What is a family to you? A family can be described in many ways depending on the context. In economic definitions, a family is a social group that composes of a father, mother, and a child or children. Most cultures have extended families wherein the grandparents, aunts and uncles, even in-laws are included. Another definition by the dictionary is that a family is “composed of two people who share the same goals and values, have long-term commitments, and live under one roof.”

Some people even consider their pets and friends as family. When a pet or friend has a special relationship with someone, he is often considered family. He is treated as part of the family and is given a special place in the home.

To illustrate the diversity of views on the meaning of family, here are some famous quotes:

1. You don’t choose your family. They are God’s gift to you, as you are to them. – Desmond Tutu
2. Peace is the beauty of life. It is the smile of a child, the love of a mother, the joy of a father, the togetherness of a family. It is an advancement of man, the victory of a just cause, the triumph of truth. – Menachem Begin
3. Family is not an important thing. It’s everything. – Michael J. Fox
4. The most important thing in the world is family and love. John Wooden
5. Nothing is better than going home to family and eating good food and relaxing. – Irina Shayk
6. The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other’s life. – Richard Bach
7. The family is one of nature’s masterpieces. – George Santayana
8. I believe that the greatest gift you can give your family and the world is a healthy you. – Joyce Meyer
9. Happiness is having a large, loving, caring, close-knit family in another city. – George Burns
10. Neither man nor woman is perfect or complete without the other. Thus, no marriage or family, no ward or stake is likely to reach its full potential until husbands and wives, mothers and fathers, men and women work together in unity of purpose, respecting and relying upon each other’s strengths. – Sheri L. Dew
11. For there is no friend like a sister in calm or stormy weather; To cheer one on the tedious way, to fetch one if one goes astray, to lift one if one totters down, to strengthen whilst one stands. – Christina Rossetti
12. Family means no one gets left behind or forgotten. – David Ogden Stiers
13. My family is everything. I am what I am thanks to my mother, my father, my brother, my sister…because they have given me everything. The education I have is thanks to them. – Ronaldinho
14. Family is a unique gift that needs to be appreciated and treasured, even when they’re driving you crazy. As much as they make you mad, interrupt you, annoy you, curse at you, try to control you, these are the best people who know you the best and who love you. – Jenna Morasca
15. Sometimes we feel a certain emptiness that no material thing or successful career can ever fulfil. But when we become a mother or a father, the first time we set eyes on our child – that is the ultimate contentment.
16. A family can be your blood relative or someone who is extremely loyal to you. My best friend is like family to me.
17. Without family, the world will be empty – literally and figuratively.
18. A house is not a home if family does not live in it.
19. There is no sound more wonderful than peals of laughter during family holidays.
20. Marriage is the binding union that is essential to start a family.
21. No matter what wrong we do, our family will always be behind our backs – either to guide us or tell us what we’re doing wrong.
22. A family is your no-nonsense, straightforward voice when you’re totally messing up.
23. When we have family, we have everything. When our family is happy, we are the richest people in the world.
24. Family is where life begins at love starts.
25. I don’t get why people turn their backs away from their family to “start a new life.” You’re leaving your whole life behind when you do that.