National Family Day is marked annually on the fourth Monday in September to encourage people to spend time with their loved ones and enjoy a meal, as it highlights the old saying, “Families who eat together, stay together.”

According to the National Day Calendar, the National Center on Addiction declared National Family Day in 2001, aiming at combating substance abuse among teens. The center believes families who eat three or more meals a week together reduce a teen’s risk of using tobacco, alcohol and other drugs.

Here are some quotes, courtesy Parade.com, to share on this day:

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

2. “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

3. “Family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten.” — David Ogden Stiers

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

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

6. “A happy family is but an earlier heaven.” – George Bernard Shaw

7. “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

8. “Happiness is having a large, loving, caring, close-knit family in another city.” ― George Burns

9. “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.” — Brad Pitt

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

11. “Family is not an important thing. It’s everything.” –Michael J. Fox

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

13. “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 isn’t intended.” — Robert Frost

14. “The family is one of nature’s masterpieces.” – George Santayana

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

Zachary Frantzen prays with his family before dinner in Longmont
A family prays before dinner in Longmont, Colorado. Reuters
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