In Other Words 8/26/11

In Other Words, one of our favorite memes here at Reading Lark, has moved to Fridays. Each Friday we bring you a collection of literary quotes selected by our awesome blog team centered around a different theme or topic. Enjoy - and feel free to share YOUR favorite quote about this week's theme in our comments section!

This week's theme ~

The Many Forms of Family

Tevya:
‎"Simi? What was it you told me once about families? (Aimee)
We have three kinds of family. Those we are born to, those who are born to us, and those we let into our hearts. (Simi)"
— Sherrilyn Kenyon (Bad Moon Rising (Dark-Hunter, #18)

"As mothers and daughters, we are connected with one another. My mother is the bones of my spine, keeping me straight and true. She is my blood, making sure it runs rich and strong. She is the beating of my heart. I cannot now imagine a life without her."
— Kristin Hannah (Summer Island)



Andrea:
"What is family? They were the people who claimed you. In good, in bad, in parts or in whole, they were the ones who showed up, who stayed in there, regardless. It wasn't just about blood relations or shared chromosomes, but something wider, bigger. We had many families over time. Our family of origin, the family we created, and the groups you moved through while all of this was happening: friends, lovers, sometimes even strangers. None of them perfect, and we couldn't expect them to be. You can't make any one person your world. The trick was to take what each could give you and build your world from it."
— Sarah Dessen (Lock and Key)

"You must remember, family is often born of blood, but it doesn't depend on blood. Nor is it exclusive of friendship. 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 (The Mysterious Benedict Society (Mysterious Benedict Society, #1))

Julie:
"The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other's life. Rarely do members of one family grow up under the same roof."
— Richard Bach (One)

Michelle:
“Friendless I can never be, for all mankind are my kindred, and I am on ill terms with no one member of my great family.”- Charles Dickens, Master Humphrey’s Clock

Meagen:
"Your mother died to save you. If there is one thing Voldemort cannot understand, it is love. He didn't realize that love as powerful as your mother's for you leaves its own mark. Not a scar, no visible sign… to have been loved so deeply, even though the person who loved us is gone, will give us some protection forever." ~Harry Potter