They may not be your siblings, but after all of the memories you’ve made together, they may as well be. Each July 24, National Cousin Days marks the celebration of the special familial bond.

Whether you grew up in a close family and frequently spent time with your cousin or only saw them at family gatherings, the connection formed over that time often turns into an unbreakable bond.

In honor of that strong relationship, consider celebrating National Cousins Day by sharing these 15 quotes that describe the lifelong bond.

1. “Cousins are cool to see, impossible to forget, and true to your heart.” — Leo Farno

2. “Cousin by blood, friends by choice.” — Darlene Shaw

3. “Cousins are more than cousins; they are best friends that are there for us through it all.” — Heather Mills

4. “We didn’t realize we were making memories, we just knew we were having fun.” — A.A. Milne, “Winnie The Pooh”

5. “A cousin is a little bit of childhood that can never be lost.” — Marion C. Garretty

6. “If you’re lucky, a cousin is there from the beginning.” — Susan Bolch

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

8. “Cousins are not those we do not know but instead part of a family that also provide support and comfort.” — Byron Pulsifer

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

10. “Cousins are people that are ready-made friends, you have laughs with them and remember good times from a young age, you have fights with them, but you always know you love each other, they are a better thing than brothers and sisters and friends ‘cause they are all pieced together as one.” — Courtney Cox

11. “Cousins are the barometers of how fun a family get-together will be.” — Jim Gaffigan

12. “Cousins are those rare people who ask how we are and then wait to hear the answer..” — Ed Cunningham

13. “In my cousin, I find a second self.” — Isabel Norton

14. “Would I lay down my life to save my brother? No, but I would, to save two brothers or eight cousins.” — John B. S. Haldane

15. “I may argue with my brother, but I fight beside my brother against my cousin, and with my cousin against a stranger.” — Arab proverb

Stephen and Robbie Amell
Stephen Amell (left) and Robbie Amell have created a movie together called "Code 8." The cousins are pictured at a special screening for "Arrow" and "The Flash" in Westwood, California, on Nov. 22, 2014. Getty Images
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