God gave us our relatives; thank God we can choose our friends.
About This Quote
Interpretation
The saying draws a sharp distinction between relationships assigned by birth and those formed by preference. “Relatives” represent obligation, inheritance, and circumstance; “friends” represent agency, values, and mutual selection. The humor comes from the double use of “God”: first as the giver of unavoidable family ties, then as the object of gratitude for the freedom to choose one’s companions. Implicitly, it acknowledges that family bonds can be difficult or mismatched, while affirming friendship as a realm where character and affection can override accident of origin. As an aphorism, it also normalizes the idea that chosen communities can be as meaningful as biological ones.
Variations
• “God gives us our relatives; thank God we can choose our friends.”
• “God gave us relatives; thank God we can choose our friends.”
• “God gave us our relatives, but thank God we can choose our friends.”
