You didn't ask for them, you can't change them, and yet of all the people on earth they're likely to know you best and be the most important to you.
Families are rarely simple and bonds of blood - whether good or bad - always run deep. So it's no wonder some of the great authors and poets from history have pondered it on the page.
Here's a selection of witticisms and wisdom from writers past and present that illuminate something about the conundrums and complexities of family love.