120 Brotherhood Quotes to Remind You of the Beauty of Family and Friendship

If you’re lucky enough to have a brother in your life, these brotherhood quotes will keep you humble and remind you of the beauty of family and friendship that we often take for granted.

The friends we make in life as men can make or break us.

Brothers and cousins that are related to us by blood, friends, and other humans on this earth are the people we can rely on and trust.

Tell us your favorite brotherhood quote in the comment section below.

What are the benefits of reading these brotherhood quotes?

These brotherhood quotes will help you understand why these relationships matter so much.

They will help you understand:

  • the value of family and friendships
  • what makes someone a brother (and it is not just blood)
  • a new perspective on how to view the relationships in your life

Your brothers are the ones that ride the waves of life through you, no matter how exciting or difficult certain moments can be.

A “brother” — whatever that means to you — is someone who can be seen as a strong, positive role model.

Someone who is there to back you up and can hold you accountable when you make mistakes.

Below is our collection of inspirational, wise, and memorable brotherhood quotes and sayings collected from various sources over the years.

Also, check out our most popular quote article, a list of short inspirational quotes for daily wisdom. 

Brotherhood quotes on the value of family and friendship

1. “We must live together as brothers or perish together as fools.” ― Martin Luther King Jr.

Brotherhood Quotes about living together

2. “Bond is stronger than blood. The family grows stronger by bond.”― Itohan Eghide

powerful Brotherhood Quotes

3. “Although I hadn’t seen him in more than ten years, I know I’ll miss him forever.” ― Stand By Me

Brotherhood Quotes about bond

4. I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was twelve. Jesus, does anyone? ― Stand By Me

Brotherhood Quotes about friends

You will also enjoy our article on funny sister quotes.

5. “None of you believes until he wishes for his brother what he wishes for himself.” ― Prophet Muhammad

Brotherhood Quotes and sayings

You will also enjoy our article on military quotes.

6. “Never hold resentments for the person who tells you what you need to hear; count them among your truest, most caring, and valuable friends.” ― Mike Norton, Just Another War Story

 Brotherhood Quotes About Valuable Friends

7. “Being his real brother I could feel I live in his shadows, but I never have and I do not now. I live in his glow.” ― Michael Morpurgo, Private Peaceful

 Brotherhood Quotes About Living In Someone Else's Shadow

8. “Brotherhood is the good deed, service to others. Brotherhood is food, shelter and rainment, yes, but it is also the word of hope, the pat on the back, the open door, the warm hearth.” ― P. L. Prattis

 Brotherhood Quotes About Hope

9. “There is no love like the love for a brother. There is no love like the love from a brother.” ― Astrid Alauda

Brotherhood Quotes About Brothers Love

You will also enjoy our article on funny friendship quotes.

10. “There is no time like the old time, when you and I were young!” ― Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.

 Brotherhood Quotes About Being Young

Brotherhood quotes on who your brother is

11. “You may call for peace as loudly as you wish, but where there is no brotherhood there can in the end be no peace.” ― Max Lerner

Brotherhood Quotes About Peace

12. “I love you, my brother, whoever you are – whether you worship in a church, kneel in your temple, or pray in your mosque. You and I are children of one faith, for the diverse paths of religion are fingers of the loving hand of the one supreme being, a hand extended to all, offering completeness of spirit to all, eager to receive all.” ― Kahlil Gibran

Brotherhood Quotes About Loving Your Brother

You will also enjoy our article on big brother quotes.

13. “You take up for your buddies, no matter what they do. When you’re a gang, you stick up for the members. If you don’t stick up for them, stick together, make like brothers, it isn’t a gang anymore. It’s a pack. A snarling, distrustful, bickering park like the Socs in their social clubs or the street gangs in New York or the wolves in the timber.” ― S.E. Hinton, The Outsiders

Brotherhood Quotes About Sticking Up For Brothers

14. “Woody once risked his life to save mine, and I couldn’t call myself his friend if I wasn’t willing to do the same.” ― Buzz Lightyear, Toy Story

Brotherhood Quotes About Risking Your Life For A Brother

You will also enjoy our article on best friend quotes.

15. “You just call on me brother, when you need a hand. We all need somebody to lean on just might have a problem that you’ll understand. We all need somebody to lean on” ― Lean on Me, Bill Withers

Brotherhood Quotes About Support

You will also enjoy our article on family quotes.

16. “I dream that someday you will return to Kabul and revisit the land of our childhood. If you do, you will find an old faithful friend waiting for you.” ― The Kite Runner, Khaled Husseini

Brotherhood Quotes About Old Friends

17. “You cannot contribute anything to the ideal condition of mind and heart known as Brotherhood, however much you preach, posture, or agree, unless you live it.” ― Faith Baldwin

Brotherhood Quotes About The Way Of Living

You will also enjoy our article on Arthur Morgan quotes.

18. “Our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this planet. We all breathe the same air. We all cherish our children’s future. And we are all mortal.” ― John F. Kennedy

 Brotherhood Quotes About Mortality

You will also enjoy our article on ride or die quotes.

19. “I may not be my brother’s keeper, but I am my brother’s brother.” ― Jeffrey R. Holland

Related  50 Mixed Signals Quotes on Conflicting Messages
 Brotherhood Quotes About Brothers

You will also enjoy our article on unforgettable memories quotes.

20. “I don’t believe an accident of birth makes people sisters or brothers. It makes them siblings, gives them mutuality of parentage. Sisterhood and brotherhood is a condition people have to work at.” ― Maya Angelou

 Brotherhood Quotes About Siblings

Brotherhood quotes that will make you think differently

21. “Christians are my brothers, Hindus are my brothers, all of them are my brothers. We just think different and believe different.” ― Muhammad Ali

 Brotherhood Quotes About Different Religions

22. “By practicing brotherhood, we set a good example for those around us and in return we feel a sense of self-fulfillment for having aided a fellow human being.” ― Kathy Bartilson

 Brotherhood Quotes About Friendships

23. “You cannot see brotherhood; neither can you hear it nor taste it. But you can feel it a hundred times a day. It is the pat on the back when things look gloomy. It is the smile of encouragement when the way seems hard. It is the helping hand when the burden becomes unbearable.” ― Peter E. Terzick

Brotherhood Quotes About Encouragement

24. “When we turn to one another for counsel we reduce the number of our enemies.” ― Kahlil Gibran

25. “People are realizing that color has no bearing on what’s known as brotherhood.” ― Omar Epps

Brotherhood Quotes About Colors

26. “Sometimes being a brother is even better than being a superhero.” ― Marc Brown

27. “The opportunity for brotherhood presents itself every time you meet a human being.” ― Jane Wyman

28. “Either men will learn to live like brothers, or they will die like beasts.” ― Max Lerner

29. “There was one time when we were children. He transformed himself into a snake, and he knows that I love snakes. So I went to pick up the snake to admire it, and he transformed back into himself and he was like, ‘Blech, it’s me!’ And he stabbed me. We were 8 at the time.” ― Thor on Loki, The Avengers

30. “Sooner or later, all the peoples of the world will have to discover a way to live together in peace, and thereby transform this pending cosmic elegy into a creative psalm of brotherhood.” ― Martin Luther King, Jr.

Brotherhood quotes to remind you that you’re not alone

31. “Give bread to a stranger, in the name of the universal brotherhood which binds together all men under the common father of nature.”― Marcus Fabius Quintilianus

32. “The most dangerous word in any human tongue is the word for brother. It’s inflammatory.” ― Tennessee Williams

33. “Imagine no possessions, I wonder if you can, No need for greed or hunger, A brotherhood of man. Imagine all the people Sharing all the world.”― John Lennon

34. “I believe in the brotherhood of all men, but I don’t believe in wasting brotherhood on anyone who doesn’t want to practice it with me. Brotherhood is a two-way street.” ― Malcolm X

35. “It is doubtless true that men are bad because they are unhappy. If anyone could give them real happiness, the happiness of brotherhood, they would all want to live the true and brotherly life.” ― Edwin Markham

36. “No guns but only brotherhood can resolve the problems.” ― Atal Bihari Vajpayee

37. “I’m Native American, so it’s in my blood to always want brothers and friends. I’m a good brotherhood guy.” ― Duane Chapman

38. “We don’t need holy wars. What we need is tolerance and brotherhood and simple humanity.” ― Arlen Specter

39. “Because brothers don’t let each other wander in the dark alone.” ― Jolene Perry

40. “You can’t hold a man down without staying down with him.” ― Booker T. Washington

If you’re enjoying these quotes, make sure to check out our collection of wise native American quotes on community, respect, and more.

Other inspirational brotherhood quotes

41. “The opportunity for brotherhood presents itself every time you meet a human being.” ― Jane Wyman

42. “We were homies, but you will always be a brother to me. So close, we always gave each other kiss on the cheek.” ― Cuban Link, Flowers For The Dead

43. “I don’t believe an accident of birth makes people sisters or brothers. It makes them siblings, gives them mutuality of parentage. Sisterhood and brotherhood is a condition people have to work at.” ― Maya Angelou

44. “Brothers don’t necessarily have to say anything to each other — they can sit in a room and be together and just be completely comfortable with each other.” ― Leonardo DiCaprio

45. “Brotherhood is the very price and condition of man’s survival.” ― Carlos P. Romulo

46. “The world is now too small for anything but brotherhood.” ― Arthur Powell Davies

47. “Of a truth, men are mystically united: a mystic bond of brotherhood makes all men one.” ― Thomas Carlyle

48. “I sought my soul, but my soul I could not see. I sought my God, but my God eluded me. I sought my brother and I found all three.” ― Unknown

49. “So powerful is the light of unity that it can illuminate the whole earth.” ― Baha’u’llah

50. “The crest and crowning of all good, life’s final star, is Brotherhood.” ― Edwin Markham

If you’re enjoying these quotes, make sure to read our collection of unity quotes about bringing people together.

Brotherhood quotes to learn and live by

51. “I guess we’re really brothers, aren’t we? Don’t know what that means, except it means that some of the same things we remember.” ― Tim O’Brien

52. “A sister is the second mother to her brother and a brother is a second father to her sister” ― J. Tisa

Related  50 Allergy Quotes to Overcome Your Allergy Frustrations

53. “I love you. You are the best brother a person could have asked for. People often choose their best friends. God sent me mine.” ― Ryan J. Gutierrez

54. “Peace, harmony and brotherhood are the marks of humanity. They are the heart of every religion. They are the ultimate weapons against all powerful weapons.” ― Amit Ray

55. “This is the oldest form of living communication; the brotherhood of breath.” ― Timothy Leary

56. “Don’t turn away, don’t tell me that we’re not the same
We face the fire together, brothers ’til the end, Brother”
― Lord Huron

57. “We are all spawned from the same great canvas yet we lose ourselves through the melding of its vistas.” ― Lorin Morgan-Richards

58. “True happiness comes from a sense of brotherhood and sisterhood, but not from hatred and division.” ― Oscar Auliq-Ice

59. “No matter where we come from, there is one language we can all speak and understand from birth, the language of the heart, love.” ― Imania Margria

60. “Starting a business with brother either ends business or ends brotherhood.” ― Amit Kalantri

Brotherhood quotes to appreciate your bros more

61. “Brotherhood means living peaceably together and to help and love one another.” ― Rhea Cumming

62. “We have flown the air like birds and swum the sea like fishes, but have yet to learn the simple act of walking the earth like brothers.” ― Martin Luther King, Jr.

63. “You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred.” ― William Boetcker

64. “No greater love hath a man than he lay down his life for his brother. Not for millions, not for glory, not for fame. For one person, in the dark where no one will ever know or see.” ― J. Michael Straczynski

65. “We cannot live only for ourselves. A thousand fibers connect us with our fellow men; and among those fibers, as sympathetic threads, our actions run as causes, and they come back to us as effects.” ― Herman Melville

66. “Some have never learned that every human on this earth is equal to every other one. This is the secret of brotherhood.” ― John Dejung

67. “God, what a world, if men in street and mart felt that same kinship of the human heart which makes them, in the face of fire and flood, rise to the meaning of true brotherhood.” ― Ella Wheeler Wilcox

68. “If you really believe in the brotherhood of man, and you want to come into its fold, you’ve got to let everyone else in, too.” ― Oscar Hammerstein II

69. “The brotherhood of man is usually thought of as something unattainable, the vision of a dreamer. The truth is that brotherhood exists now and has always existed. The brotherhood of man is here. It is not a fancy but a fact. It is not a dream but a reality.” ― Wilfred Peterson

70. “A smile or a tear has not nationality; joy and sorrow speak alike to all nations, and they, above all the confusion of tongues, proclaim the brotherhood of man.” ― Frederick Douglass

You may also enjoy our collection of Frederick Douglass quotes.

Brotherhood Quotes That Promote Unity

71. “Brotherhood means laying down your life for somebody, really willing to sacrifice yourself for somebody else.” ― Tim Hetherington

72. “You earn brotherhood – the purest friendship, trust, love, whatever you want to call it – moment by moment through how you treat others.” ― Doug Cooper

73. “When you are a grown up your brothers become your neighbors and your unconditional brotherhood become your conditional neighborhood.” ― Amit Kalantri

74. “Respect, brotherhood – the family comes first, and everything else falls in place after that.” ― Jadakiss

75. “The beauty of genuine brotherhood and peace is more precious than diamonds or silver or gold.” ― Martin Luther King Jr

76. “You cannot further the Brotherhood of Man by encouraging class hatred.” ― Paul Getty

77. “The more man knows of man, the better for the common brotherhood among men.” ― Charles Dickens

78. “Brotherhood is an ideal better understood by example than precept!” ― Paramahansa Yogananda

79. “The only thing that makes battle psychologically tolerable is the brotherhood among soldiers. You need each other to get by.” ― Sebastian Junger

80. “The universal brotherhood of man is our most precious possession.” ― Mark Twain

Brotherhood Quotes About Being Each Other’s Keeper

81. “I refuse to accept the view . . . that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality.” — Martin Luther King, Jr.

82. “The mystical bond of brotherhood makes all men brothers.” — Thomas Carlyle

83. If you truly believe in the brotherhood of man, then you must believe that blacks are just as capable of being racists as whites are.” — Thomas Sowell

84. “Grant us brotherhood, not only for this day but for all our years – a brotherhood not of words but of acts and deeds.” — Stephen Vincent Benet

85. “Brotherhood is not just a Bible word. Out of comradeship can come and will come the happy life for all.” — Heywood Broun

86. “A peaceful world depends upon better understanding and respect for each other in a spirit of brotherhood and an adherence to ethical principles.” — Herman W. Steinkraus

87. “Are we not all brothers and sisters. Therefore, should we not extend the love of brotherhood in all we do.” — Catherine Pulsifer

88. “We live in a world that has narrowed into a neighborhood before it has broadened into a brotherhood.” — Lyndon Baines Johnson

Related  25 Tim Grover Quotes From the Former Athletic Trainer to Professional Athletes

89.  “In all my travels the thing that has impressed me the most is the universal brotherhood of man-what there is of it.” — Mark Twain

90. Our doctrine of equality and liberty and humanity comes from our belief in the brotherhood of man, through the fatherhood of God.” — Calvin Coolidge

Brotherhood Quotes to Care for Your Brother

91. “It’s time to be with my brother now.” — Veronica Roth

92. “And then I got into sports and gave my guitar to my brother Jeff who was just a little kid at that time.” — Beau Bridges

93. A sympathetic friend can be quite as dear as a brother.” — Homer

94. “When we trust our brother, whom we have seen, we are learning to trust God, whom we have not seen.” — James Freeman Clarke

95. “My singing is my hobby. It’s me and my brother. We just enjoy writing music.” — Taryn Manning

96. “One can be a brother only in something. Where there is no tie that binds men, men are not united but merely lined up.” — Antoine de Saint-Exupery

97. “Our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law.” — Barack Obama

98. “My older brother and myself always played together in bands, but we never knew we would be professional musicians.” — Wynton Marsalis

99. “The unfortunate thing about money is that it always raises suspicion even amongst brothers.” — Babatunde Fashola

100. “The best thing about having four big brothers is you always have someone to do something for you.” — Chloe Grace Moretz

Brotherhood Quotes on The Power of Unity

101. “The aim of democracy is harmony, its goal is Brotherhood.” ― Mark Twain

102. “The hope of a secure and livable world lies with disciplined nonconformists who are dedicated to justice, peace and brotherhood.” ― Martin Luther King, Jr.

103. “The brotherhood tends to treat these aims as part of members religious duties that must be fulfilled. Most important, these these aims help the brotherhood survive and gain support.” ― Khalil al-Anani

104. “Equality lies only in human moral dignity. … Let there be brothers first, then there will be brotherhood, and only then will there be a fair sharing of goods among brothers.” ― Fyodor Dostoyevsky

105. “If the whole of mankind is to be united into one brotherhood, all obstacles must be removed so that men, all over the surface of the globe, should be as children playing in a garden.” ― Maria Montessori

106. “No more politics or denominations / Brotherhood / No more war, violence, or pain/ Compassion.” ― Santana

107. “If someone saves your life, you develop a brotherhood, no matter what your race.” ― Omar Epps

108. “The Son of God became incarnate in the souls of men to instill the feeling of brotherhood. All are brothers and all children of God.” ― Pope Francis

109. “Laughter is the true brotherhood of man. At some time or another we’ve all done something that could be laughed at. Anyone who claims he hasn’t is the most laughable of all.” ― Gene Perret

110. “There is no brotherhood of man without the fatherhood of God.” ― H. M. Field

111. “You’re a great brother. You give us a heart attack worrying about your heart attack, which you didn’t even have the decency to have!” — Groucho Marx

112. “He was brother to a liar and brother to an angel, son of a dream and son of a dreamer.” — Maggie Stiefvater

113. “It was great being together as a band, but much more difficult being brothers than it was being in a band.” — Barry Gibb

114. “Once you get a brother, you don’t give him up easy.” — Orson Scott Card

115. “Every man’s in his own hands, with a little help from his brothers.” — Janet Morris

116. “He who serves his brother best gets nearer God than all the rest.” — Alexander Pope

117. “Until you have become really, in actual fact, as brother to everyone, brotherhood will not come to pass.” — Fyodor Dostoevsky

118. “I played softball for a few years growing up. Both my brothers played baseball.” — Maggie Lawson

119. “If you wish to be brothers, let the arms fall from your hands. One cannot love while holding offensive arms.” — Pope Pius VI

120. “Although I may not be my brother’s keeper, I am my brother’s brother, and ‘because I have been given much, I too must give.'” — Jeffrey R. Holland

What did you learn from these brotherhood quotes?

If you’re looking for the words to describe your brothers, then hopefully, these brotherhood quotes have inspired you.

A brother does not need to be someone with the same parent(s) as you.

A brother is a person you can turn to when you can’t talk to others.

It could be someone you’ve known since childhood or someone you met later in life.

Brothers are the men that are physically, mentally, and emotionally supportive, especially in a time when toxic masculinity makes it hard for men to be in touch with their true selves.

Without brotherhood, it would be difficult for people to navigate life’s obstacles.

What’s your biggest takeaway from these brotherhood quotes and sayings?

Do you have any other favorite quotes to add?

Let us know in the comment section below.

Be sure to share this article on social media with all your brothers!

Max is a remote, bilingual certified teacher in Social Studies K-12. He teaches in both Spanish and English. He graduated from the University of Hartford with a B.A. in History and has taught abroad since 2013. Earning his TEFL certificate and working with ESL students abroad in Mexico and South Korea has been a rewarding experience for him. He is also a writer and photographer who avidly reads biographies and travels often. This gives him a breadth of knowledge on a variety of subjects, including different cultural backgrounds. His easy going and approachable response comes through in writings, as does his passion for anything historical. That kind of fire for history makes him a favorite amongst his students and readers.
Search