Dad Quotes

“A best friend is the only one that walks into your life when the world has walked out.”
― Shannon l. Alder

“Listen to me, kitten. Win or lose, you’ll always be a princess to me.”
― Kiera Cass, The Selection

“Dad was at his desk when I opened the door, doing what all British people do when they're freaked out: drinking tea.”
― Rachel Hawkins, Demonglass

“My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person, he believed in me.”
― Jim Valvano

“No one is ever quite ready; everyone is always caught off guard. Parenthood chooses you. And you open your eyes, look at what you've got, say "Oh, my gosh," and recognize that of all the balls there ever were, this is the one you should not drop. It's not a question of choice.”
― Marisa de los Santos, Love Walked In

“I love you beyond paint, beyond melodies, beyond words. And I hope you will always feel that, even when I'm not around to tell you so.”
― Kiera Cass, The One

“The greatest thing a father can do for his children is to respect the woman that gave birth to his children. It is because of her that you have the greatest treasures in your life. You may have moved on, but your children have not. If you can’t be her soulmate, then at least be thoughtful. Whom your children love should always be someone that you acknowledge with kindness. Your children notice everything and will follow your example.”
― Shannon L. Alder, 300 Questions for a Vibrant Marriage

“The worst thing you can be is a liar. . . . Okay, fine, yes, the worst thing you can be is a Nazi, but then number two is liar. Nazi one, liar two.”
― Justin Halpern (Sh*t My Dad Says)

“Live your life. Be happy as you can be, let go of the things that don't matter, and fight.”
― Kiera Cass, The One

“My dad once told me life would get complicated when I grew up. I’m guessing this isn’t what he meant. My mom, on the other hand, agreed with him, and I’m guessing this kind of thing is exactly what she meant.”
― Susan Ee, World After

“Let me say for now that we knew once the Creation was broken, true fathering would be much more lacking than mothering. Don't misunderstand me, both are needed- but an emphasis on fathering is necessary because of the enormity of its absence”
― Wm. Paul Young, The Shack

“My mum and dad had worked incredibly hard to afford me an education.”
― Benedict Cumberbatch

“In all of your living, don't forget to live.”
― Ricky Maye

“It's rally bad when dads cry.”
― Sarah Ockler, Twenty Boy Summer

“...some nights I'd sneak out and listen to the radio in my Dad's old Chevy - children need solitude - they don't teach that in school...”
― John Geddes, A Familiar Rain

“Father has a strengthening character like the sun and mother has a soothing temper like the moon.”
― Amit Kalantri, Wealth of Words

“Dear Deborah,

Words do not come easily for so many men. We are taught to be strong, to provide, to put away our emotions. A father can work his way through his days and never see that his years are going by. If I could go back in time, I would say some things to that young father as he holds, somewhat uncertainly, his daughter for the very first time. These are the things I would say:

When you hear the first whimper in the night, go to the nursery leaving your wife sleeping. Rock in a chair, walk the floor, sing a lullaby so that she will know a man can be gentle.

When Mother is away for the evening, come home from work, do the babysitting. Learn to cook a hotdog or a pot of spaghetti, so that your daughter will know a man can serve another's needs.

When she performs in school plays or dances in recitals, arrive early, sit in the front seat, devote your full attention. Clap the loudest, so that she will know a man can have eyes only for her.

When she asks for a tree house, don't just build it, but build it with her. Sit high among the branches and talk about clouds, and caterpillars, and leaves. Ask her about her dreams and wait for her answers, so that she will know a man can listen.

When you pass by her door as she dresses for a date, tell her she is beautiful. Take her on a date yourself. Open doors, buy flowers, look her in the eye, so that she will know a man can respect her.

When she moves away from home, send a card, write a note, call on the phone. If something reminds you of her, take a minute to tell her, so that she will know a man can think of her even when she is away.

Tell her you love her, so that she will know a man can say the words.

If you hurt her, apologize, so that she will know a man can admit that he's wrong.

These seem like such small things, such a fraction of time in the course of two lives. But a thread does not require much space. It can be too fine for the eye to see, yet, it is the very thing that binds, that takes pieces and laces them into a whole.

Without it, there are tatters.

It is never too late for a man to learn to stitch, to begin mending.

These are the things I would tell that young father, if I could.

A daughter grown up quickly. There isn't time to waste.

I love you,
Dad”
― Lisa Wingate, Dandelion Summer

“I want a tutor,” Layla said. “It would make doing homework so much easier.”
“Me too,” said Kaitlyn. “If Layla gets one, I get one.”
“No daughter of mine will ever have a tutor,” Dad said.
“What if we’re failing a course?” asked Layla.
His graying eyebrows drew together. “If you fail a single course, young lady, we will pull you out of school and get you a job scrubbing toilets for the rest of your life.”
― Claire LaZebnik, Epic Fail

“You're not gay, are you?
What?!
I mean you've never had a boyfriend. And you're not exactly...girly.
I'm not gay. I'm just unpopular.”
― Kristin Walker, A Match Made in High School

“... You can't outrun your problems, Daisy. They'll be just be waiting for you when you come back.”
― Sarah Hina, Plum Blossoms in Paris

“Bill walked slowly to Cara's dressed and leaned on the edge, folding his arms as the pine creaked under his weight. Even the furniture feared this man.”
― Melissa Landers, Alienated

“Yeah, I know, the Mars thing. I've been meaning to talk to you about that. When did you get the idea it would be cute to carve my dad's cell-phone number on a rock in the middle of Syrtis Major? He hates it when people call me on his phone."
Kit gave Nita a resigned look. "Sorry," he said, "I couldn't resist.”
― Diane Duane, Wizards at War

“My dad was always snoozing on the couch, like Dagwood Bumstead. He was a lazy motherfucker. God bless him. He was always working on some kind of get-rich-quick scheme. This is what my dad was like: I'd say, Hey, Dad, we studied penguins today in school. He'd say, Yeah? I'm a penguin fucker from way back. Dad, I saw a giraffe at the zoo today. Yeah? I'm a giraffe fucker from way back. That's my dad. My dad was a giraffe fucker.”
― James Ellroy

“My dad once said... "Some friends are like "rubber wrappers"; they bind with you safely but get weaker when you stretch them too much". Treat your friends with care, else the elasticity of their love for you may not go lasting!”
― Israelmore Ayivor, The Great Hand Book of Quotes

“and that makes him wish all over again that his dad would stop crying, so he can have a turn.”
― Nick Cave, The Death of Bunny Munro

“She loved him, even though it was so hard to love anybody else after loving my dad. I think I knew this before she did.”
― Margaret McMullan, Sources of Light

“Joshie has always told Post Human Services Staff to keep a diary, to remember who we were because every moment, our brains and synapses are being rebuilt and rewired with maddening disregard for our personalities, so that each year, each month, each day, we transfer into a different person, an utterly unfaithful iteration of our original selves, of the drooling kid in the sandbox. But not me. I am still a facsimile of my early childhood. I am still looking for a loving dad to lift me up and brush the sand off my ass and to hear English, calm and hurtless, fall off his lips.”
― Gary Shteyngart

“We are all born free from all religious affiliations and only come to believe in such things after being introduced to it ― so, atheism is the default position. Although some children are not indoctrinated with a specific religion before the age of reason, there are many more who are.”
― David G. McAfee, Mom, Dad, I'm an Atheist: The Guide to Coming Out as a Non-Believer

“Committing to the concept of parenthood with a partner for the child, rather than the partnership of two people helping and loving each other. It was about becoming a father, not becoming a husband.”
― Neal Winsomer

“Everywhere I look there are truffles and bonbons, caramels and pralines artfully arranged in gleaming glass-and-wood cases around the store. Under a glass dome on the counter sits a very special collection of ruby chocolate truffles filled with rose and cardamom cream and adorned with gold sprinkles. Those are not for sale. They’re only for guests who come in looking weary or stressed or heartbroken. They’re a gift for anyone who looks like they need a little burst of courage.
I gaze around in satisfaction. The shop looks exactly as I dreamed it would, with dark wood floors, big light-filled windows, and a few whimsical decorations. I got my tree at last— painted silver with twinkly lights and chocolate ornaments, and a bird’s nest of spun chocolate with colorful chocolate eggs perched in the branches. There’s a big, black old-fashioned cash register at the longest counter, and behind it a mural a local artist painted depicting a beautiful meadow of wildflowers sloping down to a whitecapped sea. It’s elegant and a touch quirky and exactly what I had in mind. Well, except for the case of fudge prominently displayed in front of one of the big windows. I thought I was done with fudge, but it turns out that making a couple of batches a week actually feels nostalgic. Seeing the fudge now makes me smile and think of Dad. I believe he would have loved how this is turning out.”
― Rachel Linden, A Sprinkle of Sweet Serendipity