“He didn't tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it.”
Clarence Budington Kelland
ExampleLife Lessons
Dad Quotes
200 FAMOUS QUOTES · DAD
Dad Quotes
Read 200 of the best dad quotes, heartfelt and funny, from Clarence Budington Kelland, Jim Valvano, Barack Obama, Umberto Eco, Alia Bhatt and more for Father's Day, cards and captions.
“My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person: he believed in me.”
Jim Valvano
BeliefGratitude
“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.”
Wade Boggs
Special DadLove
“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
PlaytimePriorities
“My dad encouraged us to fail. Growing up, he would ask us what we failed at that week. If we didn't have something, he would be disappointed.”
Sara Blakely
FailureLife Lessons
“My father was my teacher. But most importantly he was a great dad.”
Beau Bridges
TeacherGreat Dad
“I never had a speech from my father, "This is what you must do or shouldn't do," but I just learned to be led by example.”Adam Sandler
ExampleLife Lessons
“My father taught me that the only way you can make good at anything is to practise, and then practise some more.”
Pete Rose
PracticeHard Work
“To this day, my dad has never asked me to go play golf. I ask him. It's the child's desire to play that matters, not the parent's desire to have the child play.”
Tiger Woods
“He's the most selfless man I know, and I think if I'm half the man he is, I'll be all right in this world.”
Josh Allen
SelflessnessRole Model
“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
Hard WorkCalm
“As my dad said, "It is what it is. It's not what it should have been, not what it could have been, it is what it is."
Nicole Kidman
AcceptanceDad's Advice
“My dad is too cute. Every morning, he sends me one motivational quote. I have a folder full of all his quotes.”
Alia Bhatt
DaughtersLove
“Whenever I fail as a father or husband, a toy and a diamond always works.”
Shah Rukh Khan
FunnyFatherhood
“Dad taught me everything I know. Unfortunately, he didn't teach me everything he knows.”
Al Unser
FunnyLife Lessons
“My father had a profound influence on me. He was a lunatic.”
Spike Milligan
FunnyInfluence
“My father was not a failure. After all, he was the father of a president of the United States.”
Harry S. Truman
PrideFunny
“A father is a man who expects his son to be as good a man as he meant to be.”
Frank A. Clark
SonsExpectations
“It is easier for a father to have children than for children to have a real father.”
Pope John XXIII
Real DadResponsibility
“When one has not had a good father, one must create one.”Friedrich Nietzsche
Father FiguresWisdom
“The Child is father of the Man.”
William Wordsworth
ChildhoodPoetry
“Love and fear. Everything the father of a family says must inspire one or the other.”
Joseph Joubert
AuthorityLove
“Fathers are biological necessities, but social accidents.”
Margaret Mead
FatherhoodWit
“I cannot think of any need in childhood as strong as the need for a father's protection.”
Sigmund Freud
ProtectionChildhood
“It doesn't matter who my father was; it matters who I remember he was.”
Anne Sexton
MemoriesRemembering Dad
Related Topics
About Dad Quotes
Dads come in every shape and style: the quiet hard worker, the terrible joke teller, the coach on the sidelines, the one who fixes everything and the one who simply shows up, every time. A good father teaches more by example than by lectures, and his lessons often make sense only years later.
This collection brings together 200 of the best dad quotes, from heartfelt tributes to funny lines about fatherhood, including words from Clarence Budington Kelland, Jim Valvano, Umberto Eco, Barack Obama, Sara Blakely, Alia Bhatt and Shah Rukh Khan. Use them for Father's Day cards, birthday messages, captions or simply to tell your dad what he means to you. For more, explore our [Father's Day Quotes](/topics/fathers-day-quotes) and [Family Quotes](/topics/family-quotes).
Frequently asked questions
Quick answers about Dad quotes.
What is the best quote about dads?
Clarence Budington Kelland's "He didn't tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it" is one of the most loved. Jim Valvano's "My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person: he believed in me" is another favourite.
Did Mark Twain say "When I was a boy of 14, my father was so ignorant"?
It's widely credited to Mark Twain, but there's no evidence he ever said or wrote it. The joke appeared in print without his name, so we've left it out.
What are some funny dad quotes?
Al Unser joked, "Dad taught me everything I know. Unfortunately, he didn't teach me everything he knows." Spike Milligan said, "My father had a profound influence on me. He was a lunatic."
What is a good quote about fathers and daughters?
Euripides wrote, "To a father growing old nothing is dearer than a daughter." Joseph Addison called a father's love for his daughter the most "purely angelic" affection.
What is a comforting quote for someone missing their dad?
Mitch Albom wrote, "Death ends a life, not a relationship." Helen Keller added, "All that we love deeply becomes a part of us."
What is a short dad quote?
Try "Like father, like son," "Father knows best," "The heart of a father is the masterpiece of nature" or "Make each day your masterpiece."