--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Having a family is like having a bowling…" description: "\"“Having a family is like having a bowling alley installed in your brain.”\" — Martin Mull" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac7/martin-mull-16804_family_having-a-family-is-like-having-a-bowling_3125721.jpg" --- # Having a family is like having a bowling alley installed… ![“Having a family is like having a bowling alley installed in your brain.” quote by Martin Mull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac7/martin-mull-16804_family_having-a-family-is-like-having-a-bowling_3125721.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac7/martin-mull-16804_family_having-a-family-is-like-having-a-bowling_3125721.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac7/martin-mull-16804_family_having-a-family-is-like-having-a-bowling_3125721.jpg) > ““Having a family is like having a bowling alley installed in your brain.”” [Martin Mull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-mull/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Family life occupies the mind constantly, shaping thoughts like a permanent fixture. **In simple terms:** Family fills your thoughts. Key Takeaway Embrace mental presence of family. Themes family mindset humor Mood lighthearted reflective Type humorous observational When to use this quote - parenting - family gatherings - mental health - creative writing Key Concepts cognitive load social identity psychology of humor Questions to Reflect On - How does family influence your daily decisions? - What mental habits help balance family focus? A Different Perspective May trivialize deeper family challenges. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) [Humor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humor/) ## Related quotes > [Having a family is like having a bowling alley installed in your head.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-mull/having-a-family-is-like-having-a-bowling-alley-installed-in-your-head/) [Martin Mull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-mull/) > [Having children is like having a bowling alley installed in your brain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-mull/having-children-is-like-having-a-bowling-alley-installed-in-your-brain/) [Martin Mull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-mull/) > [I like having my family around.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/xander-bogaerts/i-like-having-my-family-around/) [Xander Bogaerts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/xander-bogaerts/) > [I definitely understand what it's like not having family around when you want them there, but you don't live in the same city.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vanessa-morgan/i-definitely-understand-what-it-s-like-not-having-family-around-when/) [Vanessa Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vanessa-morgan/) > [Usually one must go to a bowling alley to meet a woman of your stature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gielgud/usually-one-must-go-to-a-bowling-alley-to-meet-a-woman-of-your-stature/) [John Gielgud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gielgud/) > [Nail salons and bowling alleys play the best radio stations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-jacobs/nail-salons-and-bowling-alleys-play-the-best-radio-stations/) [Gillian Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-jacobs/) > [“It's an old story," Julia says, leaning back in her chair. "Only for me, it's new. I went to school for industrial design. All…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/it-s-an-old-story-julia-says-leaning-back-in-her-chair-only-for-me-it/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [But my husband came from a small town and hardworking parents like I did, and I don't think we've lost that mind-set. We don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-underwood/but-my-husband-came-from-a-small-town-and-hardworking-parents-like-i/) [Carrie Underwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-underwood/) > [You ought to try surviving one of my family reunions. It's like having a bowling alley in your brain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edna-buchanan/you-ought-to-try-surviving-one-of-my-family-reunions-it-s-like-having/) [Edna Buchanan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edna-buchanan/) > [The struggle you see in the Republican Party today is the country club Republican versus the bowling alley Republican. Colin Powell brings us back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-du-pont/the-struggle-you-see-in-the-republican-party-today-is-the-country/) [Pete du Pont](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-du-pont/) > [We've played everywhere since I started The Licks. We've played arenas, clubs, school cafeterias and bowling alleys. It doesn't matter where the venue is;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juliette-lewis/we-ve-played-everywhere-since-i-started-the-licks-we-ve-played-arenas/) [Juliette Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juliette-lewis/) > [“I try to tell the teacher, you know. I don't give a fuck about geometry or English. Like I'm probably going to drive a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-bradfield/i-try-to-tell-the-teacher-you-know-i-don-t-give-a-fuck-about-geometry/) [Scott Bradfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-bradfield/) > [It would be hilarious if I worked in a bowling alley.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aubrey-plaza/it-would-be-hilarious-if-i-worked-in-a-bowling-alley/) [Aubrey Plaza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aubrey-plaza/) > [Few Americans have ever met their Congresspeople. They don't see them at the grocery store; they don't meet them at the bowling alley. They're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-shapiro/few-americans-have-ever-met-their-congresspeople-they-don-t-see-them/) [Ben Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-shapiro/) > [In most cases, the best strategy for a job interview is to be fairly honest, because the worst thing that can happen is that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-most-cases-the-best-strategy-for-a-job-interview-is-to-be-fairly/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Martin Mull > [Show business is just like high school, except you get paid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-mull/show-business-is-just-like-high-school-except-you-get-paid/) [Martin Mull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-mull/) > [Its hard to decide if TV makes morons out of everyone, or if it mirrors Americans who really are morons to begin with](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-mull/its-hard-to-decide-if-tv-makes-morons-out-of-everyone-or-if-it/) [Martin Mull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-mull/) > [I was involved in the Great Folk Music scare back in the sixties, when it almost caught on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-mull/i-was-involved-in-the-great-folk-music-scare-back-in-the-sixties-when/) [Martin Mull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-mull/) > [Having children is like having a bowling alley installed in your brain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-mull/having-children-is-like-having-a-bowling-alley-installed-in-your-brain/) [Martin Mull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-mull/) > [I kind of just lucked into and fell into the other profession. It was really just an outgrowth of the fact that when I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-mull/i-kind-of-just-lucked-into-and-fell-into-the-other-profession-it-was/) [Martin Mull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-mull/) > [Having a family is like having a bowling alley installed in your head.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-mull/having-a-family-is-like-having-a-bowling-alley-installed-in-your-head/) [Martin Mull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-mull/) > [A cult following is a nice way of saying very few people like you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-mull/a-cult-following-is-a-nice-way-of-saying-very-few-people-like-you/) [Martin Mull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-mull/) > [Around 1980, I went back to painting with a vengeance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-mull/around-1980-i-went-back-to-painting-with-a-vengeance/) [Martin Mull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-mull/) > [I try to not get to the point where one is making wallpaper, or simply painting money. 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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": "“Having a family is like having a bowling alley installed in your brain.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Martin Mull" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-mull/having-a-family-is-like-having-a-bowling-alley-installed-in-your-brain/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Family" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-mull/having-a-family-is-like-having-a-bowling-alley-installed-in-your-brain/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac7/martin-mull-16804_family_having-a-family-is-like-having-a-bowling_3125721.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac7/martin-mull-16804_family_having-a-family-is-like-having-a-bowling_3125721.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac7/martin-mull-16804_family_having-a-family-is-like-having-a-bowling_3125721.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Having a family is like having a bowling alley installed in your brain.” — Martin Mull", "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": "Martin Mull", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-mull/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Having a family is like having...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-mull/having-a-family-is-like-having-a-bowling-alley-installed-in-your-brain/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-mull/having-a-family-is-like-having-a-bowling-alley-installed-in-your-brain/#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 } } ] } ```