For many of us, our father is the 1 man who truly made a difference in this world. Who made it special. Who was there for us in our times of need. And sometimes it’s hard to find the words to express that.
So I’ve compiled a list of great Father’s Day quotes to help us find the words to express to Dad this year, like this one which I love:
“You don’t really understand human nature unless you know why a child on a merry-go-round will wave at his parents every time around — and why his parents will always wave back.” – William D. Tammeus
So here in this article, I’ve compiled a list of 201 of my favorite Father’s Day quotes.
201 Great Father’s Day Quotes
- “My father gave me my dreams. Thanks to him, I could see a future.” — Liza Minnelli
- “The greatest mark of a father is how he treats his children when no one is looking.” — Dan Pearce
- “My dad, like any coach, has always stressed the fundamentals. He taught me responsibility, accountability, and the importance of hard work.” — Steve Young
- “I have always had the feeling I could do anything, and my dad told me I could. I was in college before I found out he might be wrong.” — Ann Richards
- “I have never been a material girl. My father always told me never to love anything that cannot love you back.” — Imelda Marcos
- “What a father says to his children is not heard by the world, but it will be heard by posterity.” — Jean Paul
- “My father taught me to work hard, laugh often, and keep my word.” — Michelle Obama
- “You don’t have to deserve your mother’s love. You have to deserve your father’s. He’s more particular.” — Robert Frost
- “A father’s words are like a thermostat that sets the temperature in the house.” — Paul Lewis
- “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 B. Markham
- “He didn’t tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it.” — Clarence B. Kelland
- “Good fathers do three things: they provide, they nurture, and they guide.” — Roland Warren
- “The heart of a father is the masterpiece of nature.” — Antoine François Prévost
- “A good father is one of the most unsung, unpraised, unnoticed, and yet one of the most valuable assets in our society.” — Billy Graham
- “There’s no shame in fear, my father told me. What matters is how we face it.” — George R.R. Martin
- “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
- “Just taught my kids about taxes by eating 38% of their ice cream.” — Conan O’Brien
- “A father carries pictures where his money used to be.” — Steve 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
- “I have found the best way to give advice to your children is to find out what they want and then advise them to do it.” — Harry S. Truman
- “Dad taught me everything I know. Unfortunately, he didn’t teach me everything he knows.” — Al Unser
- “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.” — Hillary Lytle
- “There are three stages of a man’s life: He believes in Santa Claus, he doesn’t believe in Santa Claus, he is Santa Claus.” — Unknown
- “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
- “You gotta love dads. At my wedding, when I tripped on my wedding dress and fell flat on my face, Dad said, ‘Don’t worry, you’ll do better next time.'” — Melanie White
- “A father is a banker provided by nature.” — French Proverb
- “The older I get, the smarter my father seems to get.” — Tim Russert
- “If at first you don’t succeed, call Dad.” — Unknown
- “I think every kid thinks their dad is goofy.” — Judd Apatow
- “My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person: he believed in me.” — Jim Valvano
- “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
- “Father: a son’s first hero, and a daughter’s first love.” — Unknown
- “The reward of child rearing is spending the rest of your life proudly knowing this person you helped guide.” — Mike Sager
- “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.” — Unknown
- “In times of trouble you can count on yourself. In times of disaster you can count on your friends. In times of sorrow you can count on your Father.” — William C. Richardson
- “Everyone can be a father, but it takes a lot to be a dad.” — Wade Boggs
- “I cannot think of any need in childhood as strong as the need for a father’s protection.” — Sigmund Freud
- “My father has always provided me a safe place to land and a hard place from which to launch.” — Chelsea Clinton
- “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
- “My father didn’t do anything unusual. He only did what dads are supposed to do—be there.” — Max Lucado
- “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
- “The thrill of being a great father is not seeing your children go on to become successful adults. The thrill of a great father is the journey, experiencing your child’s successes along the pathway to their greatness.” — Reed Markham
- “It was times like these when I thought my father, who hated guns and had never been to any wars, was the bravest man who ever lived.” — Harper Lee, To Kill A Mockingbird
- “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
- “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
- “The imprint of a father remains forever on the life of the child.” — Roy Lessin
- “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
- “Dads are most ordinary men turned by love into heroes, adventurers, story tellers, singers of songs.” — Pam Brown
- “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
- “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.” — Unknown
- “A truly rich man is one whose children run into his arms when his hands are empty.” — Unknown
- “Nothing has brought me more peace and content in life than simply being a good husband and father.” — Frank Abagnale
- “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
- “My fingers may be small but I’ve got my daddy wrapped around them.” — Unknown
- “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, Go Set a Watchman
- “A girl’s first true love is her father.” — Marisol Santiago
- “Every girl dreams about living the life of a princess. I have never dreamed of that because I have always been treated like a princess by you.” — Unknown
- “Being a daddy’s girl is like having permanent armor for the rest of your life.” — Marinela Reka
- “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 daughter may outgrow your lap but she’ll never outgrow your heart.” — Unknown
- “A daughter needs a dad to be the standard against which she will judge all men.” — Unknown
- “To her, the name of father was another name for love.” — Fanny Fern
- “No one in this world can love a girl more than her father.” — Michael Ratnadeepak
- “A father holds his daughter’s hand for a short while but he holds her heart forever.” — Unknown
- “To a father growing old, nothing is dearer than a daughter.” — Euripides
- “Behind every great daughter is a truly amazing father.” — Unknown
- “A man’s daughter is his heart. Just with feet, walking out in the world.” — Mat Johnson
- “A father’s job isn’t to teach his daughter how to be a lady, it’s to teach her how a lady should be treated.” — Unknown
- “A girl’s father is the first man in her life, and probably the most influential.” — David Jeremiah
- “No man I ever met was my father’s equal, and I never loved any other man as much.” — Hedy Lamarr
- “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
- “Certain is it that there is no kind of affection so purely angelic as of a father to a daughter. In love to our wives there is desire; to our sons, ambition; but to our daughters there is something which there are no words to express.” — Joseph Addison
- “Lately all my friends are worried they’re turning into their fathers. I’m worried I’m not.” — Dan Zevin
- “Every father should remember that one day his son will follow his example instead of his advice.” — Charles F. Kettering
- “Every son quotes his father, in words and in deeds.” — Terri Guillemets
- “A man knows when he is growing old because he begins to look like his father.” — Gabriel Garcia Marquez
- “When a father gives to his son, both laugh; when a son gives to his father, both cry.” — Yiddish Proverb
- “By the time a man realizes that maybe his father was right, he usually has a son who thinks he’s wrong.” — Charles Wadsworth
- “You don’t raise heroes, you raise sons. And if you treat them like sons, they’ll turn out to be heroes, even if it’s just in your own eyes.” — Wally Schirra
- “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
- “Daddy, you are as smart as Ironman, as strong as the Hulk, as fast as Superman, as brave as Batman. You are my favorite superhero.” — Unknown
- “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
- “There must always be a struggle between a father and son, while one aims at power and the other at independence.” — Samuel Johnson
- “A father is a man who expects his son to be as good a man as he meant to be.” — Frank A. Clark
- “Small boys become big men through the influence of big men who care about small boys.” — Unknown
- “The father who does not teach his son his duties is equally guilty with the son who neglects them.” — Confucius
- “When you teach your son, you teach your son’s son.” — The Talmud
- “Daddies don’t just love their children every now and then, it’s a love without end.” — George Strait
- “I learned from you that I do not crumble. I learned that strength is something you choose.” — Miley Cyrus and Billy Ray Cyrus
- “A man who doesn’t spend time with his family can never be a real man.” — Marlon Brando, The Godfather
- “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, Flicka
- “It doesn’t matter who my father was; it matters who I remember he was.” — Anne Sexton
- “Dad, your guiding hand on my shoulder will remain with me forever.” — Unknown
- “Dad, wherever you are, you are gone, but you will never be forgotten.” — Conrad Hall
- “My father died many years ago, and yet when something special happens to me, I talk to him secretly not really knowing whether he hears, but it makes me feel better to half believe it.” — Natasha Josefowitz
- “My dad taught me everything except how to live without him.” — Unknown
- “A father’s love still travels on after he’s gone. A treasure hidden in the hearts of his children.” — John Mark Green
- “Dads and daughters have a bond that transcends death.” — Unknown
- “It is not flesh and blood but the heart which makes us fathers and sons.” — Friedrich von Schiller
- “Any man can be a father, but it takes someone special to be a dad.” — Anne Geddes
- “It is easier for a father to have children than for children to have a real father.” — Pope John XXIII
- “Any fool can have a child. That doesn’t make you a father. It’s the courage to raise a child that makes you a father.” — Barack Obama
- “When my father didn’t have my hand, he had my back.” — Linda Poindexter
- “Great fathers don’t find fault. Great fathers find solutions.” — Reed Markham
- “The power of a dad in a child’s life is unmatched.” — Justin Ricklefs
- “A father is someone you look up to no matter how tall you grow.” — Unknown
- “It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.” — Frederick Douglass
- “One father is more than a hundred schoolmasters.” — George Herbert
- “Fathers just have a way of putting everything together.” — Erika Cosby
- “No man stands so tall than when he stoops to help a child.” — James Dobson
- “A father’s smile has been known to light up a child’s entire day.” — Susan Gale
- “A father doesn’t tell you that he loves you. He shows you.” — Dimitri the Stoneheart
- “It is a wise father that knows his own child.” — William Shakespeare
- “Some people don’t believe in heroes but they haven’t met my dad.” — Unknown
- “Sometimes the poorest man leaves his children the richest inheritance.” — Ruth E. Renkel
- “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
- “On our 6 a.m. walk, my daughter asked where the moon goes each morning. I let her know it’s in heaven visiting Daddy’s freedom.” — Ryan Reynolds
- “A man is not complete until he has seen the baby he has made.” — Sammy Davis, Jr.
- “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
- “Never is a man more of a man than when he is the father of a newborn.” — Matthew McConaughey
- “The only way I can describe fatherhood is at the end of How the Grinch Stole Christmas, you know how his heart grows like five times? Everything is full; it’s just full all the time.” — Matt Damon
- “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 swum in it.” — Michael Bublé
- “To a small child, the perfect granddad is unafraid of big dogs and fierce storms, but absolutely terrified of the word ‘boo.'” — Robert Brault
- “Every generation revolts against its fathers and makes friends with its grandfathers.” — Lewis Mumford
- “A grandfather is someone with silver in his hair and gold in his heart.” — Unknown
- “One of the most powerful handclasps is that of a new grandbaby around the finger of a grandfather.” — Joy Hargrove
- “Grandfathers are for loving and fixing things.” — Unknown
- “A baby has a way of making a man out of his father and a boy out of his grandfather.” — Angie Papadakis
- “Grandpas bring a little wisdom, happiness, warmth and love to every life they touch.” — Unknown
- “My grandfather always said that living is like licking honey off a thorn.” — Louis Adamic
- “Great fathers get promoted to grandfathers.” — Joseph Marshall III
- “Blessed indeed is the man who hears many gentle voices call him father!” — Lydia M. Child
- “Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one’s youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them.” — Psalm 127:3–5
- “Father! – to God himself we cannot give a holier name.” — William Wordsworth
- “Children’s children are a crown to the aged, and parents are the pride of their children.” — Proverbs 17:6
- “Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you.” — Deuteronomy 5:16
- “So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.” — Luke 15:20
- “Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.” — Proverbs 22:6
- “A father’s love is forever imprinted on his child’s heart.” — Unknown
- “I may not find the perfect words to thank you, but everything I am today is because of you.” — Unknown
- “You weren’t just my dad—you were my safe place, my teacher, and my biggest fan.” — Unknown
- “Even when you said little, your love spoke volumes.” — Unknown
- “I carry your lessons with me every day.” — Unknown
- “I didn’t realize how strong my father was until I saw him be gentle with me.” — Unknown
- “Your strength has been my shelter. Your kindness, my guide.” — Unknown
- “A father’s promises are built with forever in mind.” — Unknown
- “You’ve held my hand, wiped my tears, and lifted me higher than I could ever reach on my own.” — Unknown
- “The memories we’ve built are the foundation of who I am. Thank you, Dad.” — Unknown
- “Fatherhood is about leading with strength and loving without conditions.” — Unknown
- “A great dad shows the way by walking it himself.” — Unknown
- “A father is not a provider of answers, but a teacher of how to find them.” — Unknown
- “The measure of a father is not in what he says, but in what he consistently does.” — Unknown
- “He didn’t just show me how to make a living. He showed me how to make a life.” — Unknown
- “Fatherhood: where your legacy is written in the character of your children.” — Unknown
- “A great father plants trees under whose shade he knows he will never sit.” — Unknown
- “Dad, you are the standard by which I will judge every man in my life.” — Unknown
- “Daddy, you are my first hero and my forever protector.” — Unknown
- “You taught me confidence by believing in me.” — Unknown
- “A father shapes his daughter’s view of the world and her place in it.” — Unknown
- “No matter how old I get, I’ll always be your little girl. And I’ll always need my dad.” — Unknown
- “You are the silent strength behind my loudest achievements.” — Unknown
- “My love for you is a quiet constant, like your presence has always been in my life.” — Unknown
- “A grandfather is a little bit parent, a little bit teacher, and a little bit best friend.” — Unknown
- “Grandpa, you’re a father twice over—thank you for the double dose of love.” — Unknown
- “Your legacy lives on in the stories you tell and the love you give.” — Unknown
- “Grandpa, you’re a living library of love, laughter, and wonderful stories.” — Unknown
- “A grandpa is a father with a second chance to enjoy the magic of childhood.” — Unknown
- “Happy Father’s Day to the patriarch of our family tree. Your roots give us strength.” — Unknown
- “Grandfathers are for spoiling, guiding, and leaving fingerprints on our hearts.” — Unknown
- “A good father is a source of inspiration and self-discipline.” — A.P.J. Abdul Kalam
- “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
- “I love my father as the stars—he’s a bright shining example and a happy twinkling in my heart.” — Terri Guillemets
- “Average fathers have patience. Good fathers have more patience. Great fathers have an ocean of patience.” — Reed Markham
- “Being a dad isn’t easy… but when somebody does it right, it reminds the rest of us what a world-changing difference a good dad can make.” — Andrew Blackburn
- “A dad has arms to lift high, a heart to love, shoulders to support, a smile to reassure, a hand of blessing to send you out into the world, a warm embrace to welcome you back home.” — Keely Chace
- “They go beyond. They go above. Fathers have mastered how to love.” — Keion Jackson
- “Father is the noblest title a man can be given.” — Robert L. Backman
- “Fatherly love is the act of giving your life for the sake of someone else’s needs.” — Nate Dallas
- “But there’s no substitute for a full-time dad. Dads who are fully engaged with their kids overwhelmingly tend to produce children who believe in themselves and live full lives.” — Tony Dungy
- “A father’s tears and fears are unseen, his love is unexpressed, but his care and protection remain as a pillar of strength throughout our lives.” — Ama H. Vanniarachchy
- “Fatherhood is a marathon, not a sprint.” — Paul L. Lewis
- “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
- “What makes you a man is not the ability to have a child—it’s the courage to raise one.” — Barack Obama
- “He adopted a role called being a father so that his child would have something mythical and infinitely important: a protector.” — Tom Wolfe
- “To the world, you are a dad. But to our family, you are the world.” — Unknown
- “Father: Respected for his wisdom. Appreciated for his strength. Admired for his love.” — Barbara Loots
- “With sons and fathers, there’s an inexplicable connection and imprint that your father leaves on you.” — Brad Pitt
- “It’s a father’s duty to give his sons a fine chance.” — George Eliot
- “The older a man gets, the more he values everything his dad gave him.” — Unknown
- “No matter how tall a son grows, he will always look up to his dad.” — Unknown
- “A son may outgrow a father’s lap, but he will never outgrow his heart.” — Unknown
- “Remember: What Dad really wants is a nap. Really.” — Dave Barry
- “Even though I’m proud my dad invented the rearview mirror, we’re not as close as we appear.” — Stewart Francis
- “To be a successful father, there’s one absolute rule: When you have a kid, don’t look at it for the first two years.” — Ernest Hemingway
- “Having children is like living in a frat house. Nobody sleeps, everything’s broken and there’s a lot of throwing up.” — Ray Romano
- “Fatherhood is great because you can ruin someone from scratch.” — Jon Stewart
- “In your absence, I’ve learned to be strong, brave, and independent. Thank you for instilling these qualities in me, Dad.” — Unknown
- “In heaven’s embrace, I believe you’re still watching over me and guiding my steps.” — Unknown
- “I have a Guardian Angel in heaven, and I call him Dad.” — Unknown
- “Wish you were here with me today. Of all the gifts in life, however great or small, to have you as my dad was the greatest gift of all.” — Unknown
- “Life will never be the same without you, Dad. Your absence is felt deeply, especially on Father’s Day.” — Unknown
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Jeff Campbell is a father, martial artist, budget-master, Disney-addict, musician, and recovering foodie having spent over 2 decades as a leader for Whole Foods Market. Click Here to learn more about me. Click Here to learn more about my site. Editorial Policies.
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