--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What is it that makes a family? Certainly…" description: "\"“What is it that makes a family? Certainly no document does, no legal pronouncement or accident of birth. No, real families come from choices we make a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ade/elizabeth-berg-853_families_what-is-it-that-makes-a-family-certainly_3016260.jpg" --- # What is it that makes a family? Certainly no document… ![“What is it that makes a family? Certainly no document does, no legal pronouncement or accident of birth. No, real families come from choices we make about who we want to be bound to, and the ties to such families live in our hearts.” quote by Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ade/elizabeth-berg-853_families_what-is-it-that-makes-a-family-certainly_3016260.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ade/elizabeth-berg-853_families_what-is-it-that-makes-a-family-certainly_3016260.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ade/elizabeth-berg-853_families_what-is-it-that-makes-a-family-certainly_3016260.jpg) > ““What is it that makes a family? Certainly no document does, no legal pronouncement or accident of birth. No, real families come from choices we make about who we want to be bound to, and the ties to such families live in our hearts.”” [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Family is defined by chosen bonds and emotional commitment, not legal documents or birth circumstances. **In simple terms:** Families are chosen, not given. Key Takeaway Cultivate chosen relationships. Themes family choice emotional bonds Mood thoughtful warm Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - friendship circles - adoptive families - community groups - support networks Key Concepts chosen family relationships commitment Questions to Reflect On - What choices define your family? - How do you honor chosen bonds? A Different Perspective Legal ties can still influence family dynamics. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Families](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/families/) [Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) ## Related quotes > [My idea of family is not dominated by blood ties. Families are fragile things, and I think it is social pressure and emotional attachments…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-hardy/my-idea-of-family-is-not-dominated-by-blood-ties-families-are-fragile/) [Jeremy Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-hardy/) > [All of us from The Waltons still love each other. I think were closer than some real families.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-learned/all-of-us-from-the-waltons-still-love-each-other-i-think-were-closer/) [Michael Learned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-learned/) > [“Calling a nuclear group with a mom and a pop and their kids a family is like calling a field of bluestem a prairie.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/faith-a-colburn/calling-a-nuclear-group-with-a-mom-and-a-pop-and-their-kids-a-family/) Faith A. Colburn > [Only Spartan women give birth to real men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/queen-of-sparta-gorgo/only-spartan-women-give-birth-to-real-men/) Queen of Sparta Gorgo > [“God became a real man, had a real birth, and had a real, physical body. This is an essential point of the Christian faith”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-hon/god-became-a-real-man-had-a-real-birth-and-had-a-real-physical-body/) [Henry Hon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-hon/) > [“Then one detail caught my attention. "Time (of birth), 5:57 A.M." Wow! I really was born! I wasn't an alien who was dropped down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrie-eldridge/then-one-detail-caught-my-attention-time-of-birth-5-57-a-m-wow-i/) [Sherrie Eldridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrie-eldridge/) > [“But the people who mattered were the people you chose instead of the people who were yours by an accident of birth. Real family…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martina-boone/but-the-people-who-mattered-were-the-people-you-chose-instead-of-the/) [Martina Boone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martina-boone/) > [First birth is from your parents, but real birth, real life, begins when one accepts a bona fide spiritual master and renders service unto…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-c-bhaktivedanta-swami-prabhupada/first-birth-is-from-your-parents-but-real-birth-real-life-begins-when/) [A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-c-bhaktivedanta-swami-prabhupada/) > [Second marriages can and do create 'real' families.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-coontz/second-marriages-can-and-do-create-real-families/) [Stephanie Coontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-coontz/) > [All of us from 'The Waltons' still love each other. I think we're closer than some real families.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-learned/all-of-us-from-the-waltons-still-love-each-other-i-think-we-re-closer/) [Michael Learned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-learned/) > [As with real families, my fictional family on 'Life Goes On' had its ups and downs, and as part of the fictional downers, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kellie-martin/as-with-real-families-my-fictional-family-on-life-goes-on-had-its-ups/) [Kellie Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kellie-martin/) > [I've avoided doing network shows because I don't think they're true to real families.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-garlin/i-ve-avoided-doing-network-shows-because-i-don-t-think-they-re-true/) [Jeff Garlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-garlin/) > [Very much in my books people find not surrogate families because they are real families. We've got families that we're related to by blood…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackie-french/very-much-in-my-books-people-find-not-surrogate-families-because-they/) [Jackie French](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackie-french/) > [Nothing's as easy as it is on a sitcom. Issues that we take care of in 20 minutes on the show can stretch out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-allen/nothing-s-as-easy-as-it-is-on-a-sitcom-issues-that-we-take-care-of-in/) [Tim Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-allen/) > [I am who I am because of the people who influenced me growing up, and many of them were gay. No one has any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-barrymore/i-am-who-i-am-because-of-the-people-who-influenced-me-growing-up-and/) [Drew Barrymore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-barrymore/) ## More by Elizabeth Berg > [Never be afraid of doing the thing you know in your heart is right, even if others don't agree.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/never-be-afraid-of-doing-the-thing-you-know-in-your-heart-is-right/) [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) > [“I think the reason we're cruel sometimes is that we're afraid we're going to like something.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/i-think-the-reason-we-re-cruel-sometimes-is-that-we-re-afraid-we-re/) [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) > [If there were a category in the Olympics for laundry, my mother would have been a gold-medal winner.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/if-there-were-a-category-in-the-olympics-for-laundry-my-mother-would/) [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) > [“If you say something over and over again, it begins to lose it's meaning... Say anything enough times and it becomes gibberish.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/if-you-say-something-over-and-over-again-it-begins-to-lose-it-s/) [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) > [“You know, sometimes marriage is iron. Sometimes it’s tissue paper. And I think the times it’s tissue paper are when you need to keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/you-know-sometimes-marriage-is-iron-sometimes-it-s-tissue-paper-and-i/) [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) > [“It's not that he doesn't smile; it's that if his smile were something you drew, you'd erase it, thinking, Wrong.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/it-s-not-that-he-doesn-t-smile-it-s-that-if-his-smile-were-something/) [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) > [People say you should give until it hurts. I say you should give until it stops hurting. Know what I mean?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/people-say-you-should-give-until-it-hurts-i-say-you-should-give-until/) [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) > [“I should have said “powder room.” That would evoke the image of me sitting before a beautiful gold mirror, a vase of fresh flowers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/i-should-have-said-powder-room-that-would-evoke-the-image-of-me/) [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) > [Sometimes the best reading comes just by accident. Someone talks about a book, or you're just wandering the stacks in the library, and you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/sometimes-the-best-reading-comes-just-by-accident-someone-talks-about/) [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) > [“I don’t think Martha’s so bad. I think I want her for a friend instead of you. When I look at her magazine, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/i-don-t-think-martha-s-so-bad-i-think-i-want-her-for-a-friend-instead/) [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) > [\*We give so little when it's in us always to give so much more. It's bothering to listen with an open heart to someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/we-give-so-little-when-it-s-in-us-always-to-give-so-much-more-it-s/) [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) > [We're not just writers; we're readers probably more than anything else. That's how you learn how to write and how you learn to appreciate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/we-re-not-just-writers-we-re-readers-probably-more-than-anything-else/) [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) > [I thought of the priest who'd told me that many religions hold that it is easier to be closely connected to people we love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/i-thought-of-the-priest-who-d-told-me-that-many-religions-hold-that/) [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) > [“How is it that we dare to honk at others in traffic, when we know nothing about where they have just come from or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/how-is-it-that-we-dare-to-honk-at-others-in-traffic-when-we-know/) [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) > [The truth is, we usually only show our unhappiness to another woman. I suppose this is one of our problems. And yet it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/the-truth-is-we-usually-only-show-our-unhappiness-to-another-woman-i/) [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) [Explore all 350 Elizabeth Berg quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) ## More Families quotes > [It's not just that families can't buy a home or start a business without some savings tucked away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cooper/it-s-not-just-that-families-can-t-buy-a-home-or-start-a-business/) [Jim Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cooper/) > [“Don’t waste your time trying to explain yourself to people that are committed to misunderstanding you. Instead, commit your time to explaining who they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/don-t-waste-your-time-trying-to-explain-yourself-to-people-that-are/) [Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) > [Back in the really olden days, dinner was seldom a ceremonial event for U.S. families. Only the very wealthy had a separate dining room.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs/back-in-the-really-olden-days-dinner-was-seldom-a-ceremonial-event/) [Nancy Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs/) > [“Families can be together forever.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lds-church/families-can-be-together-forever/) [LDS Church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lds-church/) > [I have a tremendous amount of respect for military families. To have to worry about your loved ones and still try and live a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashanti/i-have-a-tremendous-amount-of-respect-for-military-families-to-have/) [Ashanti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashanti/) > [Families are the compass that guide us. They are the inspiration to reach great heights, and our comfort when we occasionally falter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-henry/families-are-the-compass-that-guide-us-they-are-the-inspiration-to/) [Brad Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-henry/) > [Oh wow, you know what's wrong with all these families on TV? All these kids say stuff no kid would say. Stuff grown-ups want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/macaulay-culkin/oh-wow-you-know-what-s-wrong-with-all-these-families-on-tv-all-these/) [Macaulay Culkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/macaulay-culkin/) > [My parents were, had a marriage of passion, and the passion was about their religious beliefs. They were both immigrant families that - well,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-jackson/my-parents-were-had-a-marriage-of-passion-and-the-passion-was-about/) [Phil Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-jackson/) > [Since FDR's New Deal, corporations and wealthy families have been non-stop finding new ways to get tax breaks, deregulation and entitlements from the government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-mckay/since-fdr-s-new-deal-corporations-and-wealthy-families-have-been-non/) [Adam McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-mckay/) > [I look forward to the day that a lot of the folks that you all talk about and cover on this network will begin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-look-forward-to-the-day-that-a-lot-of-the-folks-that-you-all-talk/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Nobody ever wants to see a guy get hurt, because this is how we feed our families.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enzo-amore/nobody-ever-wants-to-see-a-guy-get-hurt-because-this-is-how-we-feed/) [Enzo Amore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enzo-amore/) > [As we progress and become more like the Savior, we can strengthen every group with whom we associate, including families and friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-b-wirthlin/as-we-progress-and-become-more-like-the-savior-we-can-strengthen/) [Joseph B. Wirthlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-b-wirthlin/) > [“Most families have increased the speed of their lives and the number of their activities gradually--even unconsciously--over time. They realize that there are costs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-john-payne/most-families-have-increased-the-speed-of-their-lives-and-the-number/) [Kim John Payne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-john-payne/) > [Strong families use the word "we" a lot, but "I" is never forgotten. Family members know they have the freedom to go off on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-brothers/strong-families-use-the-word-we-a-lot-but-i-is-never-forgotten-family/) [Joyce Brothers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-brothers/) > [The last four years have not diluted the memory or weakened the resolve of our citizens. Four years later, our hearts still hurt for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-doolittle/the-last-four-years-have-not-diluted-the-memory-or-weakened-the/) [John Doolittle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-doolittle/) [Browse all 1,458 Families quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/families/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“What is it that makes a family? Certainly no document does, no legal pronouncement or accident of birth. 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