---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Home wasn't so much a house as people…"
description: "\"Home wasn't so much a house as people, family.\" — John Edgar Wideman"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/641/john-edgar-wideman-7347_family_home-wasn-t-so-much-a-house-as-people-fa_1334287.jpg"
---

#  Home wasn't so much a house as people, family.

![“Home wasn't so much a house as people, family.” quote by John Edgar Wideman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/641/john-edgar-wideman-7347_family_home-wasn-t-so-much-a-house-as-people-fa_1334287.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/641/john-edgar-wideman-7347_family_home-wasn-t-so-much-a-house-as-people-fa_1334287.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/641/john-edgar-wideman-7347_family_home-wasn-t-so-much-a-house-as-people-fa_1334287.jpg)

> “Home wasn't so much a house as people, family.”

[John Edgar Wideman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edgar-wideman/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

People and family give a home its true meaning, more than walls or possessions.

**In simple terms:** Family makes a house a home.

Key Takeaway

Prioritize relationships over material things.

Themes

family home relationships

Mood

warm reflective

Type

personal philosophical

When to use this quote

- family gatherings
- moving house
- caregiving
- hosting guests
- celebrations

Key Concepts

social bonds identity belonging

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you nurture relationships in your living space?
- What makes a place feel like home?

A Different Perspective

Material wealth cannot replace emotional connections.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) [Home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/home/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/)

## Related quotes

> [So it just wasn't in my house. Anywhere, I looked like I knew about the toilet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/so-it-just-wasn-t-in-my-house-anywhere-i-looked-like-i-knew-about-the/)

[Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/)

> [Nothin' wrong with havin' a cat in the house. They can see what most people can't, like the folks in the Otherworld when they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kami-garcia/nothin-wrong-with-havin-a-cat-in-the-house-they-can-see-what-most/)

[Kami Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kami-garcia/)

> [“What he wanted was to be home, and home wasn’t here. He was stretched too thin to consider what was wise or what was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-stiefvater/what-he-wanted-was-to-be-home-and-home-wasn-t-here-he-was-stretched/)

[Maggie Stiefvater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-stiefvater/)

> [You really can't go home again. Sometimes, that's a good thing. Sometimes, when you try, you find out that home isn't really there anymore...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mira-grant/you-really-can-t-go-home-again-sometimes-that-s-a-good-thing/)

[Mira Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mira-grant/)

> [Home wasn't a pleasant place to live, growing up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-morse/home-wasn-t-a-pleasant-place-to-live-growing-up/)

[David Morse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-morse/)

> [Ever since I was a little girl, I watched many movies, and a lot of them are in California. So I already felt the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bianca-balti/ever-since-i-was-a-little-girl-i-watched-many-movies-and-a-lot-of/)

[Bianca Balti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bianca-balti/)

> [“Sometimes home wasn't where you grew up. Home was where you were meant to be.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-ashley/sometimes-home-wasn-t-where-you-grew-up-home-was-where-you-were-meant/)

[Kristen Ashley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-ashley/)

> [My dad was a regular dad. At home, he wasn't Bonzo the animal. He was a very intellectual, quiet chap - not the beast…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-bonham/my-dad-was-a-regular-dad-at-home-he-wasn-t-bonzo-the-animal-he-was-a/)

[Jason Bonham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-bonham/)

> [“I rocked in silence, and realized for the first time that 'home' wasn't this place anymore. It was wherever Victor was. It was both…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-lawson/i-rocked-in-silence-and-realized-for-the-first-time-that-home-wasn-t/)

[Jenny Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-lawson/)

> [“She realized that home wasn't a place. It was here, safe in his arms. As long as she had this, everything would be all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amber-argyle/she-realized-that-home-wasn-t-a-place-it-was-here-safe-in-his-arms-as/)

[Amber Argyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amber-argyle/)

> [Home wasn't a set house, or a single town on a map. It was wherever the people who loved you were, whenever you were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/home-wasn-t-a-set-house-or-a-single-town-on-a-map-it-was-wherever-the/)

[Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/)

> [“And in that moment, Grace understood something that she would never forget: Home wasn't just a building or an apartment with a roof and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/priscilla-cummings/and-in-that-moment-grace-understood-something-that-she-would-never/)

Priscilla Cummings

> [“Never before had I imagined leaving home, but that wasn't because of lack of desire, only lack of possibility.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melanie-benjamin/never-before-had-i-imagined-leaving-home-but-that-wasn-t-because-of/)

[Melanie Benjamin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melanie-benjamin/)

> [“...I decided I'd changed my mind about home. Home was not Pensacola San Diego Guam or any of the other places we might have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-willis-holt/i-decided-i-d-changed-my-mind-about-home-home-was-not-pensacola-san/)

[Kimberly Willis Holt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-willis-holt/)

> [“I'd come to see that home wasn't just about the place where you lived or the memories within the walls. It was the love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-e-butler/i-d-come-to-see-that-home-wasn-t-just-about-the-place-where-you-lived/)

[R.E. Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-e-butler/)

## More by John Edgar Wideman

> [My mother loved my father. From my view, she let him get away with too much. It broke my heart to see him in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edgar-wideman/my-mother-loved-my-father-from-my-view-she-let-him-get-away-with-too/)

[John Edgar Wideman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edgar-wideman/)

> [Too much is made for us; too much is given to us - even those of us who are underprivileged. The poverty is given…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edgar-wideman/too-much-is-made-for-us-too-much-is-given-to-us-even-those-of-us-who/)

[John Edgar Wideman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edgar-wideman/)

> [A great artist transforms our world, removes scales from our eyes, plugs from our ears, gloves from our fingertips, teaches us to perceive reality…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edgar-wideman/a-great-artist-transforms-our-world-removes-scales-from-our-eyes/)

[John Edgar Wideman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edgar-wideman/)

> [That's what writing is: it's imagining that you can make a world. That's what basketball is, too: it's imagining the game as a world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edgar-wideman/that-s-what-writing-is-it-s-imagining-that-you-can-make-a-world-that/)

[John Edgar Wideman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edgar-wideman/)

> [I'm very hard-nosed and cold-blooded and I can walk past a drowning man. If I have someplace else to go, well, tough s\*\*t. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edgar-wideman/i-m-very-hard-nosed-and-cold-blooded-and-i-can-walk-past-a-drowning/)

[John Edgar Wideman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edgar-wideman/)

> [I get off on anticipating and waiting much more than I get off on the actual event.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edgar-wideman/i-get-off-on-anticipating-and-waiting-much-more-than-i-get-off-on-the/)

[John Edgar Wideman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edgar-wideman/)

> [You have to be a minor superhero just to get to be a dignified man, and that's kind of exacerbated for men of color.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edgar-wideman/you-have-to-be-a-minor-superhero-just-to-get-to-be-a-dignified-man/)

[John Edgar Wideman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edgar-wideman/)

> [Stories are told over time, and so they naturally accrue meanings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edgar-wideman/stories-are-told-over-time-and-so-they-naturally-accrue-meanings/)

[John Edgar Wideman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edgar-wideman/)

> [That's been my routine for years and years... Up early before everybody else, before I get connected, before I get bugged, before I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edgar-wideman/that-s-been-my-routine-for-years-and-years-up-early-before-everybody/)

[John Edgar Wideman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edgar-wideman/)

> [My father was intelligent and closed-mouthed. He knew a lot more than what he was ever going to tell you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edgar-wideman/my-father-was-intelligent-and-closed-mouthed-he-knew-a-lot-more-than/)

[John Edgar Wideman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edgar-wideman/)

> [What I wanted to do in talking about basketball in 'Hoop Roots' was retrieve the game as something to participate in, not to watch.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edgar-wideman/what-i-wanted-to-do-in-talking-about-basketball-in-hoop-roots-was/)

[John Edgar Wideman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edgar-wideman/)

> [Books are an attempt to control something that's uncontrollable. That's one of the beauties of African American life. There was this thing called slavery…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edgar-wideman/books-are-an-attempt-to-control-something-that-s-uncontrollable-that/)

[John Edgar Wideman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edgar-wideman/)

> [That's one of the beauties, I think, of African American life. There was this thing called slavery and adjustments were made. It literally destroyed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edgar-wideman/that-s-one-of-the-beauties-i-think-of-african-american-life-there-was/)

[John Edgar Wideman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edgar-wideman/)

> [Things seem to fall apart inevitably.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edgar-wideman/things-seem-to-fall-apart-inevitably/)

[John Edgar Wideman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edgar-wideman/)

> [My aunt Geraldine was the unofficial historian and storyteller. She had all the information about family members and the gossip that came out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edgar-wideman/my-aunt-geraldine-was-the-unofficial-historian-and-storyteller-she/)

[John Edgar Wideman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edgar-wideman/)

[Explore all 92 John Edgar Wideman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edgar-wideman/)

## More Family quotes

> [I was 3-years-old - to this day it is a vivid memory. My family and I were on a boat, catching fish. As one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joaquin-phoenix/i-was-3-years-old-to-this-day-it-is-a-vivid-memory-my-family-and-i/)

[Joaquin Phoenix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joaquin-phoenix/)

> [One can put some trust in the gratitude of a sovereign, and also in that of his family; under certain conditions, one can even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-von-bismarck/one-can-put-some-trust-in-the-gratitude-of-a-sovereign-and-also-in/)

[Otto von Bismarck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-von-bismarck/)

> [Social responsibility above the level of family, or at most of tribe, requires imagination-- devotion, loyalty, all the higher virtues -- which a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/social-responsibility-above-the-level-of-family-or-at-most-of-tribe/)

[Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/)

> [“ever day Maureen is Selfish To her friend and Family One she get mad at her friend and family and She need to Grad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-andeson/ever-day-maureen-is-selfish-to-her-friend-and-family-one-she-get-mad/)

Maureen Andeson

> [Our concept of a family holiday was going to a guest house in the Lake district or Wales where walking was part of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-bannister/our-concept-of-a-family-holiday-was-going-to-a-guest-house-in-the/)

[Roger Bannister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-bannister/)

> [“So Jace is my actual family," Kit said. "But I can't go live with him, because him and his hot girlfriend are going off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/so-jace-is-my-actual-family-kit-said-but-i-can-t-go-live-with-him/)

[Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/)

> [I have friends and family that identify as LGBTQ.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-mace/i-have-friends-and-family-that-identify-as-lgbtq/)

[Nancy Mace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-mace/)

> [Her dignity consists in being unknown to the world; her glory is in the esteem of her husband; her pleasures in the happiness of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/her-dignity-consists-in-being-unknown-to-the-world-her-glory-is-in/)

[Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/)

> [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/)

> [“She knew how to play him so very well. He slipped his hand around hers. "Friends," he repeated roughly. Her smile was bright enough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-smith/she-knew-how-to-play-him-so-very-well-he-slipped-his-hand-around-hers/)

[Kathryn Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-smith/)

> [As a family, we all loved the Flyers. To me, rooting for the Flyers were how I bonded with my dad especially.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-f-goldberg/as-a-family-we-all-loved-the-flyers-to-me-rooting-for-the-flyers-were/)

[Adam F. Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-f-goldberg/)

> [The people have always been family to me here in Las Vegas. The people have always been very, very kind to me, and it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-cunningham/the-people-have-always-been-family-to-me-here-in-las-vegas-the-people/)

[Randall Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-cunningham/)

> [“Your relationship with your brother will be, in many ways, the most complex and bewildering of all the interpersonal connections you will form. An…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-currie-jr/your-relationship-with-your-brother-will-be-in-many-ways-the-most/)

[Ron Currie Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-currie-jr/)

> [I've long believed one of the mainsprings of our own liberty has been the widespread ownership of property among our people and the expectation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/i-ve-long-believed-one-of-the-mainsprings-of-our-own-liberty-has-been/)

[Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/)

> [Family over friends, because real friends are family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/family-over-friends-because-real-friends-are-family/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

[Browse all 36,913 Family quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Home wasn't so much a house as people, family.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "John Edgar Wideman"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edgar-wideman/home-wasn-t-so-much-a-house-as-people-family/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Family"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edgar-wideman/home-wasn-t-so-much-a-house-as-people-family/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/641/john-edgar-wideman-7347_family_home-wasn-t-so-much-a-house-as-people-fa_1334287.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/641/john-edgar-wideman-7347_family_home-wasn-t-so-much-a-house-as-people-fa_1334287.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/641/john-edgar-wideman-7347_family_home-wasn-t-so-much-a-house-as-people-fa_1334287.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Home wasn't so much a house as people, family.” — John Edgar Wideman",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "John Edgar Wideman",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edgar-wideman/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Home wasn't so much a house...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edgar-wideman/home-wasn-t-so-much-a-house-as-people-family/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edgar-wideman/home-wasn-t-so-much-a-house-as-people-family/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
