He that hath wife and children hath given hostages to fortune; for they are impediments to great enterprises, either of virtue or mischief.

He that raises a large family, does indeed, while he lives to observe them, stand…a broader mark for sorrow; but then he stands a broader mark for pleasure too. 

I cannot bear a parent’s tears.

Motherhood is the strangest thing, it can be like being one’s own Trojan horse.

The strength of a family, like the strength of an army, is in its loyalty to each other.

To be a successful father… there’s one absolute rule: when you have a kid, don’t look at it for the first two years.

It’s frightening to think that you mark your children merely by being yourself… it seems unfair. You can’t assume the responsibility for everything you do—or don’t do.

There is not much less vexation in the government of a private family than in the managing of an entire state.

Families, I hate you! Shut-in homes, closed doors, jealous possessions of happiness.

If parents would only realize how they bore their children!

By and large, mothers and housewives are the only workers who do not have regular time off. They are the great vacationless class.

A family’s photograph album is generally about the extended family—and, often, is all that remains of it.

All women become like their mothers. That is their tragedy. No man does. That’s his.