These heartfelt father-son quotes will have you feeling grateful for Dad this Father's Day
28 Father-Son Quotes Perfect for Sharing on Father’s Day
Updated on Jan. 29, 2025
Beautiful father-son quotes
1. “My father was my teacher. But most importantly, he was a great dad.” —Beau Bridges
2. “It’s a father’s duty to give his sons a fine chance.” —George Eliot
3. “Forget Batman: When I really thought about what I wanted to be when I grew up, I wanted to be my dad.” —Paul Asay
4. “It’s not flesh and blood but the heart that makes us father and son.” —Friedrich Schiller
5. “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
6. “I think that my strong determination for justice comes from the very strong, dynamic personality of my father. I have rarely ever met a person more fearless and courageous than my father… If I had a problem, I could always call Daddy.” —Martin Luther King, Jr.
7. “Every son quotes his father, in words and in deeds.” —Terri Guillemets
8. “Every son’s first superhero is his father.” —Tiger Shroff
9. “The older I get, the smarter my father seems to get.” —Tim Russert
10. “The older a man gets, the more he values everything his dad gave him.” —Unknown
11. “No matter how tall a son grows, he will always look up to his dad.” —Unknown
12. “I hope I can be as good of a father to my son as my dad was to me.” —Calvin Johnson
13. “Becoming a dad means you have to be a role model for your son and be someone he can look up to.” —Wayne Rooney
14. “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
Heartfelt quotes about fathers to sons
15. “My wild, wild son, run free. Ooh, you’ll know it when you’re where you’re supposed to be.” —Armin van Buren, “Wild, Wild Son”
16. “To my son, never forget that I love you. Life is filled with hard times and good times. Learn from everything you can. Be the man I know you can be.” —Unknown
17. “Do I want to be a hero to my son? No. I would like to be a very real human being. That’s hard enough.” —Robert Downey Jr.
18. “Boys are fun. They make you laugh. They are full of life and can share that energy with you. They also touch your heart; they are deeply feeling.” —Steve Biddulph
19. “My son’s the most precious thing to me; he’s changed me from being selfish to selfless.” —Ricardo Antonio Chavira
20. “But now, being a parent, I go home and see my son and I forget about any mistake I ever made or the reason I’m upset. I get home and my son is smiling or he comes running to me.” —LeBron James
Father-son quotes about fatherhood
21. “My father raised us to step toward trouble rather than to step away from it.” —Justin Trudeau
22. “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
23. “Fathering is not something perfect men do, but something that perfects the man.” —Frank Pittman
24. “It is a wise father that knows his own child.” —William Shakespeare
25. “My dad’s definition of success is when you look at your son and daughter and realize they turned out better than you.” —Joe Biden
26. “I’m struck by a few things today, most of which is the power of the invisible role model…. Perhaps it’s the newfound clarity I have as a father, knowing that my son will always be watching what I do, mimicking my behavior, one day maybe even following in my footsteps.” —Prince Harry
27. “My father believed in toughness, honesty, politeness, and being on time. All very important lessons.” —Roger Moore
28. “Don’t wait until your son is a man to make him great; make him great as a boy.” —Unknown
Why trust us
At Reader’s Digest, we’ve been sharing our favorite quotes for over 100 years. The sayings and quips that appear in the magazine’s “Quotable Quotes” (formerly “Remarkable Remarks”) are curated from interviews and essays originally published in the magazine, reprints from trusted titles and other verified sources. For this piece on kindness quotes, Meghan Jones tapped her experience as a lifestyle editor for Reader’s Digest to ensure that all information is accurate. We’ve gone the extra step and had Ambrose Martose, a fact-checker with 20-plus years of experience researching for national publications including National Geographic Adventure and Popular Mechanics, verify that all quotes are attributed correctly and have credible sourcing. Read more about our team, our contributors and our editorial policies.
