As you’ve probably noticed, I love quotes. I’m also a dad, so it makes sense to have some dad quotes up here. And if you follow me on Facebook or Instagram, you know that I post some kind of quote every day in hopes of inspiring at least one man to become the father he was meant to be.

Here are 30 dad quotes that inspire me and will hopefully inspire you as well:

1) “Being a role model is the most powerful form of educating. Too often fathers neglect it because they get so caught up in making a living they forget to make a life.”John Wooden

2) “It is easier for a father to have children than for children to have a real father.”Pope John XXIII

3) “I cannot think of any need in childhood as strong as the need for a father’s protection.”Sigmund Freud

4) “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 Alder

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

6) “It is not flesh and blood but the heart which makes us fathers and sons.”Johann Schiller

7) “A father carries pictures where his money used to be.”- Anonymous

8) “When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished at how much he had learned in seven years.”Mark Twain

9) “Guns don’t kill people. Dads with daughters do.”Anonymous

10) “My father didn’t tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it.”Clarence Budington Kelland

11) “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

12) “A broke father who spends time with his children is better than a wealthy one who just sends checks.”Anonymous

13) “Listen, there is no way any true man is going to let children live around him in his home and not discipline and teach, fight and mold them until they know all he knows. His goal is to make them better than he is. Being their friend is a distant second to this.”Victor Devlin

14) “I cannot think of any need in childhood as strong as the need for a father’s protection.”Sigmund Freud

15) “When my father didn’t have my back, he had my hand.”Linda Poindexter

16) “A daughter needs a dad to be the standard against she will judge all men.”Anonymous

17) “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.”Anonymous

18) “Having kids doesn’t make you a father, raising them does.”Anonymous

19) “A father is a man who expects his children to be as good as he meant to be.”Carol Coats

20) “It’s not what you do for your children but what you have taught them to do for themselves that will make them successful human beings.“– Ann Landers

21) “Children don’t need more things. The best present they can get is a father who gets on the floor and plays with them.”Anonymous

22) “As a father you must have the mindset that being a dad is your most important job.”Mark Merrill

23) “A truly rich man is one whose children run into his arms even when his hands are empty.”Anonymous

24) “Daddies don’t just love their children every now and then, it’s a love without end amen.”George Strait

25) “A dad is someone you should look up to no matter how tall you grow.”Anonymous

26) “Be the type of man you’d want your daughter to be with.”Anonymous

27) “A dad is someone who wants to catch you before you fall but instead picks you up, brushes you off, and lets you try again.”Anonymous

28) “Fathers: Be your daughter’s first love. Open doors for her, pull her seat out, and treat her with respect. Set expectations on how a man should treat a lady and she’ll learn to never settle for anything less.”Anonymous

29) “What you teach your children, you also teach their children.”Anonymous

30) “Every father should remember that one day his children will follow his example, not his advice.”Anonymous

I think about these things every day, especially when I’m not with my two daughters. It reminds me to spend each moment I have with them in the best way possible and to put their needs in front of my own.

And if you have any dad quotes you’d like to share, just add them in the comments below.

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