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Every year, when the third Sunday in June rolls around, our thoughts turn to the central father figures in our lives—our dads, stepdads, grandads, and fathers of our children. From shopping for Father’s Day gifts to what to write in a Father’s Day card to planning special activities, there’s a lot do to. Still, we like to acknowledge all the awesome dads we know. Enter this collection of Father’s Day quotes for friends.
What do you say to a friend on Father's Day? Depending on your friendship, you might choose something inspirational, sentimental, or funny. (If your best bud is the king of dad jokes, you might also peruse our roundup of Father’s Day puns for ideas.) But whatever tone you want to strike, consider these quotes your go-to source for Happy Father’s Day wishes for friends. We even have a section for new dads!
It only takes a moment to send a quick text—or maybe you want to go all out and gather your dad friends for a celebratory Father’s Day brunch. Either way, these quotes are sure to make 'em smile.
Inspirational Father’s Day Quotes for Friends
“Fathering is not something perfect men do, but something that perfects the man.” —Frank Pittman
“A good father is one of the most unsung, unpraised, unnoticed, and yet one of the most valuable assets in our society.” —Billy Graham
“What makes you a man is not the ability to have a child—it’s the courage to raise one.” ―Barack Obama
“A father is a man who expects his son to be as good a man as he meant to be.” —Frank A. Clark
“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
“By the time a man realizes that maybe his father was right, he usually has a son who thinks he’s wrong.” —Charles Wadsworth
“Every father should remember one day his son will follow his example, not his advice.” —Charles Kettering
“A girl's father is the first man in her life, and probably the most influential.” —David Jeremiah
“A father is someone you look up to no matter how tall you grow.” —Unknown
“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
“No man stands taller than when he stoops to help a child.”—Unknown
“Anyone who does anything to help a child in his life is a hero.” —Fred Rogers
Funny Father’s Day Quotes for Friends
“Raising kids may be a thankless job with ridiculous hours, but at least the pay sucks.”—Jim Gaffigan
“Lately all my friends are worried they’re turning into their fathers. I’m worried I’m not.” —Dan Levin
“Parenting is a cult. And as a cult member, you can try to explain it to other people, but we just appear like lunatics.” —Jim Gaffigan
“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
“If you're not yelling at your kids, you aren't spending enough time with them.” —Mark Ruffalo
“Having one child makes you a parent. Having two kids makes you a referee.” —David Frost
“Children are a great comfort in your old age. And they help you reach it faster, too.” —Lionel Kauffman
“Having a two-year-old is like having a blender without a lid.” —Jerry Seinfeld
“A father carries pictures where his money used to be.” —Steve Martin
Sentimental Father’s Day Quotes for Friends
“Dads are most ordinary men turned by love into heroes, adventurers, story-tellers, and singers of song.” —Pam Brown
“Anyone can be a father, but it takes someone special to be a dad.” —Wade Boggs
“Becoming a dad is one thing. Being a dad is many things.” —Steve Chapman
“Life doesn’t come with an instruction book—that’s why we have fathers.” —H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
“The best fathers have the softest, sweetest hearts. In other words, great dads are real marshmallows.” —Richelle E. Goodrich
“The difference between a ‘man’ and a ‘father’ is that the former shares his genes, but the latter gives his life.” —Craig D. Lounsbrough
“Fatherhood is the greatest thing that could ever happen. You can't explain it until it happens—it's like telling someone what water feels like before they've ever swam in it.” —Michael Bublé
“Having a family makes whatever other thing you have that much richer.” —Ben Affleck
“A father is the one friend upon whom we can always rely.” —Émile Gaboriau
“That’s what a father does. Eases the burdens of those he loves.” —George Saunders
“Love isn’t enough, despite what every sappy love song says; commitment to parenting was the missing piece. Commitment takes love on its back and carries it the whole way.” —Terry Crews
“A truly rich man is one whose children run in his arms when his hands are empty.” —Unknown
Father’s Day Quotes for New Dads for Friends
“Being a father gives you something more to play for.” —Stephen Curry
“By the time a man realizes that maybe his father was right, he usually has a son who thinks he’s wrong.” —Charles Wadsworth
“Raising a kid is part joy and part guerrilla warfare.” —Ed Asner
“[Fatherhood] changes your relationship with time. You gotta be really deliberate with how you choose to spend your day, because those are the moments you’re away from your child.” —Mahershala Ali
“I have found the best way to give advice to your children is to find out what they want and then advise them to do it.” —Harry Truman
“Never is a man more of a man than when he is the father of a newborn.” —Matthew McConaughey
“The nature of impending fatherhood is that you are doing something that you’re unqualified to do, and then you become qualified while doing it.” —John Green
