« Life is in the heart, and the heart is in the family »
Guizot, who wrote this beautiful maxim, felt this sentiment very strongly.
Having lost his father at the age of six, he was extremely attached to his mother and protective of his younger brother, Jean-Jacques. He had become very close to the Meulan family, from which his two much-loved wives Pauline and Eliza came, and was committed to and often responsible for the interests of the remaining members of the family.
Twice widowed, he personally and very actively took care of his four children, two of whom predeceased him, and his daughter Henriette held a very special place in his affections. His sons-in-law and the other members of the de Witt family, his daughter-in-law Gabrielle de Flaux, whom he had himself chosen for his son Guillaume were all welcomed into the family circle, at the head of which he was regarded as the sometimes possessive patriarch.
He also very much enjoyed being a grandfather to his nine grandchildren.
Throughout his turbulent career, Guizot found strength and comfort in his family, which was often sorely tried but dearer to him than anything else. He thus gave them the best of himself.