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134 Heartfelt Quotes For Father’s Day That Are Sure To Bring A Smile To Your Dad
When it comes time to celebrate your dad on Father’s Day, it can be hard to find the right words to say, especially if you’re done with those banal messages you see everywhere on social media and in those dumb pre-made cards. The man who raised you is like a hero in your eyes, and he deserves more than overused wishes. He taught you how to ride a bike and tie your shoes. He was there when you had a bad dream and celebrated your happiness when you won that spelling bee. He’s always been there for you, no matter what.
“Thank you for all you do” or “You are a great father” are lovely sentiments, but they don’t really capture what your dad or father figure means to you. Tell him how much he has helped shape who you are today and the important things in your life. Be specific about what makes him special: it could be his weird sense of humor that never fails to cheer you up or the way he always knows when something is wrong but never pokes at it too much (or maybe it’s just that he’s a good listener). And if you’re still struggling to elaborate on your message, just know that tons of writers, artists, celebrities, and historical figures have done that for you! June 19th is just around the corner, so in honor of Father’s Day, we’ve rounded up some of the most inspiring quotes about fatherhood. From classic lines to modern musings, these words will help you to express how much you appreciate your father’s love and guidance! If there’s one thing we know about dads — they secretly love anything that makes them feel special. So go ahead and pick out one of these Father’s Day quotes and let it do all the talking for you this year!
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“The greatest thing a father can do for his children is love their mother.” — Anjaneth Garcia Untalan
"To be the father of a nation is a great honor, but to be the father of a family is a greater joy." ― Nelson Mandela
“The difference between a ‘man’ and a ‘father’ is that the former shares his genes, but latter gives his life.” ― Craig D. Lounsbrough
“My father didn’t do anything unusual. He only did what dads are supposed to do—be there.” — Max Lucado
“By the time a man realizes that maybe his father was right, he usually has a son who thinks he’s wrong.” — Charles Wadworth
“Being a great father is like shaving. No matter how good you shaved today, you have to do it again tomorrow.” — Reed Markham
"My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person, he believed in me." — Jim Valvano
"A father is neither an anchor to hold us back nor a sail to take us there, but a guiding light whose love shows us the way."
My dad always said that he was our lighthouse. We always gifted him lighthouses. Since his death, every time I see one, I smile and think of him.
"Being a dad isn’t just about eating a huge bag of gummy bears as your wife gives birth. It means being comfortable with the word hero." ― Ryan Reynolds
“My daughter got me a ‘World’s Best Dad’ mug. So we know she’s sarcastic.” — Bob Odenkirk
“I cannot think of any need in childhood as strong as the need for a father’s protection.” — Sigmund Freud
“A good father is one whose only reason for putting down a laughing baby is to pick up a crying one.” — Linda Poindexter
“When you’re young, you think your dad is Superman. Then you grow up, and you realize he’s just a regular guy who wears a cape.” — Dave Attell
“A good father is one of the most unsung, unpraised, unnoticed and yet one of the most valuable assets in our society.” — Billy Graham
Fathers are critical to each person, to each community, to the nation.
“I believe that what we become depends on what our fathers teach us at odd moments, when they aren’t trying to teach us. We are formed by little scraps of wisdom.” — Umberto Eco
"My father used to play with my brother and me in the yard. Mother would come out and say, 'You're tearing up the grass.' 'We're not raising grass,' Dad would reply. 'We're raising boys.'" ― Harmon Killebrew
"A girl's father is the first man in her life, and probably the most influential." ― David Jeremiah
"I realized being a father is the greatest job I have ever had and the greatest job I will ever have." ― Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson
“My mother protected me from the world and my father threatened me with it.” – Quentin Crisp
“The nature of fatherhood is that you’re doing something that you’re unqualified to do, and then you become qualified when you do it.” — John Green
"Lately all my friends are worried they're turning into their fathers. I'm worried I'm not." ― Dan Zevin
"The strongest, toughest men all have compassion. They're not heartless and cold. You have to be man enough to have compassion — to care about people and about your children." ― Denzel Washington
"No man I ever met was my father’s equal, and I never loved any other man as much." ― Hedy Lamarr
"Never is a man more of a man than when he is the father of a newborn." ― Matthew McConaughey
“Buying your kid a goldfish is a great way to teach them about responsibility for 24 to 36 hours.” — Conan O’Brien
"Part of being a successful father is taking extreme care of our children. The other part of that equation is that we must also take extreme care of their mother." — Nate Dallas
“Of all the titles I’ve been privileged to have, ‘Dad’ has been always the best.” — Ken Norton
"When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years." — Mark Twain
“She did not stand alone, but what stood behind her, the most potent moral force in her life, was the love of her father.” — Harper Lee
“You don’t have to deserve your mother’s love. You have to deserve your father’s. He’s more particular.” — Robert Frost
“Nothing has brought me more peace and content in life than simply being a good husband and father.” — Frank Abagnale
“Fatherhood is the best thing I ever did. It changes your perspective. You can write a book, you can make a movie, you can paint a painting, but having kids is really the most extraordinary thing I have taken on.” — Brad Pitt
“When I was little I bragged about my firefighting father: my father would go to heaven, because if he went to hell he would put out all the fires.” ― Jodi Picoult
"My father taught me to work hard, laugh often, and keep my word." ― Michelle Obama
"It is admirable for a man to take his son fishing, but there is a special place in heaven for the father who takes his daughter shopping." ― John Sinor
"A father is a man who expects his son to be as good a man as he meant to be." ― Frank A. Clark
“There is no teacher equal to mother and there's nothing more contagious than the dignity of a father.” ― Amit Ray
“My father used to say that it's never too late to do anything you wanted to do. And he said, 'You never know what you can accomplish until you try.'” ― Michael Jordan
"The greatest mark of a father is how he treats his children when no one is looking." ― Dan Pearce
"An almost perfect relationship with his father was the earthly root of all his wisdom." ― C.S. Lewis
"Being a daddy's girl is like having permanent armor for the rest of your life." ― Marinela Reka
“Me and my dad used to play tag. He’d drive.” — Rodney Dangerfield
"Dad taught me everything I know. Unfortunately, he didn't teach me everything he knows." — Al Unser
“A father’s words are like a thermostat that sets the temperature in the house.” — Paul Lewis
“My father didn’t tell me how to live. He lived and let me watch him do it.” — Clarence Budington Kelland
“Blessed indeed is the man who hears many gentle voices call him father.” — Lydia Maria Child
“There is nothing that moves a loving father’s soul quite like his child’s cry.” — Joni Eareckson Tada
“Son, brother, father, lover, friend. There is room in the heart for all the affections, as there is room in heaven for all the stars.” — Victor Hugo
"Every father should remember one day his son will follow his example, not his advice." ― Charles Kettering
"There should be a children’s song: 'If you’re happy and you know it, keep it to yourself and let your dad sleep.'" ― Jim Gaffigan
"I inherited that calm from my father, who was a farmer. You sow, you wait for good or bad weather, you harvest, but working is something you always need to do." — Miguel Indurain
"Being a father means you have to think fast on your feet. You must be judicious, wise, brave, tender, and willing to put on a frilly hat and sit down to a pretend tea party." — Matthew Buckley
“When I was little my dad had me convinced the ice cream truck only played music when it was sold out.”
My brother lived in Taipia, where the garbage trucks played music. When they move back to the States he let his kids think the ice-cream truck was the garbage truck.
“Good dads forgive your mistakes. Great dads help you hide them from mom.“
“Sometimes I think my papa is an accordion. When he looks at me and smiles and breathes, I hear the notes.” ― Markus Zusak
"A man knows he is growing old because he begins to look like his father." —Gabriel Garcia Marquez
“I love my mother and father. The older I get, the more I value everything that they gave me.” — Liev Schreiber
“My father taught me you have to believe in yourself and run on your own track.” — Jennifer Grey
“Before I got married I had six theories about raising children; now, I have six children and no theories.” — John Wilmot
“Every son’s first superhero is his father, and it was the same for me. For me, he was Superman and Batman combined.” — Tiger Shroff
"The best fathers have the softest, sweetest hearts. In other words, great dads are real marshmallows." — Richelle E. Goodrich
“[My father] has always provided me a safe place to land and a hard place from which to launch.” — Chelsea Clinton
“A father is the one friend upon whom we can always rely. In the hour of need, when all else fails, we remember him upon whose knees we sat when children, and who soothed our sorrows; and even though he may be unable to assist us, his mere presence serves to comfort and strengthen us.” — Émile Gaboriau
"Dads are most ordinary men turned by love into heroes adventurers, story-tellers, singers of songs." ― Pam Brown
"It was my father who taught me to value myself. He told me that I was uncommonly beautiful and that I was the most precious thing in his life." ― Dawn French
"The quality of a father can be seen in the goals, dreams and aspirations he sets not only for himself, but for his family." ― Reed Markham
"I've jumped out of helicopters and done some daring stunts and played baseball in a professional stadium, but none of it means anything compared to being somebody's daddy." ― Chris Pratt
"If there is any immortality to be had among us human beings, it is certainly only in the love that we leave behind. Fathers like mine don't ever die." ― Leo Buscaglia
"It's only when you grow up and step back from him — or leave him for your own home — it's only then that you can measure his greatness and fully appreciate it." ― Margaret Truman
"To be as good as our fathers we must be better; imitation is not discipleship." ― Wendell Phillips
"I decided in my life that I would do nothing that did not reflect positively on my father's life." ― Sidney Poitier
"In our house, Mother's Day is every day. Father's Day, too. In our house, parents count. They do important work and that work matters. One day just doesn't cut for us." ― Margaret Heffernan
"When it comes to Father's Day, I will remember my dad for both being there to nurture me and also for the times he gave me on my own to cultivate my own interests and to nurture my own spirit." ― Jennifer Grant
"The guys who fear becoming fathers don't understand that fathering is not something perfect men do, but something that perfects the man. The end product of child raising is not the child but the parent." — Frank Pittman
“Men should always change diapers. It’s a very rewarding experience. It’s mentally cleansing. It’s like washing dishes, but imagine if the dishes were your kids, so you really love the dishes.” – Chris Martin
“You can tell what was the best year of your father’s life because they seem to freeze that clothing style and ride it out.” – Jerry Seinfeld
“When I was a kid, I said to my father one afternoon, ‘Daddy, will you take me to the zoo?’ he answered, ‘If the zoo wants you, let them come and get you.’” — Jerry Lewis
“Whenever one of my children says, ‘goodnight, daddy,’ I always think to myself, ‘you don't mean that.’“ – Jim Gaffigan
“When my son looks up at me and breaks into his wonderful toothless smile, my eyes fill up and I know that having him is the best thing I will ever do.” — Dan Greenberg
“A dad is someone who wants to catch you when you fall. Instead he picks you up, brushes you off and lets you try again.”
“When you need real understanding, when you need someone to care, when you need someone to guide you… A father’s always there.” — Thomas J. Langley
“I talk and talk and talk, and I haven’t taught people in 50 years what my father taught by example in one week.” — Mario Cuomo
“Dads are like chocolate chip cookies; they may have chips or be totally nutty, but they are sweet and make the world a better place, especially for their children.” — Hillary Lytle
“[Fatherhood is] the greatest thing that could ever happen. You can’t explain it until it happens; it’s like telling somebody what water feels like before they’ve ever swam in it.” — Michael Bublé
“A man’s worth is measured by how he parents his children. What he gives them, what he keeps away from them, the lessons he teaches and the lessons he allows them to learn on their own.” — Lisa Rogers
“There’s something like a line of gold thread running through a man’s words when he talks to his daughter, and gradually over the years, it gets to be long enough for you to pick up in your hands and weave into a cloth that feels like love itself.” — John Gregory Brown
"Daddies don't just love their children every now and then, it's a love without end." ― George Strait
"My father is my rock. It's where I learned everything about loyalty, dependability, being there day in, day out, no matter what." ― Hugh Jackman
"And I only hope when I have my own family that every day I see a little more of my father in me." ― Keith Urban
"He adopted a role called 'Being a Father' so that his child would have something mythical and infinitely important: a Protector." ― Tom Wolfe
"It is not flesh and blood, but the heart which makes us fathers and sons." ― Johann Friedrich von Schiller
"I learn things from my kids constantly. Most of their knowledge comes from Snapple caps." ― Jimmy Kimmel
“I gave my father $100 and said, ‘Buy yourself something that will make your life easier.’ So he went out and bought a present for my mother.” — Rita Rudner
“I never got along with my dad. Kids used to come up to me and say, ‘My dad can beat up your dad.’ I’d say, ‘Yeah? When?’” — Bill Hicks
“My sisters and I can still recite Dad’s grilling rules: Rule No. 1: Dad is in charge. Rule No. 2: Repeat Rule No. 1.” – Connie Schultz
“My 4-year-old son gave me a handmade card for father’s day. Maybe for Christmas I’ll draw him a picture of some toys.” — Jim Gaffigan
“Fathers, like mothers, are not born. Men grow into fathers and fathering is a very important stage in their development.” — David Gottesman
“Every dad, if he takes time out of his busy life to reflect upon his fatherhood, can learn ways to become an even better dad.” — Jack Baker
“If the past cannot teach the present, and the father cannot teach the son, then history need not have bothered to go on, and the world has wasted a great deal of time.” — Russell Hoban
“Don’t worry that children never listen to you; worry that they’re always watching you.” — Robert Fulghum
“There will always be a few people who have the courage to love what is untamed inside us. One of those men is my father.” — Alison Lohman
