Holidays & Occasions Father's Day 50 Father's Day Quotes To Celebrate Dad The perfect way to fill a Father's Day card or Instagram caption. By Southern Living Editors Updated on January 20, 2023 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: evgenyatamanenko/Getty Images Even though we should let Dad know how much we love him every day, Father's Day is really the time to step it up in the flattery department. Lucky for you, these Father's Day quotes have you covered. Whether you need a few words of inspiration to fill in that funny card you bought him or you're in search of a not-so-cheesy Father's Day Instagram caption, refer to these Father's Day quotes. When you can't find the right words this Father's Day, don't worry. Authors, actors, musicians, poets, and other public figures have them ready for you with these Father's Day quotes. Whether you want to make Dad laugh, cry (happy tears only), or maybe a mixture of both, there's surely a quote on this list to do the trick. If you haven't gotten him a Father's Day gift yet, even sending him a simple text with one of these sweet quotes will make his day. (But you should still go get him a gift.) It's time to plan ahead for Father's Day, and these quotes are the perfect way to show Dad your love and appreciation this year. 01 of 49 Pam Brown Southern Living "Dads are most ordinary men turned by love into heroes, adventurers, story-tellers, and singers of song." – Pam Brown 02 of 49 Bob Odenkirk Southern Living "My daughter got me a 'World's Best Dad' mug. So we know she's sarcastic." – Bob Odenkirk 03 of 49 Christopher Hitchens, from Hitch-22: A Memoir Southern Living "To be the father of growing daughters is to understand something of what Yeats evokes with his imperishable phrase 'terrible beauty.' Nothing can make one so happily exhilarated or so frightened: it's a solid lesson in the limitations of self to realize that your heart is running around inside someone else's body." – Christopher Hitchens, from Hitch-22: A Memoir 04 of 49 Wade Boggs "Anyone can be a father, but it takes someone special to be a dad, and that's why I call you dad, because you are so special to me. You taught me the game and you taught me how to play it right." – Wade Boggs 05 of 49 Scott Eastwood, to Town & Country "My father taught me not to overthink things, that nothing will ever be perfect, so just keep moving and do your best…" – Scott Eastwood, to Town & Country 06 of 49 Brad Paisley "I hope I'm at least half the dad that he didn't have to be." – Brad Paisley 07 of 49 Charles Wadsworth "By the time a man realizes that his father was right, he has a son who thinks he's wrong." – Charles Wadsworth 08 of 49 Umberto Eco, from Foucault's Pendulum "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, from Foucault's Pendulum 09 of 49 Natasha Richardson, to The Guardian "What my father especially taught me was to not always take the safe road, the easy road. If you are going to do good work, you have to risk failing badly." – Natasha Richardson, to The Guardian 10 of 49 Billy Graham "A good father is one of the most unsung, unpraised, unnoticed, and yet one of the most valuable assets in our society." – Billy Graham 11 of 49 Helen Steiner Rice, from Fathers Are Wonderful People Southern Living "Fathers are wonderful people too little understood, And we do not sing their praises as often as we should… And like our heavenly Father, he's a guardian and a guide, Someone that we can count on to be always on our side." – Helen Steiner Rice, from Fathers Are Wonderful People 12 of 49 Unknown "Dad: A son's first hero, a daughter's first love." – Unknown 13 of 49 President Harry Truman "I have found the very best way to advise your children is to find out what they want to do and advise them to do it." – President Harry Truman 14 of 49 Reed Markham Southern Living "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 15 of 49 Michael Jordan "He was there when I didn't understand, he was there when I was wrong, he was there when I cried, he was there when I lied. For some reason my dad was always there, when I needed him the most." – Michael Jordan 16 of 49 Ella Wheeler Wilcox, from Father "He never made a fortune, or a noise In the world where men are seeking after fame; But he had a healthy brood of girls and boys Who loved the very ground on which he trod. They thought him just little short of God; Oh you should have heard the way they said his name – 'Father.'" – Ella Wheeler Wilcox, from Father 17 of 49 Jenna Bush Hager, in an editorial for TODAY "He was the first man in my life, the man who taught me how to love." – Jenna Bush Hager, in an editorial for TODAY 18 of 49 Margaret Truman Southern Living "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 19 of 49 Hedy Lamarr Southern Living "I am not ashamed to say that no man I ever met was my father's equal, and I never loved any man as much." – Hedy Lamarr 20 of 49 Matt Damon, to Parade "The only way I can describe [fatherhood]—it sounds stupid, but—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, to Parade 21 of 49 Unknown "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 22 of 49 Tim Russert, from Big Russ & Me: Father & Son: Lessons of Life Southern Living "The older I get the smarter my father seems to get." – Tim Russert, from Big Russ & Me: Father & Son: Lessons of Life 23 of 49 Hugh Jackman, in an interview with 60 Minutes "My father is my rock. It's where I learned everything about loyalty, dependability, about being there day-in, day-out, no matter what." – Hugh Jackman, in an interview with 60 Minutes 24 of 49 Edgar Guest, from Father "In conversation father can Do many wondrous things; He's built upon a wiser plan Than presidents or kings. He knows the ins and outs of each And every deep transaction; We look to him for theories, But look to ma for action." – Edgar Guest, from Father 25 of 49 George Herbert "One father is more than a hundred schoolmasters." – George Herbert 26 of 49 Emile Gaboriau, from File Number 113 And The Little Old Man Of Batignolles Southern Living "A father is the one friend upon whom we can always rely." – Emile Gaboriau, from File Number 113 And The Little Old Man Of Batignolles 27 of 49 Pink Southern Living "My dad raised me with some good advice: Always tell the truth. Always shoot from the hip. You might not have many friends, but you'll never have enemies, because people will always know where you're coming from." – Pink 28 of 49 Marishka Hargitay Southern Living "My dad taught me that good health is all about living in gratitude." – Marishka Hargitay 29 of 49 George Strait "Daddies don't just love their children every now and then, it's a love without end." – George Strait 30 of 49 Neil Patrick Harris, via Instagram Being a parent is the single most challenging thing I've ever done/continue to do, but it's also far and away the greatest joy in my life. It has given me purpose, taught me patience, and expanded my heart." – Neil Patrick Harris, via Instagram 31 of 49 Edgar Guest, from A Boy and His Dad Southern Living "A boy and his dad on a fishing-trip— Builders of life's companionship! Oh, I envy them, as I see them there Under the sky in the open air, For out of the old, old long-ago Come the summer days that I used to know, When I learned life's truths from my father's lips As I shared the joy of his fishing-trips." – Edgar Guest, from A Boy and His Dad 32 of 49 C.S. Lewis, from Lilith "An almost perfect relationship with his father was the earthly root of all his wisdom." – C.S. Lewis, from Lilith 33 of 49 F. Scott Fitzgerald, from The Great Gatsby "In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I've been turning over in my mind ever since. 'Whenever you feel like criticizing any one,' he told me, 'just remember that all the people in this world haven't had the advantages that you've had.'" – F. Scott Fitzgerald, from The Great Gatsby 34 of 49 Paul Walker Southern Living "I think my mom put it best. She said, 'Little girls soften their daddy's hearts.'" – Paul Walker 35 of 49 Lydia Maria Child, from Philothea: A Grecian Romance "No music is so pleasant to my ears as that word—father." – Lydia Maria Child, from Philothea: A Grecian Romance 36 of 49 Matthew McConaughey "Never is a man more of a man than when he is the father of a newborn." – Matthew McConaughey 37 of 49 Unknown Southern Living "A father is someone you look up to no matter how tall you grow." – Unknown 38 of 49 Al Unser Jr. "I'd like to take this time to thank some people. I'll start with my mom and dad. My dad for…teaching me everything that I know. He still hasn't taught me everything he knows. But we'll keep working on that as time goes on." – Al Unser Jr. 39 of 49 Barack Obama Southern Living "It's the courage to raise a child that makes you a father." – Barack Obama 40 of 49 Jim Valvano "My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person: He believed in me." – Jim Valvano 41 of 49 Conway Twitty "That's my job, that's what I do. Everything I do is because of you. To keep you safe with me, that's my job, you see." – Conway Twitty 42 of 49 Carol Coats "A father is a man who expects his children to be as good as he meant to be." – Carol Coats 43 of 49 Dan Zevin "Lately all my friends are worried they're turning into their fathers. I'm worried I'm not." – Dan Zevin 44 of 49 Unknown "A little girl giggles when she is denied an ice-cream by her mother. She knows daddy will get her some later." – Unknown 45 of 49 Steve Young Southern Living "My dad, like any coach, has always stressed the fundamentals. He taught me responsibility, accountability, and the importance of hard work." – Steve Young 46 of 49 Edgar Guest, from Only a Dad "Only a dad but he gives his all To smooth the way for his children small, Doing with courage stern and grim, The deeds that his father did for him. This is the line that for him I pen: Only a dad, but the best of men." – Edgar Guest, from Only a Dad 47 of 49 Fanny Fern Southern Living "To her, the name of father was another name for love." – Fanny Fern 48 of 49 Jim Gaffigan, from Dad Is Fat Southern Living "There should be a children's song "If you're happy and you know it, keep it to yourself and let your dad watch the football game." – Jim Gaffigan, from Dad Is Fat 49 of 49 Ken Norton "Of all the titles I've been privileged to have, 'Dad' has always been the best." – Ken Norton Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit