At the end of a long day, it’s nice to know that you have your family to go home to — one that will love you and appreciate you, even if you messed up at work. And that’s one of the great things about family; they are there to support and encourage you, no matter what. In their eyes, you’re beautiful, wonderful, and the best person to be around. But being a family doesn’t mean simply sharing physical characteristics, like hazel eyes; it also means having someone with whom you can celebrate your sadness and your joys, having a constant cheerleader (or cheerleaders!) rooting for you, and having a source of strength and courage to overcome any obstacle. Life really would be so dull without family!
That said, how do you properly describe what it’s like to belong to a family — to a group of people that provide unconditional love and support? To celebrate the importance of a strong bond between kin, we’ve collected a few inspiring quotes that say everything you’ve ever struggled to articulate when it comes to talking about the beautiful family memories you and your family share. You can’t choose your family, as the saying goes, but you can choose to tell them how much they mean to you. Sure, family can be a pain in the neck sometimes, especially when it comes to taking a beautiful family photo, but even if your family isn’t perfect all the time (and whose is?!), they’re the perfect family for you.
To celebrate your loved ones, keep scrolling for some beautiful family quotes from your favorite stars.
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Beautiful Families Dolly Parton V2
Getty Images "I see so much of my family in the things that I do. And I love and embrace that."
Though Dolly Parton and her husband, Carl Dean, don't have any children together, the country legend is more than happy to play the doting aunt to her siblings' children. And considering Dolly Parton's siblings total 11 in all — yes, 11 — she has plenty of opportunities to spread the love.
Speaking of love, Parton and her husband are approaching their 52nd wedding anniversary, and the story behind how they met still sounds just as sweet as ever. "My first thought was I'm gonna marry that girl," Dean said in 2016 on the couple's 50th anniversary. "My second thought was, 'Lord she's good lookin.' And that was the day my life began. I wouldn't trade the last 50 years for nothing on this earth."
"If I had it to do all over, I'd do it all over again, and we did," Parton said in 2016, referencing the couple's decision to renew their vows for their golden anniversary. "I'm dragging him kicking and screaming into the next 50 years. Wish us luck."
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Beautiful Families Reba Mcentire V2
Getty Images "I don't think quantity time is as special as quality time with your family."
Country singer Reba McEntire has quite the blended family. With her second husband and former manager, Narval Blackstock, McEntire has one son, Shelby, who was born in 1990. She also inherited Narval's three children from his previous marriage: Shawna (born in 1973), Brandon (born in 1976), and Chassidy (born in 1978). Though McEntire and her husband divorced in 2015, she remains close with her stepchildren and considers their children her grandchildren.
After her highly publicized divorce, McEntire finally stepped out with her new boyfriend, Anthony "Skeeter" Lasuzzo, at the 2018 Grammy Awards. We're so happy to see her find love again; she truly deserves it!
Fun fact: McEntire's stepson, Brandon, is married to Kelly Clarkson. Now that's a lot of music royalty in one family!
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Beautiful Families Chip Gaines V2
Getty Images For us, the most important thing in the world is Jo and I's relationship, followed very quickly by [our] four beautiful kids."
Fixer Upper stars Chip and Joanna Gaines make over houses on the hit HGTV show, but their real-life marriage seems just as picture-perfect. The couple are the proud parents of four (soon to be five!) adorable kiddos: Drake, 12; Ella Rose, 11; Duke, 9; and Emmie Kay, 7. Joanna, who is expecting another baby boy, hasn't revealed the little fella's name yet, but we're pretty sure it will start with a D. Any guesses?
From the outside, Chip and Joanna and their brood look like the ideal American family, but their marriage wasn't always smooth sailing. Before they appeared on TV screens everywhere, Chip and Joanna were struggling financially. Chip even ended up in jail, and Joanna was forced to empty the cash register at her store to pay for Chip's $800 bail. That's when she realized they were "right on the edge of a real financial struggle." Their disagreements over money, which they wrote about in their 2016 book, The Magnolia Story ($15, Amazon), forced them to find some middle ground. Fortunately, the couple looks happier than ever, so we'd say they've found their recipe for success.
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Beautiful Families Kate Middleton V2
Getty Images "There is no rule book, no right or wrong; you just have to make it up and do the very best you can to care for your family."
If there's one love story we've followed since the beginning, it's that of Prince William and Kate Middleton. Despite a few hiccups, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge eventually tied the knot back in 2011, after nearly a decade together. Now, they're the parents of two absolutely adorable children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, and there's another royal baby on the way! (Talk about a beautiful family tree!)
Though Princess Diana didn't live to see her beautiful grandchildren, Kate and William keep her legacy alive in the approach they take to parenting. Diana, who often angered the older generation of royals for her openness, would be proud to know that her son and daughter-in-law loudly (and proudly) advocate for important issues like mental health awareness. "Catherine and I are clear that we want both George and Charlotte to grow up feeling able to talk about their emotions and feelings."
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Beautiful Families Reese Witherspoon V2
Getty Images "Kids are the best part of my day. I don't wake up to make movies. I wake up to hang out with my family."
Actress Reese Witherspoon and her look-alike kids are a tight-knit bunch. From 1999 to 2007, Witherspoon was married to actor Ryan Phillippe, and the couple had two children together: Ava (born in 1999) and Deacon (born in 2003). In 2011, Witherspoon tied the knot with talent agent Jim Toth. They welcomed a son, Tennessee, in 2012.
Witherspoon's daughter Ava, who was named after the legendary Ava Gardner, looks so much like her mom that her little brother Tennessee sometimes confuses the two. "The kids all have funny and unique relationships with each other. Ava is like another parent to Tennessee, like his other mother," Witherspoon said. "I think sometimes he even gets confused — he told Ava 'Happy Mother’s Day!'"
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Beautiful Families Michael J Fox V2
Getty Images "Family is not an important thing. It's everything."
Actor Michael J. Fox and his wife, Tracy Pollan, have been together since 1988, and their long-lasting marriage is proof that happy endings exist — even in Hollywood. Together, the couple has four children: Sam (born in 1989), twin daughters Aquinnah and Schuyler (born in 1995), and Esmé (born in 2001).
"He's an amazing father," Pollan said in 2015. "He's one of the smartest people I know...and he's pretty cute still!" So what's the secret to their successful union? Separate bathrooms! (Wouldn't it be nice to not have to remind your hubby to put the lid down when he's done?)
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Beautiful Families Tim Mcgraw V2
Getty Images "Number one is your family and everything else just kind of finds its place."
Country power couple Tim McGraw and wife Faith Hill have been happily married since 1996, during which time they've welcomed three beautiful daughters: Gracie (born in 1997), Maggie (born in 1998; pictured above), and Caroline (born in 2001). Fortunately, McGraw isn't bothered by being the only male at home. "With women you just give options and they make the decisions. I grew up in a house with just my mom and two sisters," he told Men's Journal. "Now I live in a house with my wife, my daughters, a female maid — and my assistant is a woman. I’m just the figurehead king. And I love it."
The pair first met in the mid-1990s, and there was instantly a spark. McGraw actually proposed to his future wife just minutes before he was supposed to perform. "She said, 'We're at a country music festival in a trailer house, and you're asking me to marry you?" McGraw told BRIDES. "And I said, 'Yeah.' So I went onstage." When he got back to his dressing room, he found a note from Hill. "[I saw] a Sharpie with lipstick kisses all over it, saying, 'Yes! I'm gonna be your wife.' It had, 'I love you' with big lipstick kisses."
And when they finally tied the knot in October 1996, they managed to surprise all of their friends. Pals of the couple came to McGraw and Hill's home thinking they were going to see a softball game and a concert. Instead, they were greeted by the lovebirds standing under an oak tree, ready to exchange vows.
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Beautiful Families David Beckham V2
Getty Images "My greatest achievement is my children and my family."
Doting dad David Beckham and wife Victoria Beckham are one of England's most famous couples — apart from the royals, of course — and they've been together since saying "I do" in 1999. The photogenic pair have four children: Brooklyn (born in 1999), Romeo (born in 2002), Cruz (born in 2005), and Harper (born in 2011). Harper, their youngest, is their only daughter, and you can tell she's got her dad wrapped around her finger. "I have no power with that little girl — no power whatsoever," Beckham told ET back in 2015. "I love all my children, of course, equally, but I'm definitely stricter with the boys than I am Harper, which gets me in trouble with my wife."
Before Victoria started her clothing brand, she was best known as Posh Spice — one-fifth of the English pop group the Spice Girls. That's how her future husband first noticed her. "See the girl in the dark short dress? I'm going to marry her," he reportedly told his friend. Fortunately, Victoria felt the same. "Completely love at first sight. He told me he went home and wrote my [telephone] number on so many other things in case he lost it."
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