---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I don't think that any family has a…"
description: "\"I don't think that any family has a function. I just think that a family is. It just exists.\" — Justin Torres"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f8d/justin-torres-26975_family_i-don-t-think-that-any-family-has-a-func_533711.png"
---

#  I don't think that any family has a function. I just think…

![“I don't think that any family has a function. I just think that a family is. It just exists.” quote by Justin Torres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f8d/justin-torres-26975_family_i-don-t-think-that-any-family-has-a-func_533711.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f8d/justin-torres-26975_family_i-don-t-think-that-any-family-has-a-func_533711.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f8d/justin-torres-26975_family_i-don-t-think-that-any-family-has-a-func_533711.png)

> “I don't think that any family has a function. I just think that a family is. It just exists.”

[Justin Torres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-torres/)

## About This Quote

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

The speaker suggests family has no defined purpose, simply exists as a fundamental unit.

**In simple terms:** Family exists without a specific function.

Key Takeaway

Appreciate family’s inherent value.

Themes

family existence purpose identity

Mood

contemplative introspective

Type

philosophical reflective

When to use this quote

- family gatherings
- personal reflection
- counseling

Key Concepts

social structure philosophical inquiry

Questions to Reflect On

- What does “family” mean to you?
- How do families shape identity?

A Different Perspective

Overlooks practical roles families often fulfill.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) [Family Function](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family-function-3075529/) [Family Just](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family-just-379877/) [Function](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/function/) [Function Just](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/function-just-3316905/) [Think Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-family-267051/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/)

## Related quotes

> [Hate being pissed off in the middle of a family function. Can I be great right now? Let me be great.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/hate-being-pissed-off-in-the-middle-of-a-family-function-can-i-be/)

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

> [Being on stage, I know my function. I just do the thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daveed-diggs/being-on-stage-i-know-my-function-i-just-do-the-thing/)

[Daveed Diggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daveed-diggs/)

> [“A family will not function well as a team unless it is first composed of strong, self-sufficient individuals.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anu-partanen/a-family-will-not-function-well-as-a-team-unless-it-is-first-composed/)

[Anu Partanen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anu-partanen/)

> [“Ask yourself, “When do I need to see what, in what form, to get it off my mind?” You build a system for function,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-allen/ask-yourself-when-do-i-need-to-see-what-in-what-form-to-get-it-off-my/)

[David Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-allen/)

> [I think our whole family just never limited ourselves to what anybody expected of us based on our gender. I never grew up that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessi-combs/i-think-our-whole-family-just-never-limited-ourselves-to-what-anybody/)

[Jessi Combs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessi-combs/)

> [In the hierarchy of the family, I'm just above the dog. But I like it that way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jens-voigt/in-the-hierarchy-of-the-family-i-m-just-above-the-dog-but-i-like-it/)

[Jens Voigt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jens-voigt/)

> [Growing up in my family, it was just a little bit chaotic. It was a little bit damaged, and I saw that and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liv-morgan/growing-up-in-my-family-it-was-just-a-little-bit-chaotic-it-was-a/)

[Liv Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liv-morgan/)

> [The world of football has given me more than I deserved. But you always think of your family first.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennaro-gattuso/the-world-of-football-has-given-me-more-than-i-deserved-but-you/)

[Gennaro Gattuso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennaro-gattuso/)

> [Just think: your family are the people most likely to give you the flu.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-wagner/just-think-your-family-are-the-people-most-likely-to-give-you-the-flu/)

[Jane Wagner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-wagner/)

> [No matter how poor you think you are. If you have a family you have everything...!!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/no-matter-how-poor-you-think-you-are-if-you-have-a-family-you-have/)

[Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/)

> [I always think family get-togethers when everybody just sort of crashes out are pretty much the best. If it's more than a few days…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-cohan/i-always-think-family-get-togethers-when-everybody-just-sort-of/)

[Lauren Cohan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-cohan/)

> [I think that in a family some are workers some are not. I certainly saw my mother work very hard and be in charge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-robinson/i-think-that-in-a-family-some-are-workers-some-are-not-i-certainly/)

[Anne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-robinson/)

> [I think the legacy we leave is our family. I don't think it's money. I don't think it's - I'm not saying that charity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-buble/i-think-the-legacy-we-leave-is-our-family-i-don-t-think-it-s-money-i/)

[Michael Buble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-buble/)

> [Idea of the generations continuing is really important. And that's interesting to me. I write about families; I'm interested in families. Even though I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-gilmore/idea-of-the-generations-continuing-is-really-important-and-that-s/)

[Jennifer Gilmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-gilmore/)

> [People are a lot less likely to think that their family member is part of the government conspiracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kemi-badenoch/people-are-a-lot-less-likely-to-think-that-their-family-member-is/)

[Kemi Badenoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kemi-badenoch/)

## More by Justin Torres

> [Sometimes I would be very upset because my memories are very murky from my childhood, but there are certain emotional memories or emotional truths…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-torres/sometimes-i-would-be-very-upset-because-my-memories-are-very-murky/)

[Justin Torres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-torres/)

> [“Always more, always hungrily scratching for more. But there were times, quiet moments, when our mother was sleeping, when she hadn’t slept in two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-torres/always-more-always-hungrily-scratching-for-more-but-there-were-times/)

[Justin Torres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-torres/)

> [Shame doesn't exist in the animal kingdom. It's a human conception.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-torres/shame-doesn-t-exist-in-the-animal-kingdom-it-s-a-human-conception/)

[Justin Torres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-torres/)

> [“I’m an adult,” the boy says. “I got rights.” “Everybody’s got rights. A man tied to a bed got rights. A man down in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-torres/i-m-an-adult-the-boy-says-i-got-rights-everybody-s-got-rights-a-man/)

[Justin Torres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-torres/)

> [As you become an adult, shame gets introduced and reintroduced constantly to you. So where something that, to a child, just is what it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-torres/as-you-become-an-adult-shame-gets-introduced-and-reintroduced/)

[Justin Torres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-torres/)

> [Animals don't think in terms of victims and villains, or good and bad, or evil, or shame.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-torres/animals-don-t-think-in-terms-of-victims-and-villains-or-good-and-bad/)

[Justin Torres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-torres/)

> [“All that pent up longing,” he says, “all that desire to flail and flap around. Them wings have needs.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-torres/all-that-pent-up-longing-he-says-all-that-desire-to-flail-and-flap/)

[Justin Torres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-torres/)

> [We hit and we kept on hitting; we were allowed to be what we were, frightened and vengeful — little animals, clawing at what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-torres/we-hit-and-we-kept-on-hitting-we-were-allowed-to-be-what-we-were/)

[Justin Torres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-torres/)

> [“Each was radiant, gorgeous. How they posed for me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-torres/each-was-radiant-gorgeous-how-they-posed-for-me/)

[Justin Torres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-torres/)

> [This is your heritage,' he said, as if from this dance we could know about his own childhood, about the flavor and grit of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-torres/this-is-your-heritage-he-said-as-if-from-this-dance-we-could-know/)

[Justin Torres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-torres/)

> [“WE ALL THREE sat at the kitchen table in our raincoats, and Joel smashed tomatoes with a small rubber mallet. We had seen it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-torres/we-all-three-sat-at-the-kitchen-table-in-our-raincoats-and-joel/)

[Justin Torres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-torres/)

> [“They weren't scared, or dispossessed, or fragile. They were possible.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-torres/they-weren-t-scared-or-dispossessed-or-fragile-they-were-possible/)

[Justin Torres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-torres/)

> [What we gotta do is, we gotta figure out a way to reverse gravity, so that we all fall upward, through the clouds and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-torres/what-we-gotta-do-is-we-gotta-figure-out-a-way-to-reverse-gravity-so/)

[Justin Torres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-torres/)

> [I totally bristle against words like "dysfunction" or "abuse."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-torres/i-totally-bristle-against-words-like-dysfunction-or-abuse/)

[Justin Torres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-torres/)

> [“Hours passed. A man came by twice and poked his head into my theater and looked at me questioningly. The third time, he came…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-torres/hours-passed-a-man-came-by-twice-and-poked-his-head-into-my-theater/)

[Justin Torres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-torres/)

[Explore all 21 Justin Torres quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-torres/)

## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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": "I don't think that any family has a function. I just think that a family is. It just exists.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Justin Torres"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-torres/i-don-t-think-that-any-family-has-a-function-i-just-think-that-a/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Family"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-torres/i-don-t-think-that-any-family-has-a-function-i-just-think-that-a/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f8d/justin-torres-26975_family_i-don-t-think-that-any-family-has-a-func_533711.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f8d/justin-torres-26975_family_i-don-t-think-that-any-family-has-a-func_533711.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f8d/justin-torres-26975_family_i-don-t-think-that-any-family-has-a-func_533711.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I don't think that any family has a function. I just think that a family is. It just exists.” — Justin Torres",
                "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": "Justin Torres",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-torres/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I don't think that any family...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-torres/i-don-t-think-that-any-family-has-a-function-i-just-think-that-a/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-torres/i-don-t-think-that-any-family-has-a-function-i-just-think-that-a/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
