Father’s Day is here (or it will be soon, depending on when you read this).
A day when we celebrate the dads and father figures in our lives and express our gratitude for their love, wisdom and support (and for just being the way they are).
And in today’s post I want to help you with that by sharing 110 of the most heartfelt, meaningful, funny and inspirational Father’s Day quotes.
Use one of a few of them in a card, in a text message or in real life sometime during the day. Or for expressing your thankfulness on social media like Instagram.
No matter how you use them, I hope they will help you and the dads in your life to have positive and happy day.
The Best Inspirational Father’s Day Quotes and Sayings
“Bigger than the sky. Deeper than the ocean. Forever and for always. A Father’s Love.”
– Jeannie Hund
“My father didn’t tell me how to live. He lived and let me watch him do it.”
– Clarence Budington Kelland
“Some people don’t believe in heroes, but they haven’t met my dad.”
– Unknown
“Success, and even life itself, wouldn’t be worth anything if I didn’t have my children by my side. They mean everything to me.”
– Jude Law
“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
“I love my father as the stars – he’s a bright shining example and a happy twinkling in my heart.”
– Terri Guillemets
“Having kids is one of the few things in my life that I wish I did sooner. And I didn’t have kids late, so it’s not like, ‘Oh, I’m going to be old when I have kids.’ I’ve just so enjoyed it; it’s made me better in so many ways.”
– Ryan Holiday
“A father is the one friend upon whom we can always rely.”
– Emile Gaboriau
“Dads are most ordinary men turned by love into heroes, adventurers, story-tellers, and singers of song.”
– Pam Brown
“Daddies don’t just love their children every now and then, it’s a love without end.”
– George Straight
“Any man can be a father, but it takes someone special to be a dad.”
– Anne Geddes
“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
“My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person: He believed in me.”
– Jim Valvano
“Confident women are raised by loving dads.”
– Nitya Prakash
“The nature of impending fatherhood is that you’re doing something that you’re unqualified to do, and then you become qualified while doing it.”
– John Green
“Never is a man more of a man than when he is the father of a newborn.”
– Matthew McConaughey
“An almost perfect relationship with his father was the earthly root of all his wisdom.”
– C.S. Lewis
“It is not flesh and blood but the heart which makes us fathers and sons.”
– Friedrich Schiller
“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
“A good father is one of the most unsung, unpraised, unnoticed, and yet one of the most valuable assets in our society.”
– Billy Graham
“Family isn’t always blood. It’s the people in your life who want you in theirs. The ones who accept you for who you are. The ones who would do anything to see you smile, and who love you no matter what.”
– Maya Angelou
“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
“Being a father 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
“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
Meaningful Father’s Day Quotes from a Daughter or Son
“I am not ashamed to say that no man I ever met was my father’s equal, and I never loved any other man as much.”
– Hedy Lamarr
“My father gave me my dreams. Thanks to him, I could see a future.”
– Liza Minnelli
“Every son quotes his father, in words and in deeds.”
– Terri Guillemets
“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
“Old as she was, she still missed her daddy sometimes.”
– Gloria Naylor
“A daughter needs a dad to be the standard against which she will judge all men.”
– Gregory E. Lang
“On behalf of every man looking out for every girl, you are the God and the weight of her world.”
– John Mayer
“Being a daddy’s girl is like having permanent armor for the rest of your life.”
– Marinela Reka
“A little girl giggles when she is denied an ice-cream by her mother. She knows daddy will get her some later.”
– Unknown
“Until you have a son of your own… you will never know the joy, the love beyond feeling that resonates in the heart of a father as he looks upon his son.”
– Kent Nerburn
“My dad is my best friend, my father, and my boss. When I do something that is exciting and he likes it, it feels three times as good as you can imagine.”
– David Lauren
“I feel that the greatest gift that I can give my children is the freedom to be who they are.”
– Will Smith
“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
“The biggest lesson for my kids is that they know they are the most important things I have. No matter what is going on in my life, your kids are forever.”
– Lin Manuel Miranda
“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
“I think my mom put it best. She said, ‘Little girls soften their daddy’s hearts.’”
– Paul Walker
“I decided in my life that I would do nothing that did not reflect positively on my father’s life.”
– Sidney Poitier
“I love my dad, no matter what we go through, no matter how much we argue, I know in the end, he’ll always be there for me.”
– Unknown
“I cannot think of any need in childhood as strong as the need for a father’s protection.”
– Sigmund Freud
“My Father’s Day gift to you is letting you pretend to be in charge of the family for a day.”
– Unknown
“Morning without you is a dwindled dawn.”
– Emily Dickinson
“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
Funny Father’s Day Quotes on Fatherhood
“Remember: What Dad really wants is a nap. Really.”
– Dave Barry
“Raising a child is like wrestling a small but relentless opponent.”
– Stephen Colbert
“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
“My daughter got me a ‘World’s Best Dad’ mug. So we know she’s sarcastic.”
– Bob Odenkirk
“Good dads forgive your mistakes. Great dads help you hide them from mom.”
– Bill Gray
“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 want my son to wear a helmet 24 hours a day. If it was socially acceptable I’d be the first one to have my kid in a full helmet and like a cage across his face mask.”
– Will Arnett
“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
“It’s a great joy but no test of love or commitment to take your son to a ball game. You really prove your credentials as a good dad when you are willing to take your daughter shopping – more than once.”
– Michael Josephson
“By the time a man realizes that maybe his father was right, he usually has a son who thinks he’s wrong.”
– Charles Wadsworth
“Be nice to your dad. Most of fatherhood feels like going through customs with an outdated passport.”
– Jim Gaffigan
“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
“Being a great father is like shaving. No matter how good you shaved today, you have to do it again tomorrow.”
– Reed Markham
“Fatherhood is great because you can ruin someone from scratch.”
– Jon Stewart
“Having children is like living in a frat house. Nobody sleeps, everything’s broken and there’s a lot of throwing up.”
– Ray Romano
“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
“I’ve always said that if my son thinks of me as one of his idiot friends, I’ve succeeded as a dad.”
– Phil Dunphy (from the TV-show Modern Family)
“A father carries pictures where his money used to be.”
– Steve Martin
“Being a dad is 30% patience, 20% heart, and 50% making stuff up.”
– Bill Gray
“Fatherhood is full of challenges, but eventually they move out.”
– Dan Taylor
“A man knows when he is growing old because he begins to look like his father.”
– Gabriel Garcia Marquez
“Lately all my friends are worried they’re turning into their fathers. I’m worried I’m not.”
– Dan Zevin
“I’ve been to war. I’ve raised twins. If I had a choice, I’d rather go to war.”
– George W. Bush
“It is so embarrassing how I went from a person who did not care about anyone’s children. Then you have them, and you brag about the same stuff that you never cared about. And you tell people, he’s got four teeth, like they care.”
– Seth Meyers
Heartfelt and Positive Father’s Day Quotes from a Wife to a Husband
“Blessed indeed is the man who hears many gentle voices call him father.”
– Lydia Maria Child
“We never know the love of a parent till we become parents ourselves.”
– Henry Ward Beecher
“Great fathers don’t find fault. Great fathers find solutions.”
– Reed Markham
“I always thought you’d make a great dad. Now, I know it. Happy Father’s Day to an amazing husband.”
– Unknown
“Nothing has brought me more peace and content in life than simply being a good husband and father.”
– Frank Abagnale
“I hope I’m at least half the dad that he didn’t have to be.”
– Brad Paisley
“Fatherhood…it’s 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
“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
“The reward of child rearing is spending the rest of your life proudly knowing this person you helped guide.”
– Mike Sager
“A man never stands as tall as when he kneels to help a child.”
– Knights of Pythagoras
“I never knew how much I loved your daddy until I saw how much he loved you.”
– Unknown
“Fatherhood is one of the best reasons to need a little extra coffee.”
– Lauren Schimming
“It’s an ongoing joy being a dad.”
– Liam Neeson
“What makes Will the best father in the world to me is that he’s there, not just there in a way that’s traditional. The emotional support he offers his children is immeasurable.”
– Jada Pinkett Smith
“The greatest thing a father can do for his children is love their mother.”
– Anjaneth Garcia Untalan
“A happy family is a reflection of a good father and a loving husband.”
– Unknown
“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
“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
“Becoming a father, I think it inevitably changes your perspective of life.”
– Hugh Jackman
“Fatherhood is a marathon, not a sprint.”
– Paul L. Lewis
“When all the dust is settled and the crowds are gone, the things that matter are faith, family, and friends.”
– Barbara Bush
“A father’s tears and fears are unseen, his love is unexpressed, but his care and protection remains as a pillar of strength throughout our lives.”
– Ama H. Vanniarachchy
Short Father’s Day Quotes and Sayings
“My dad’s my best mate, and he always will be.”
– Cher Lloyd
“Sometimes I think my papa is an accordion. When he looks at me and smiles and breathes, I hear the notes.”
– Markus Zusak
“Family is not an important thing. It’s everything.”
– Michael J. Fox
“My dad taught me that good health is all about living in gratitude.”
– Mariska Hargitay
“Dad: A son’s first hero, a daughter’s first love.”
– Unknown
“The power of a dad in a child’s life is unmatched.”
– Justin Ricklefs
“It’s the courage to raise a child that makes you a father.”
– Barack Obama
“The most amazing feeling I feel / Words can’t describe what I’m feeling for real / Maybe I paint the sky blue / My greatest creation was you.”
– Jay-Z
“There is no teacher equal to mother and there’s nothing more contagious than the dignity of a father.”
– Amit Ray
“Children learn to smile from their parents.”
– Shinichi Suzuki
“A happy family is but an earlier heaven.”
– George Bernard Shaw
“For every dream that has taken flight, there’s a father who believed.”
– Jennifer Fujita
“A great father makes his family feel so blessed.”
– Diana Manning
“Having a place to go is a home. Having someone to love is a family. Having both is a blessing.”
– Donna Hedges
“Fathers, be good to your daughters. You are the god and the weight of her world.”
– John Mayer
“It is a wise father that knows his own child.”
– William Shakespeare
“The greatest mark of a father is how he treats his children when no one is looking.”
– Dan Pearce
“Nobody has ever measured, even poets, how much a heart can hold.”
– Zelda Fitzgerald
“A father’s smile has been known to light up a child’s entire day.”
– Susan Gale
“Becoming a dad is one thing; being a dad is many things.”
– Steve Chapman
Want more inspiration for this season? Then check out these inspirational graduation quotes and the inspirational June quotes here. Plus, the inspirational summer quotes in this post and also this one filled with funny summer quotes.