In-law quotes for the people who became family by marriage

In-laws are the family you get when you marry, or when your son or daughter does. The quotes below are for those people on any ordinary week of the year: a sister-in-law you now call a friend, the daughter-in-law or son-in-law your family gained, and the mother-in-law who made room for you. Every line is warm, and the funny ones laugh with an in-law, never at one. Take a line as it is, or change a few words so it sounds like you.

An example: once a month, Ruth and her daughter-in-law Esme give Moss a bath in Ruth's back yard. Moss is a shaggy sheepdog, and washing him takes two people: one to hold his collar and one to scrub. Ruth's son Theo did the holding for years. Then Esme, 33, offered to help one Saturday, and Ruth, 64, never asked Theo again. One day Moss waited until they were both bent over the tub, then shook himself from nose to tail. Esme laughed so hard she had to sit down on the wet grass, and Ruth stood there dripping and laughing just as hard. That evening Ruth sent her a text: "Moss has decided you're family. So have I."

Lines for the whole new family

These in-law quotes work for anyone on the other side of the wedding, or for a card to your parents-in-law together.

• "I said yes to one person and got a whole family in the bargain."
• "We started out as two families at one wedding. These days I can't tell where one ends."
• "You didn't have to make room for me. You made it anyway."
• "Family by marriage, friends by choice."
• "To my parents-in-law, who gave me a key to the house before I'd learned where the spoons go."

Sister-in-law quotes for the sister you gained

A sister-in-law is your partner's sister or the woman your brother married. Either way, she's often the in-law who becomes a real friend, and these lines are for her.

• "When my brother said he'd met someone, I didn't know he meant my new best friend."
• "Marrying your brother got me a husband and a sister on the same day."
• "Sister-in-law on paper, sister for real."
• "You're the first one I look for at every family party, and the last one I hug goodbye."
• "Thank you for loving my brother the way he deserves."
• "We share a family, a family chat and the same eye roll whenever the old stories come out."
• "The in-law who became the friend I'd have picked on my own."

Daughter-in-law quotes from the parents who gained her

For a mother-in-law or father-in-law who wants to tell her she belongs. A line about something she does, however small, means more than a big word.

• "We hoped our son would find someone kind. We didn't expect her to make us laugh this much too."
• "You married our son, and you've been our daughter ever since."
• "You brought a new laugh into this family, and we'd notice in a second if it went quiet."
• "Some people marry into a family. You walked in and started fixing the family calendar."
• "We're proud of our son for plenty of things. Choosing you might be the smartest thing he's done."
• "A daughter-in-law who calls just to chat is something we never knew to wish for."
• "To our son and our daughter-in-law: watching you two build a life is our favorite thing to see."

Mother-in-law quotes from the one who married her son or daughter

The mother-in-law is the target of a lot of old jokes. These lines go the other way, for the one who made you feel at home.

• "You treated me like family before I'd done anything to earn it."
• "My mom-in-law taught me the family stories so I wouldn't be the only one not laughing."
• "Somewhere along the way, my mother-in-law became one of my first calls."
• "To my mum-in-law, the kindest person I gained by saying yes."
• "Some people get a mother-in-law. I got a friend who knows every one of my husband's old secrets."
• "From your son-in-law: you laughed at my jokes back when you were still making up your mind about me, and I noticed."

Your mom and your mother-in-law

Some of the warmest lines are about the two women together.

• "I have two moms now. One knows my whole story, and the other is learning it fast."
• "My mom and my mother-in-law sit together at every family lunch now, and I'm a little afraid of what they talk about."
• "Two mothers, one wedding and a friendship nobody planned."

Son-in-law quotes for the man who joined the family

Most of these come from his wife's parents. The last one is for the son-in-law who wants to say something back.

• "Our daughter chose well, and every year you prove her right."
• "You married our daughter, and it turns out you married all of us. Thanks for not running."
• "To our son-in-law: the first one at the door when we need a hand, and the last one to leave a good conversation."
• "You've made our daughter's life lighter, and ours too."
• "We call you our son-in-law at parties. At home, you're just one of ours."
• "From your son-in-law: I came for your daughter and stayed for the whole family."

A father-in-law and a brother-in-law

These two often say less, so keep it short.

• "My father-in-law doesn't make speeches. He hands me the other end of whatever he's carrying, and that's how I knew I was in."
• "To my father-in-law, who taught me the family board game and let me win exactly once."
• "A brother-in-law is a brother who arrived with the wedding and has helped with every move since."
• "My brother-in-law and I agree on one thing: my sister is the smartest person in any room."

When you're about to be in-laws

An engagement makes in-laws before the wedding does. These mother-in-law-to-be lines work in both directions.

• "I'll be your mother-in-law soon. I'd like to be your friend first."
• "Soon I'll get to call you my mother-in-law. I've been practicing."
• "Welcome to the family. The paperwork comes later, and the welcome starts now."
• "In our hearts, you joined this family the first weekend you stayed to help paint the fence."

Funny in-law quotes that tease nobody

Good in-law humor is about the family as a whole, or about you. Nobody at the table should be the punchline.

• "Marrying into a family means learning thirty years of inside jokes in about a week."
• "I knew I was really family the day they stopped putting out the good towels for me."
• "My in-laws' group chat taught me more about my husband than three years of dating."
• "My sister-in-law and I don't need words at family dinners. One look across the room is plenty."
• "In-laws know every embarrassing story about your partner, and they tell them with love."

How an in-law shows you're family now, by type

In-laws let you in at different speeds and in different ways, and personality is part of it. Here are six of the 16 types:

• Harmonizer makes you comfortable first: the good chair, the extra blanket and a quiet question about how you really are.
• Vitalizer walks you around the first big party and introduces you to every cousin, with a hand on your shoulder.
• Mentor says it in words, early and out loud: "You're one of us now."
• Commander puts you on their team at the first family game and expects you to play to win.
• Entrepreneur adds you to the family chat and the summer plans before you've learned everyone's names.
• Encourager remembers what you told them last visit and brags about it to the rest of the family.

Ruth is close to a Harmonizer. The towel she hands Esme after every bath is still warm from the dryer.

Your type and your in-law's, side by side

Some in-laws feel like family by the second visit, and others take years. How your two types fit explains part of that. Typeza names the relationship type between you and your in-law, and shows where it's easy and which habits may rub. Take the free family compatibility test, then share your result link with your sister-in-law or mother-in-law.

Birthdays, in-law days and the harder moments

For a birthday, birthday wishes for in-laws has lines for each in-law. In-law days gives the dates for Mother-in-Law Day and the others, with a short message for each. Mother's Day messages and Father's Day messages each have a part for a mother-in-law or father-in-law. When things with an in-law feel strained, start with boundaries with in-laws, and if a daughter-in-law has gone quiet, read the signs she may not like you. Captions for a photo with your in-laws are in family captions. For lines about the whole family at once, see family quotes.

Questions people ask

What is a good quote for a sister-in-law?

Short and true works best. "Sister-in-law on paper, sister for real" fits one you're close to. For a sister-in-law you're still getting to know, pick a line about something you already share, like the family chat.

What can I say to make my daughter-in-law feel welcome?

Tell her plainly that she's family, and name one thing she does that you've noticed. "You married our son, and you've been our daughter ever since" says it in one line.

Are there funny in-law quotes that aren't mean?

Yes. Joke about the family as a whole or about yourself, like learning thirty years of inside jokes in a week, and leave every in-law out of the punchline.

Written by Virko Kask, founder of Typeza
Written with the help of AI tools.