400 Best Family Tree Quotes To Honor History (2023)

1. “Children are the anchors that hold a mother to life. ”

2. I shook my family tree and a bunch of nuts fell out

3. “Being a family means you are a part of something very wonderful. It means you will love and be loved for the rest of your life.” —Lisa Weed

4. “In your name, the family name is at last because it's the family name that lasts.”

5. “Family isn’t defined only by last names or by blood; it’s defined by commitment and by love. ”

6. “Families are the tie that reminds us of yesterday, provide strength and support today, and give us hope for tomorrow. No government, no matter how well-intentioned, or well-managed, can provide what our families provide. ”

7. “I have a wonderful shelter, which is my family. ”

8. “Every man is a quotation from all his ancestors.”

9. “Parents were the only ones obligated to love you; from the rest of the world, you had to earn it. ”

10. If you look deeply into the palm of your hands, you will see your parents and all generations of your ancestors. All of them are alive in this moment. Each is present in your body. You are the continuation of each of these people. — Thich Nhat Hanh

11. Not only do we honor our ancestors but we live honorably because we are somebody’s future ancestors

12. We are the chosen. In each family, there is one who seems called to find the ancestors. To put flesh on their bones and make them alive again, to tell the family story and feel that somehow they know and approve. Doing genealogy is not a cold gathering of facts, but instead, breathing life into all who have gone before. We are the storytellers of the tribe

13. Every book is a quotation; and every house is a quotation out of all forests, and mines, and stone quarries; and every man is a quotation from all his ancestors. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

14. “We’re merely one tree with various types, shapes and sizes of leaves that all wave differently in the breeze.” - Rasheed Ogunlaru

15. “If you are lucky enough to be a genealogist, you are lucky enough.”—Ruth Padilla

16. “Never cut a tree down in the wintertime.” - Robert H. Schuller

17. “The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other’s life. ”

18. Divine genealogy is not limited to royal or priestly families but is extended to all who would come unto Christ

19. “A seed hidden in the heart of an apple is an orchard invisible.” - Welsh proverb

20. “Other things may change us, but we start and end with the family.” —Anthony Brandt, composer. For more family quotes, read up on these mother-daughter quotes and mother-son quotes.

21. “Families are like branches on a tree. We grow in different directions yet our roots remain as one. ”

22. “We never fully move on,

23. We all grow up with the weight of history on us. Our ancestors dwell in the attics of our brains as they do in the spiraling chains of knowledge hidden in every cell of our bodies. — Shirley Abbott

24. My ancestors are always with me. So I am never alone

25. Genealogify: To skillfully and imperceptibly turn a conversation to the topic of genealogy

26. “Some people are like trees – they take forever to grow up.“ - Leslie Hillman

27. “Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family: Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one.” —Jane Howard, journalist.

28. “You are born into your family and your family is born into you. No returns. No exchanges.” —Elizabeth Berg, author of The Confession Club. Make happy memories with these mini family vacations won’t break the bank.

29. It is a desirable thing to be well-descended, but the glory belongs to our ancestors. — Plutarch

30. “There are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children. One of these is roots, the other, wings.”—Hodding Carter

31. “Every Man is a quotation from all his Ancestors. ”

32. “Walking, I am listening in a deeper way. Suddenly all my ancestors are behind me. Be still, they say. Watch and listen. You are the result of the love of thousands.” ~Linda Hogan

33. “We may have our differences, but nothing’s more important than family. ”

34. Who will tell your story when you’re gone?

35. “Though a tree grows so high, the falling leaves return to the root.” - Malay proverb

36. “All of our ancestors give us the precious gift of life. Do we use it wisely? Do we use it well? Do we make a name for ourselves and for our children of which we can be proud?”― Laurence Overmire, A Revolutionary American Family: The McDonalds of Somerset County, New Jersey

37. I don’t know who my grandfather was, I am much more concerned to know what his grandson will be. — Abraham Lincoln

38. “To exist as a nation, to prosper as a state, to live as a people, we must have trees.” - Theodore Roosevelt

39. I’m a genealogist: I run around in circles and chase my own tale

40. “One can never be 100% certain when it comes to family lineage. One must always keep an open mind, willing to go wherever the facts may lead.”

41. “A family is a unit composed not only of children but of men, women, an occasional animal, and the common cold.” —Ogden Nash, poet. For more funny family quotes and moments, check out our favorite funny family movies.

42. “We are the children of many sires, and every drop of blood in us in its turn … betrays its ancestor.”

43. “The thing that interests me most about family history is the gap between the things we think we know about our families and the realities.”—Jeremy Hardy

44. “Those who do not look upon themselves as a link, connecting the past with the future, do not perform their duty to the world.”

45. “Wars, plagues, names upon tombs tell us only what happened. But history lies in the cracks in between. In the inexplicable, invisible turns and decisions. A person saying no instead of yes. …It is not that they had lived…but how.”― Sarah Blake, The Guest Book

46. “Never cut a tree down in the wintertime.” - Robert H. Schuller

47. “The family is the first essential cell of human society. ”

48. “All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way. ”

49. People will not look forward to posterity who never looks backward to their ancestors. — Edmund Burke

50. Eventually all genealogists come to their census

51. “Genealogy: Where you confuse the dead and irritate the living.”

52. Anybody can make history, only a great man can write it

53. Genealogists do not gather facts but breathe life into all who have gone before

54. I come from a long line of dead people

55. “Peace is the beauty of life. It is sunshine. It is the smile of a child, the love of a mother, the joy of a father, the togetherness of a family. It is the advancement of man, the victory of just cause, the triumph of truth.” —Menachem Begin, former prime minister of Israel. These stories of foster kids finding forever homes will melt your heart.

56. “If you don’t know history, you don’t know anything. You are a leaf that doesn’t know it is part of a tree.”

57. Most of our ancestors were not perfect ladies and gentlemen. The majority of them weren’t even mammals. – Robert Anton Wilson

58. “In your name, the family name is at last because it's the family name that lasts.”― Amit Kalantri, Wealth of Words

59. “Miarr is descended from the Guardians of the Light, who in turn were descended from the mysterious Guardians of the Seas. It is not known where the cats came into the family tree.”

60. You know you are addicted to genealogy when … you are more interested in what happened in 1813 than in 2013

61. “Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.” - Warren Buffet

62. “The greatest moments in life are not concerned with selfish achievements but rather with the things we do for the people we love and esteem.” —Walt Disney. These Walt Disney quotes will inspire you to dream big.

63. “How could you not be hopeful if you’ve got a tree around?” - Ross Spears

64. “Ancient trees are precious. There is little else on Earth that plays host to such a rich community of life within a single living organism.” - Sir David Attenborough

65. If you are lucky enough to be a genealogist, you are lucky enough. – Ruth Padilla

66. “When we plant a tree, we are doing what we can to make our planet a more wholesome and happier dwelling-place for those who come after us if not for ourselves.” - Oliver Wendell Holmes

67. “As a child, the family that I had and the love I had from my two parents allowed me to go ahead and be more aggressive, to search and to take risks knowing that, if I failed, I could always come home to a family of love and support. ”

68. Every book is a quotation; and every house is a quotation out of all forests, and mines, and stone quarries; and every man is a quotation from all his ancestors. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

69. “Even if something is left undone, everyone must take time to sit still and watch the leaves turn.” - Elizabeth Lawrence

70. “When we plant trees, we plant the seeds of peace and the seeds of hope. We also secure the future for our children.” - Wangari Maathai

71. I collect dead relatives and sometimes a live cousin

72. “Have you ever considered that paper cuts are a tree’s last revenge?” - Unknown

73. “The history of the world is not complete until your story is told.” ~Unknown

74. “To forget one’s ancestors is to be a brook without a source, a tree without a root.”—Chinese Proverb

75. History doesn’t move you more than when it’s in the iron of your own blood. — J. R. Tompkins

76. Only a genealogist thinks that a step backward is progress

77. We don’t own our family history. We simply preserve it for the next generation. — Rosemary Alva

78. “In time of test, family is best. ”

79. “Those who forget their past are destined to repeat it.”

80. “Isn’t Genealogy fun? The answer to one problem leads to two more!”

81. “Our dead are never dead to us, until we have forgotten them.” ~George Eliot

82. “A tree has roots in the soil yet reaches to the sky. It tells us that in order to aspire we need to be grounded and that no matter how high we go it is from our roots that we draw sustenance.” - Wangari Maathai

83. “People will not look forward to posterity who never look backward to their ancestors.”

84. Genealogy: Chasing your own tale

85. “A tree which has lost its head will never recover it again, and will survive only as a monument of the ignorance and folly of its Tormentor.” - George William Curtis

86. “You go through life wondering what is it all about but at the end of the day it’s all about family.” —Rod Stewart, singer. Now that you’ve read these family quotes, curl up with the best book quotes from 50 of our favorite books.

87. Southerners are so devoted to genealogy that we see a family tree under every bush. — Florence King

88. “A family is a risky venture, because the greater the love, the greater the loss… That’s the trade-off. But I’ll take it all. ”

89. “Every generation adds another link to the chain that we call history.”― David J. Forsyth, Alice and The Machine Gunner

90. “The bond between siblings is strong enough to keep any family together.”

91. Our family. Like branches on a tree we all grow in different directions, yet our roots remain as one

92. “Storms make trees take deeper roots.” - Dolly Parton

93. “Like a team in the championship game, our family will rally together in triumph”

94. “The best inheritance a parent can give to his children is a few minutes of their time each day. ’

95. “Being a family means you are a part of something very wonderful. It means you will love and be loved for the rest of your life. ”

96. Single Use. Single Use. Single Use. Single Use

97. “In united families, they might sleep with half filled stomach but no one sleeps with empty stomach.”

98. What people are ashamed of usually makes a good story. — F. Scott Fitzgerald

99. Every family has a story that it tells itself, that it passes on to the children and grandchildren. The story grows over the years, mutates, some parts are sharpened, others dropped, and there is often debate about what really happened. But even with these different sides of the same story, there is still agreement that this is the family story. — A. M. Hames

100. “The informality of family life is a blessed condition that allows us all to become our best while looking our worst. ”

101. “I find the family the most mysterious and fascinating institution in the world. ”

102. “The greatest thing in family life is to take a hint when a hint is intended—and not to take a hint when a hint is not intended.” —Robert Frost, poet. Next, check out these sweet grandma quotes.

103. Some family trees have beautiful leaves, and some have just a bunch of nuts. Remember, it is the nuts that make the tree worth shaking. – Unknown

104. When a society or a civilization perishes, one condition can always be found. They forgot where they came from. — Carle Sandbur

105. Most of our ancestors were not perfect ladies and gentlemen. The majority of them weren’t even mammals. — Robert Anton Wilson

106. Preserve your memories, keep them well, what you forget you can never retell. — Louisa May Alcott

107. We need to haunt the house of history and listen anew to the ancestors wisdom. – Maya Angelou

108. WallPops. Blinggo. TIMBER ARTBOX. World of Wall Decal

109. “The trees that are slow to grow bear the best fruit.” - Moliere

110. “Every man is a moon and has a side which he turns toward nobody: you have to slip around behind it if you want to see it. ”

111. “The happiest moments of my life have been the few which I have passed at home in the bosom of my family. ”

112. “The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit.” - Nelson Henderson

113. “Stick to the basics, hold on to your family and friends – they will never go out of fashion. ”

114. When I die I give my friends to change my Facebook status to “Is visiting with ancestors”!

115. “Like all the best families, we have our share of eccentricities, of impetuous and wayward youngsters and of family disagreements. ”

116. “You leave home to seek your fortune and, when you get it, you go home and share it with your family. ”

117. “That’s what people do who love you. They put their arms around you and love you when you’re not so lovable. ”

118. “Every leaf speaks bliss to me, fluttering from the autumn tree.” - Emily Bronte

119. “I’m like a tree. My leaves might change color, but my roots are the same.” - Rose Namajunas

120. “Family doesn’t have to be perfect; it just needs to be united.”

121. “Acts of creation are ordinarily reserved for gods and poets, but humbler folk may circumvent this restriction if they know how. To plant a pine, for example, one need be neither god nor poet; one need only own a shovel.” - Aldo Leopold

122. “Tell me about your family," I said. And so she did. I listened intently as my mother went through each branch of the tree. Years later, after the funeral, Maria had asked me questions about the family - who was related to whom - and I struggled. I couldn't remember. A big chunk of our history had been buried with my mother. You should never let your past disappear that way.”

123. “Family makes a house a home. ”

124. “After a good dinner one can forgive anybody, even one’s own relations. ”

125. “You need a strong family because, at the end, they will love you and support you unconditionally. ”

126. Genealogy: It’s not the size of the tree that matters. It’s the quality of the nuts you find on there

127. “A happy family is but an earlier heaven. ”

128. Some family trees have beautiful leaves, and some have just a bunch of nuts. Remember, it is the nuts that make the tree worth shaking

129. “To forget one's ancestors is to be a brook without a source, a tree without a root. ”

130. Genealogists are relatively obsessed

131. Why waste your money looking up your family tree? Just go into politics and your opponents will do it for you. – Mark Twain

132. It’s just a matter of time before they add “syndrome” after the word Genealogy

133. “What can you do to promote world peace? Go home and love your family.” —Mother Teresa. Don’t miss these 12 other Mother Teresa quotes to live by.

134. “The most important thing in the world is family and love. ”

135. “Some of us can live without a society but not without a family.”

136. “You are born into your family and your family is born into you. No returns. No exchanges. ”

137. “What children say, they have heard at home. ”

138. “Family: where life begins and love never ends.” —Anonymous. Like short family quotes, you can also memorize these 50 Chinese proverbs worth reciting.

139. “... the pursuit of origins is a way of rescuing territory from death and oblivion, a reconquest that ought to be patient, devoted, relentless and faithful.”― Amin Maalouf, Orígenes

140. “I was once again struck by the key to genealogy: stick-to-itiveness. Yes, it takes creative thinking and knowledge of available resources, etc., but basically it takes a willingness to just keep at it and never give up. Being an optimistic idiot helps.”― Buzzy Jackson, Shaking the Family Tree: Blue Bloods, Black Sheep, and Other Obsessions of an Accidental Genealogist

141. “Preserve your memories, keep them well, what you forget you can never retell.” ~Louisa May Alcott

142. “The family is one of nature’s masterpieces.” —George Santayana, philosopher. Read 50 of the most beautiful nature quotes.

143. “The family is one of nature’s masterpieces. ”

144. “That knave would happily use a sextant to investigate his lineage and only tell the true Sun from a bastard.”

145. “Each member of this family is a first responder; When we hear the call, we don’t hesitate to unite and take action.”

146. Genealogy: Where you confuse the dead and irritate the living. – Unknown

147. “Most of our ancestors were not perfect ladies and gentlemen. The majority of them weren’t even mammals.”—Robert Anton Wilson

148. Genealogy: It’s all about the roots

149. “There’s nothing that makes you more insane than family. ”

150. “Preserve your memories, keep them well, what you forget you can never retell.”

151. Genealogy: Tracing yourself back to people better than you are. — John Garland Pollard

152. We are who we are because they were who they were

153. Family. A link to the past and a bridge to our future

154. Remember that when a family member passes away, they take a library of memories with them

155. “People who will not sustain trees will soon live in a world that will not sustain people.“ - Bryce Nelson

156. “There is no doubt that it is around the family and the home that all the greatest virtues…are created, strengthened and maintained. ”

157. Nothing has really happened until it has been recorded. — Virginia Woolf

158. My ancestors must be in a witness protection program

159. Don’t revise history to be politically correct. — Liz Calloway Gooch

160. “Families are like branches on a tree. We grow in different directions yet our roots remain as one.” —Anonymous. Read these amazing dad quotes for Father’s Day.

161. “The trees encountered on a country stroll

162. “My family is my strength and my weakness. ”

163. “You can kiss your family and friends good-bye and put miles between you, but at the same time you carry them with you in your heart, your mind, your stomach, because you do not just live in a world but a world lives in you.” —Frederick Buechner, novelist. These are the 12 questions you’ll want to ask your parents before it’s too late.

164. A man who thinks too much about his ancestors is like a potato—the best part of him is underground — Henry S. F. Cooper

165. “My family is my life, and everything else comes second as far as what’s important to me. ”

166. To forget one’s ancestors is to be a brook without a source, a tree without a root. — Chinese Proverb

167. “Why waste your money looking up your family tree? Just go into politics and your opponents will do it for you.”

168. “Keeping a family together is like building a puzzle.

169. “Spare the rod and spoil the child – that is true. But, beside the rod, keep an apple to give him when he has done well. ”

170. “DNA opens an even more mysterious door to understanding the human condition: all of our ancestors live within each one of us whether we are aware of it or not.”― Laurence Overmire, The One Idea That Saves The World: A Message of Hope in a Time of Crisis

171. “All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” —Leo Tolstoy, novelistRD.COM

172. “When your mother asks, ‘Do you want a piece of advice?’ it’s a mere formality. It doesn’t matter if you answer yes or no. You’re going to get it anyway. ”

173. “Genealogy: Where you confuse the dead and irritate the living.”—Unknown

174. “Genealogists: they're just grad students without the Pell Grant funding or a degree waiting for them at the end.”― Buzzy Jackson, Shaking the Family Tree: Blue Bloods, Black Sheep, and Other Obsessions of an Accidental Genealogist

175. “Family is a unique gift that needs to be appreciated and treasured, even when they’re driving you crazy. As much as they make you mad, interrupt you, annoy you, curse at you, try to control you, these are the people who know you the best and who love you. ”

176. “I was thinking how complicated life is and how there are no simple roads or paths. We are a fabric of mistakes and hurts; a family tree of fumbled attempts, successes and failures.”

177. “Family quarrels are bitter things. They don’t go according to any rules. They’re not like aches or wounds, they’re more like splits in the skin that won’t heal because there’s not enough material.” —F. Scott Fitzgerald, novelist. You’ll want to read these uplifting quotes again and again.

178. “Remember me in the family tree; my name, my days, my strife. Then I’ll ride upon the wings of time and live an endless life.” ~Linda Goetsch

179. People are hungry for stories. It’s part of our very being. Storytelling is a form of history, of immortality too. It goes from one generation to another. — Studs Terkel

180. “The great advantage of living in a large family is that early lesson of life’s essential unfairness.” —Nancy Mitford, novelist. Find out the 18 skills you learn growing up in a big family.

181. Genealogy is like a scavenger hunt and a jigsaw puzzle all rolled into one. — Dolores J Rush

182. Genealogy: Where you confuse the dead and irritate the living

183. “Choosing to be a family together takes far more strength and love than genetics.”

184. “The love in our family flows strong and deep, leaving us memories to treasure and keep.” —Anonymous

185. “The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other’s life.” —Richard Bach, writer. RD.COM

186. “The family is the test of freedom; because the family is the only thing that the free man makes for himself and by himself. ”

187. I am bound to them, though I cannot look into their eyes or hear their voices. I honor their history and I will cherish their lives. Their story will be told and I will remember them.

188. “I think that if you shake the tree, you ought to be around when the fruit falls to pick it up.” - Mary Cassatt

189. We are the children of many sires, and every drop of blood in us in its turn … betrays its ancestor. — Ralph Waldo Emerson

190. “There is no doubt that it is around the family and the home that all the greatest virtues, the most dominating virtues of human, are created, strengthened, and maintained.” —Winston Churchill. Check out these comically candid cartoons about politics and money.

191. “The family tree is a powerful symbol of our roots and the foundation upon which we stand. It reminds us of the love and support of our ancestors, and the traditions and values that have been passed down through the generations. Whether we are celebrating the achievements of our forefathers or seeking guidance and inspiration from their wisdom, the family tree quote is a constant source of strength and inspiration.”

192. “Sometimes being a brother is even better than being a superhero!” ~Marc Brown

193. “The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness.“ - John Muir

194. “No man has ever lived that had enough of children’s gratitude or woman’s love. ”

195. Genealogy is like a magic mirror. Look into it, and pretty soon, interesting faces appear

196. We need to haunt the house of history and listen anew to the ancestors’ wisdom. – Maya Angelou

197. “You can take the Indian out of the family, but you cannot take the family out of the Indian.”

198. “The family is the nucleus of civilization. ”

199. Whoever said “seek and ye shall find” was not a genealogist

200. “Through the various branches of your tree, you are connected to the entirety of human history. When we talk about the ancient Egyptians building the pyramids, we're not talking about a bunch of exotic strangers, we're talking about our great-great-many-times-great grandparents!”

201. “Grief does not exist within a vacuum, but it also does not exist within just one life. It spreads out and affects the people “above you” in your family tree and the people who will come after you or “below you.” Grief also impacts entire races, genders, generations, and communities, and those beliefs about grief and the stories we tell ourselves about whether or not grief is acceptable, what’s at the root cause of grief, and whether or not we can recover from that grief have an enormous impact on how we give ourselves permission to grieve, whether we consciously acknowledge it or not.”

202. You live as long as you are remembered. — Russian proverb

203. Everyone has ancestors and it is only a question of going back far enough to find a good one. — Howard Kenneth Nixon

204. “My family tree has many branches, both living and dead… but all equally important. I cherish the memories that make its roots run deep.”

205. “Families are like fudge—mostly sweet with a few nuts.” —Les Dawson, comedian. If you’ve been stuck inside with your family during COVID-19, you’re sure to get a laugh from these quarantine quotes that are actually pretty funny.

206. Knowing family history expands perspective

207. “The thing that interests me most about family history is the gap between the things we think we know about our families and the realities.”

208. “My greatest pleasure is spending time with my family. ”

209. “No normal sheet of paper could possibly trace their family tree, which in any case was more like a mangrove thicket.”

210. “In every conceivable manner, the family is link to our past, bridge to our future.” —Alex Haley, author of Roots: The Saga of an American Family.RD.COM

211. “The only rock I know that stays steady, the only institution I know that works, is the family. ”

212. “Those who forget their past are destined to repeat it.”

213. “Blood makes you related. Loyalty makes you family. ”

214. “Just the facts, Ma’am.” —(commonly, but incorrectly) attributed to Joe Friday of the TV show Dragnet.

215. “If you cannot get rid of the family skeleton, you may as well make it dance.”--George Bernard Shaw

216. Genealogy is my therapy

217. “Some family trees have beautiful leaves, and some have just a bunch of nuts. Remember, it is the nuts that make the tree worth shaking.”

218. “My friends and family are my support system. They tell me what I need to hear, not what I want to hear, and they are there for me in the good times and bad times. ”

219. I wish I had realized that family history is a perishable commodity. It disappears with time, as memories fade, and as loved ones pass on. I wish I had known that the most important aspect of family history is preserving a record of the present for the future. — Guy Black

220. “Family is a lifejacket in the stormy sea of life. ”

221. “Those we love can never be more than a thought away… for as long as there’s a memory they live in our hearts to stay.” ~Unknown

222. “Family and friends are hidden treasures, seek them out and enjoy their riches. ”

223. “The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other’s life.”

224. Your ancestors count on you to remember them

225. “Think of your family today and every day thereafter, don’t let the busy world of today keep you from showing how much you love and appreciate your family. ”

226. “As a father of four, the quote resonates because more than anything, I want to do my part to leave a better world for my children.”, Reuben says.

227. “Ohana means family. Family means no one gets left behind or forgotten. ”

228. If you don’t know history, you don’t know anything. You are a leaf that doesn’t know it is part of a tree. – Michael Crichton

229. Stories have to be told or they die, and when they die, we can’t remember who we are or why we’re here — Sue Monk Kidd

230. There are no limits to what you can accomplish in your genealogy research when you are supposed to be doing something else

231. “When a society or a civilization perishes, one condition can always be found. They forgot where they came from.”

232. Vinyl. —. —. Vinyl

233. He who has no fools, knaves, or beggars in his family was begot by a flash of lightning. — Old English proverb

234. “That’s what people do who love you. They put their arms around you and love you when you’re not so lovable.” —Deb Caletti, novelist

235. “In your name, the family name is at last because it’s the family name that lasts.”

236. “Families are like fudge—mostly sweet with a few nuts.” —Les Dawson, comedian.RD.COM

237. “Charity begins at home. ”

238. “Family is more than blood. ”

239. “It took untold generations to get you where you are. A little gratitude might be in order.”

240. “The family historian must master the art of storytelling. What, after all, is truth without anecdote, history without events, explanation without narration--or yet life itself without a story? Stories are not just the wells from which we drink most deeply but at the same time the golden threads that hold and bind--Ariadne's precious string that leads us through the labyrinth that connects living present and the living past.”― Joseph A. Amato, Jacob's Well: A Case for Rethinking Family History

241. “Anyone who thinks fallen leaves are dead has never watched them dancing on a windy day.” - Shira Tamir

242. “Families are the compass that guides us. They are the inspiration to reach great heights, and our comfort when we occasionally falter.” —Brad Henry, former governor of Oklahoma. These happiness quotes will inspire you to see the light.

243. “Home should be an anchor, a port in a storm, a refuge, a happy place in which to dwell, a place where we are loved and where we can love. ”

244. “Research is what I’m doing when I don’t know what I’m doing.”—Wernher von Braun

245. “Trees are right at the heart of all the necessary debates: ecological, social, economic, political, moral, religious.” - Colin Tudge

246. “All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” —Leo Tolstoy, novelist. Families can be difficult, but these forgiveness quotes will help inspire you to let go.

247. “The strength of a family, like the strength of an army, lies in its loyalty to each other. ”

248. “Family faces are magic mirrors. Looking at people who belong to us, we see the past, present and future.”

249. “Knowing trees, I understand the meaning of patience. Knowing grass, I can appreciate persistence.” - Hal Borland

250. “In truth, a family is what you make it. It is made strong, not by number of heads counted at the dinner table, but by the rituals you help family members create, by the memories you share, by the commitment of time, caring, and love you show to one another, and by the hopes for the future you have as individuals and as a unit.” —Marge Kennedy, author of Pets at the White House. These funny family photos are hilariously awkward.

251. Respect your ancestors for you are the result of a thousand loves

252. “Some family trees have beautiful leaves, and some have just a bunch of nuts. Remember, it is the nuts that make the tree worth shaking.”—Unknown

253. “The children despise their parents until the age of when they suddenly become just like them - thus preserving the system. ”

254. Research is what I’m doing when I don’t know what I’m doing – Wernher von Braun

255. Genealogify: To skillfully and imperceptibly turn a conversation to the topic of genealogy

256. “It didn’t matter how big our house was; it mattered that there was love in it. ”

257. “You can’t have the fruits without the roots.” - Stephen Covey

258. If we tried to sink the past beneath our feet, be sure the future would not stand. – Elizabeth Barrett Browning

259. “The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago. The second best time is now.” - Chinese proverb

260. “Blood is thicker than water. ”

261. “Take away all our possessions, and we are left with one structure held together by love: family.”

262. ...our family is white as far back on the family tree as I've ever looked, and I guess I picture people white white white unless someone tells me otherwise

263. “A family is one of nature’s solubles; it dissolves in time like salt in rainwater. ”

264. Every man is a quotation from all his ancestors. — Ralph Waldo Emerson

265. “Rejoice with your family in the beautiful land of life. ”

266. “How many stories are there that have been lived, but will never be told? Far too many for me to squander the one that I’m living.”― Craig D. Lounsbrough

267. “In every conceivable manner, the family is link to our past, bridge to our future.” —Alex Haley, author of Roots: The Saga of an American Family. Read 35 life-changing quotes you won’t forget.

268. “How can we know where we are going if we don’t know where we came from?”― Becky Williamson-Martin

269. “In all of us there is a hunger, marrow-deep, to know our heritage, to know who we are and where we came from. ”

270. “Happiness is having a large, loving, caring, close-knit family in another city.” —George Burns, comedian. Maybe hold off from sharing these funny family quotes with those family members.

271. “Rejoice with your family in the beautiful land of life.” —Albert Einstein.

272. Those who forget their past are destined to repeat it. — Robert A. Heinlein

273. “We cannot destroy kindred: our chains stretch a little sometimes, but they never break. ”

274. Genealogy: Proving once and for all, that insanity is hereditary

275. “Trees give peace to the souls of men.” - Nora Waln

276. “When we have each other, we have everything.” —Anonymous. Sometimes short family quotes say it the best. Check out the funniest family vacation stories that you’ll relate to.

277. “Family members can be your best friends, you know. And best friends, whether or not they are related to you, can be your family. ”

278. Friends come and go, but relatives tend to accumulate

279. “My family tree has many branches, both living and dead... but all equally important. I cherish the memories that make its roots run deep.”

280. We’ve uncovered some embarrassing ancestors in the not-too-distant past. Some horse thieves, and some people killed on Saturday nights. One of my relatives, unfortunately, was even in the newspaper business. — Jimmy Carter

281. “The memories we make with our family is everything. ”

282. “It is a desirable thing to be well-descended, but the glory belongs to our ancestors.”

283. “A man travels the world over in search of what he needs, and returns home to find it.” —George Moore, novelist. This family raised a baby goose for a year—20 years later, it returned home.

284. Genealogist: Because freakin miracle worker is not an official job title

285. Research is what I’m doing when I don’t know what I’m doing. – Wernher von Braun

286. “O Heavenly Children, God's messengers are as limitless as the fish in the sea. They come in all colors, regions, languages and creeds. But their message is one and the same, don't you see? He only wishes to unite all His children under one family tree.”

287. “This was the trouble with families. Like invidious doctors, they knew just where it hurt. ”

288. “One of the things that binds us as a family is a shared sense of humour. ”

289. “He who plants a tree, plants a hope.” - Lucy Larcom

290. To forget one’s ancestors is to be a brook without a source, a tree without a root. – Chinese Porverb

291. When our hearts turn to our ancestors, something changes insides us. We feel part of something greater than us. — Russell M Nelson

292. “At the end of your life, you will never regret not having passed one more test, not winning one more verdict or not closing one more deal. You will regret time not spent with a husband, a friend, a child, or a parent. ”

293. “Everyone needs a house to live in, but a supportive family is what builds a home. ”

294. Trafford on Demand Publising. Copyright 2003

295. “The other night I ate at a real nice family restaurant. Every table had an argument going. ”

296. “He had not colored the leaves in yet, and the trunk and its branches looked for the moment less like a tree and more like a great brown river, the Nile, the Amazon, the Benedetto and Flynn river of blood, and there at its isthmus was this one child, so that it seemed that all of these people, from Poland, from Italy, from Ireland and the Bronx and Brooklyn, had come together for no other reason than to someday produce Robert Benedetto, in an event as meant, as important as that one in Bethlehem that he had learned about in catechism class at St. Stannie's.”

297. “The problem with drinking and driving is that trees defend themselves very well.” - Unknown

298. Family Tree Hugger

299. So many ancestors, so little time

300. “During the whole time consumed in the slow growth of this family tree, the house of Smallweed, always early to go out and late to marry, has strengthened itself in its practical character, has discarded all amusements, discountenanced all story-books, fairy-tales, fictions, and fables, and banished all levities whatsoever. Hence the gratifying fact that it has had no child born to it and that the complete little men and women whom it has produced have been observed to bear a likeness to old monkeys with something depressing on their minds.”

301. “Everyone has ancestors and it is only a question of going back far enough to find a good one.”

302. Grandchildren are the dots that connect the lines from generation to generation. — Lois Wyse

303. Friends come and go, but relatives tend to accumulate. – Unknown

304. “To understand and reconnect with our stories, the stories of the ancestors, is to build our identities.”

305. “History remembers only the celebrated, genealogy remembers them all.” ~Laurence Overmire

306. “Oh, is that right? You know, a lioness will protect her cub by baring her teeth, by roaring, using her claws to defend her cub if she feels she has to - this mother, has other means. You are standing in the way of my daughter's best interests. If you try to pick our peach from our family tree, you will be picking a fight. Do you understand me?”

307. “Family history is a dish of selected cuts, sliced thin, served cold, bloodless, halal” It’s for a friend, but neither of us can find the attribution. Could it be from, “Midnight’s Children?”

308. We inherit from our ancestors gifts so often taken for granted. Each of us contains within this inheritance of soul. We are links between the ages, containing past and present expectations, sacred memories and future promise. – Edward Sellner

309. Tree. Letter Print. Tree. Letter

310. “Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family: Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one. ”

311. “In the end, we’ll all become stories.” ~Margaret Atwood

312. “Family faces are magic mirrors. Looking at people who belong to us, we see the past, present, and future. ”

313. “Genealogy” Tracing yourself back to people better than you are.”

314. “Healing happens when individual hearts combine forces to beat as one at the center of a family.”

315. Genealogy lets you find your ancestors while you learn about your past. — Owain Couch

316. “You live as long as you are remembered.”

317. “Home is the nicest word there is. ”

318. “Home is people. Not a place. If you go back there after the people are gone, then all you can see is what is not there anymore. ”

319. “The homemaker has the ultimate career. All other careers exist for one purpose only – and that is to support the ultimate career. ”

320. “With all my fans I got a family again. ”

321. Facts get recorded. Stories get remembered

322. Some Grandmas knit, real grandmas do genealogy

323. “Friends come and go, but relatives tend to accumulate.”—Unknown

324. “Southerners are so devoted to genealogy that we see a family tree under every bush.”

325. “There is no such thing as fun for the whole family. ”

326. Extreme Genealogy: Leave no stone unturned unless it’s a tombstone

327. There is a fine line between a packrat and a serious family historian

328. “At first I thought I was fighting to save rubber trees, then I thought I was fighting to save the Amazon rainforest. Now I realize I am fighting for humanity.” - Chico Mendes

329. “I don’t have to look up my family tree because I know that I’m the sap.”

330. “Without a family, man, alone in the world, trembles with the cold. ”

331. Every time an old person dies it is as if a library burns down

332. Where there’s a will there’s a genealogist

333. “Be grateful for the home you have, knowing that at this moment, all you have is all you need. ”

334. We inherit from our ancestor’s gifts so often taken for granted. Each of us contains within this inheritance of soul. We are links between the ages, containing past and present expectations, sacred memories, and future promise. – Edward Sellner

335. “A tree falls the way it leans.” - Bulgarian proverb

336. “Love your family. Spend time, be kind and serve one another. Make no room for regrets. Tomorrow is not promised & today is short. ”

337. “There are only two lasting bequests we can give our children – one is roots, and the other, wings.”

338. I don’t have to look up my family tree because I know that I’m the sap. — Fred Allen

339. “Every person is defined by the communities she belongs to.”― Orson Scott Card, Speaker for the Dead

340. “Genealogy: An account of one’s descent from an ancestor who did not particularly care to trace his own.” —Ambrose Bierce

341. “Family is family. ”

342. “No matter what happens, a family will always have your back. ”

343. There is no king who has not had a slave among his ancestors, and no slave who has not had a king among his. – Helen Keller

344. “Even if one tree falls down it wouldn’t affect the entire forest.” - Chen Shui-bian

345. Family faces are magic mirrors. Looking at people who belong to us, we see the past, present, and future. — Gail Lumet Buckley

346. When we research our own lines we become interested in more than just names. Our interest turns our hearts to our father. We seek to find, know and serve them — Boyd K Packer

347. “Learn character from trees, values from roots, and change from leaves.” - Tasneem Hameed

348. “I don’t think quantity time is as special as quality time with your family. ”

349. “This quote speaks to one’s legacy – that what we leave behind for future generations to enjoy, is what truly matters in life – that selfless actions, which we will not directly benefit from, yet which improve the environment and existence of humanity in general, are truly valuable. “

350. The roots of a family tree begin with the love of two hearts

351. If you want to understand today, you have to search yesterday. — Pearl S Buck

352. “If we tried to since the past beneath out feet, be sure the future would not stand.”—Elizabeth Barrett Browning

353. “You don’t choose your family. They are God’s gift to you, as you are to them. ”

354. “In family life, love is the oil that eases friction, the cement that binds closer together, and the music that brings harmony. ”

355. “If we are peaceful, if we are happy, we can smile, and everyone in our family, our entire society, will benefit from our peace. ”

356. “Family members can be your best friends, you know. And best friends, whether or not they are related to you, can be your family.” —Trenton Lee Stewart, author. These 63 best friend quotes sum up the value of friendship.

357. Why waste your money looking up your family tree? Just go into politics and your opponents will do it for you. — Mark Twain

358. “The only person you are destined to become, is the person you want to be. ”

359. “There is no king who has not had a slave among his ancestors, and no slave who has not had a king among his.”

360. “Never forget who was with you from the start.”

361. “Home is where you are loved the most and act the worst.” —Marjorie Pay Hinckley, author.

362. “Family is not an important thing, it’s everything. ”

363. “My wife has been my closest friend, my closest advisor. And she’s not somebody who looks to the limelight, or even is wild about me being in politics. And that’s a good reality check on me. When I go home, she wants me to be a good father and a good husband. And everything else is secondary to that. ”

364. “Many men can make a fortune but very few can build a family. ”

365. “She went around reading everything- the directions on the grits bag, Tate's notes, and the stories from her fairy-tale books she had pretended to read for years. Then one night she made a little oh sound, and took the old Bible from the shelf. Sitting at the table, she turned the thin pages carefully to the one with the family names. She found her own at the very bottom: There it was, her birthday: Miss Catherine Danielle Clark, October 10, 1945. Then, going back up the list, she read the real names of her brothers and sisters:

366. “Family means no one gets left behind or forgotten. ”

367. “The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other’s life.” —Richard Bach, writer. These are the 17 secrets of happy families everyone should know.

368. “In family life, love is the oil that eases friction, the cement that binds closer together, and the music that brings harmony.” —Friedrich Nietzsche, philosopher. If you love these family quotes, be sure to check out these heartwarming Mother’s Day quotes with your mom.

369. We all carry inside us, people who came before us. — Liam Callanan

370. “My family comes first. That makes every decision very easy. ”

371. If you cannot get rid of the family skeleton, you may as well make it dance. — George Bernard Shaw

372. “Other things may change us, but we start and end with the family. ”

373. “‘Ohana’ means family, and family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten.” —Lilo & Stitch. See how well you know your Disney trivia.

374. Genealogist: We do precision guesswork based on unreliable data provided by those of questionable knowledge

375. “No normal sheet of paper could possibly trace their family tree, which in any case was more like a mangrove thicket.”

376. Remember and honor the family who have come and gone before you. Because they had a hand in shaping who you are

377. “Of all man’s works of art, a cathedral is greatest. A vast and majestic tree is greater than that.” - Henry Ward Beecher

378. “I think that I shall never see a billboard lovely as a tree. Perhaps, unless the billboards fall, I’ll never see a tree at all.” - Ogden Nash

379. “The family – that dear octopus from whose tentacles we never quite escape, nor, in our inmost hearts, ever quite wish to. ”

380. “What can you do to promote world peace? Go home and love your family. ”

381. Genealogy is not fatal but it is a grave disease

382. “A man who thinks too much about his ancestors is like a potato—the best part of him is underground”

383. “The symbolism – and the substantive significance – of planting a tree has universal power in every culture and every society on Earth, and it is a way for individual men, women and children to participate in creating solutions for the environmental crisis.” - Al Gore

384. What was that one thing that always interferes with my genealogy obsession? Oh yeah … life!

385. “Never say there is nothing beautiful in the world anymore. There is always something to make you wonder in the shape of a tree, the trembling of a leaf.” - Albert Schweitzer

386. “Happiness is having a large, loving, caring, close-knit family in another city. ”

387. “In the family sandwich, the older people and the younger ones can recognize one another as the bread. Those in the middle are, for a time, the meat.” —Anna Quindlen, journalist and author. If you like these funny family quotes, check out our favorite funny quotes and our favorite funny friendship quotes.

388. “Our most basic instinct is not for survival but for family.” —Paul Pearsall, neuropsychologist.

389. “A man who doesn’t spend time with his family can never be a real man. ”

390. “You can even tell where a person's family came from by looking at the type of bacterium he or she carries!”

391. In all of us there is a hunger, marrow-deep, to know our heritage. To know who we are and where we have come from. — Alex Haley

392. “The greatest moments in life are not concerned with selfish achievements but rather with the things we do for the people we love and esteem. ”

393. “Every family tree produces some lemons, some nuts and a few bad apples.” - Unknown

394. “I have learned that to be with those I like is enough. ”

395. There are only two lasting bequests we can give our children – one is roots, and the other, wings. — Hodding S. Carter

396. “Every day of your life is a page of your history.” ~Arabian Proverb

397. “Families are the compass that guides us. They are the inspiration to reach great heights, and our comfort when we occasionally falter. ”

398. The thing that interests me most about family history is the gap between the things we think we know about our families and the realities. – Jeremy Hardy

399. “Be like a tree. The tree gives shade even to him who cuts off its boughs.” - Sri Chaitanya

400. “We need to haunt the house of history and listen anew to the ancestors wisdom.”—Maya Angelou