.” —Robert Frost, poet
19. “Families are messy. Immortal families are eternally messy. Sometimes the best we can do is to remind each other that we’re related for better or for worse … and try to keep the maiming and killing to a minimum.” ―Rick Riordan, author
20. “Family quarrels are bitter things. They don’t go according to any rules. They’re not like aches or wounds; they’re more like splits in the skin that won’t heal because there’s not enough material.” —F. Scott Fitzgerald, novelist
21. “Without a family, man, alone in the world, trembles with the cold.” —Andre Maurois, author
22. “The bond that links your true family is not one of blood but of respect and joy in each other’s life.” —Richard Bach, writer
23. “I believe the world is one big family, and we need to help each other.” —Jet Li, actor and martial artist
24. “I don’t care about whose DNA has recombined with whose. When everything goes to hell, the people who stand by you without flinching, they are your family. ” ―Jim Butcher, author
25. “Families are the compass that guide us. They are the inspiration to reach great heights and our comfort when we occasionally falter.” —Brad Henry, former Governor of Oklahoma
26. “Family is a unique gift that needs to be appreciated and treasured, even when they’re driving you crazy.” —Jenna Morasca, nurse
27. “A family is a unit composed not only of children but also of men, women, an occasional animal, and the common cold.” —Ogden Nash, poet
28. We are all ghosts. We all carry people inside us, people who came before us. —Liam Callanan, author and professor
29. “In family relationships, ‘love’ is really spelled ‘t-i-m-e,’ time. Taking time for each other is the key for harmony at home.” —Dieter F. Uchtdorf, church leader
30. “Family life is too intimate to be preserved by the spirit of justice. It can be sustained by a spirit of love which goes beyond justice.” —Reinhold Niebuhr, theologian
31. “Family love is messy, clinging, and of an annoying and repetitive pattern, like bad wallpaper.” ―Friedrich Nietzsche, philosopher
32. “The great gift of family life is to be intimately acquainted with people you might never even introduce yourself to, had life not done it for you.” —Kendall Hailey, writer
33. “What greater thing is there for human souls than to feel that they are joined for life—to be with each other in silent unspeakable memories.” —George Eliot, novelist and poet
34. “Together, we can establish consensus-based modes of transgenerational cohabitation, and large-scale methods for distributing and minimizing the burdens of life’s work.” ―Sophie Lewis, writer
35. “Having children is like living in a frat house: nobody sleeps, everything’s broken, and there’s a lot of throwing up.” ―Ray Romano, comedian and actor

Short quotes about family

Short quotes about family capture the complexity and depth of our familial bonds in just a few words. Save them as mementos for yourself, or share with your loved ones to let them know how you feel.

Frequently asked questions about quotes about family

What are examples of Bible quotes about family?

Examples of Bible quotes about family include:

• “Better is a dinner of herbs where love is than a fattened ox and hatred with it.” —Proverbs 15:17
• “Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.” —Romans 12:10
• “Bear with each other and forgive one another.” —Colossians 3:13

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What are examples of family quotes that are short?

Examples of family quotes that are short include:

• “All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” —Leo Tolstoy, writer and novelist
• “The family is one of nature’s masterpieces.” —George Santayana, philosopher and essayist
• “Families are like fudge—mostly sweet with a few nuts.” —Les Dawson, comedian and actor

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Is family a collective noun?

Yes, family is a collective noun. It is grammatically singular, but it refers to a group of people who are related. In American English, we use is instead of are with collective nouns (e.g., “Your family is friendly”).

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