Like Father, Like Son! Father & Son Quotes  That Will Bring a Smile to Dad’s Face

There’s a saying that “behind every young boy who believes in himself is a father who believed in him first.” That sweet sentiment is a pretty good summary of the special bond between fathers and sons. From the time they are small, a little boy looks up to his father, revering him like a real-life superhero. And in return, that dad takes seriously the role he has in shaping his little buddy to be a respectful, kind, and strong gentleman. (With lots of cheezy dad jokes sprinkled in!)

As that little boy grows older, his relationship with his father will often go back and forth between that of parent and friend. Undoubtedly, they will butt heads at times—but once cooler heads prevail, the son is reminded that at the end of the day, whether Dad’s advice was unsolicited or not, he meant well and had only the best of intentions.

This list of famous quotes is sure to resonate with both fathers and sons and put to words the feelings that are sometimes difficult to express. Whether you are looking for special words to share with your dad on Father’s Day or any other occasion, we’re sure you will find a message among these famous quotes about fathers and sons that will call out to you.

65 Quotes About Fathers & Sons

1. “With sons and fathers, there’s an inexplicable connection and imprint that your father leaves on you.” — Brad Pitt

2. “Though our new son is barely a part of our present, we look at his squirming, warm bundle of future potential and say to ourselves, ‘Hello, little man.’ Little do we know the adventure we are beginning!” — Dr. Gregory L. Jantz

3. “The first step, my son, which one makes in the world, is the one on which depends the rest of our days.” — Voltaire

4. “Never fret for an only son, the idea of failure will never occur to him.” — George Bernard Shaw

5. “If you are going to help [your son], you first need to show support and appreciation for the person he is, so you can build that person up.” — Clayton Lesser

6. “There is no love on earth greater than that of a father for his son.” — Unknown

7. “Every son’s first superhero is his father, and it was the same for me. For me, he was Superman and Batman combined.” — Tiger Shroff

8. “If my son is happy, then I am happy.” — Chris Paul

9. “Every father should remember that one day his son will follow his example rather than his advice.” — Charles F. Kettering

10. “When your son grows up, become his brother.” — Arabic Proverb

11. “A man’s desire for a son is usually nothing but the wish to duplicate himself in order that such a remarkable pattern may not be lost to the world.” — Helen Rowland

12. “It is not flesh and blood but the heart which makes us fathers and sons.” — Johann Freidrich von Schiller

13. “My son’s the most precious thing to me; he’s changed me from being selfish to selfless.” — Ricardo Antonio Chavira

14. “A man knows when he is growing old because he begins to look like his father.” — Gabriel Garcia Marquez

15. “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

16. “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

17. “If you want a son to grow up into a man you can be proud of, be a man he can be proud of.” — Unknown

18. “Dads and sons are two sides of the same coin. They complement each other in ways only fate understands.” — Unknown

19. “Every son quotes his father, in words and in deeds.” — Terri Guillemets

Related: Birthday Messages For Your Son

20. “When you teach your son, you teach your son’s son.” — The Talmud

21. “Father and son relationships can be complicated—mine certainly is. Love. Hate. Respect. Fear. Worship. Disdain. Pride. Disappointment. Happiness. Anger. Joy. Sadness. The list goes on.” — John H. Clark III

22. “How can we expect our boys to become powerful, successful, and complete men if we ourselves don’t possess or act on the tools and the know-how to take them there?” — Eric Davis

23. “Until you have a son of your own, you will never know what that means. You will never know the joy beyond joy, the love beyond feeling that resonates in the heart of a father as he looks upon his son.” — Kent Nerburn

24. “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

25. “A son does not pass judgment on his father, but he is his father’s conscience.” — Unknown

26. “One of the greatest gifts you can give your teenage boy is the gift of letting him know you get it. You’ve been there.” — Sebastian R. Jones

27. “If the relationship of father to son could really be reduced to biology, the whole earth would blaze with the glory of fathers and sons.” — James A. Baldwin

28. “The guiding light of my father has proven to be the brightest star in the sky.” — Unknown

29. “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”

30. “A son is not a judge of his father, but the conscience of the father is in his son.” — Simon Soloveychik

31. “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.

32. “An almost perfect relationship with his father was the earthly root of all his wisdom.” — C.S. Lewis, Phantastes

33. “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

34. “Someday you will know that a father is much happier in his children’s happiness than in his own. I cannot explain it to you: it is a feeling in your body that spreads gladness through you.” — Honore de Balzac

35. “A father is a man who expects his son to be as good a man as he meant to be.” — Frank Clark

36.  “Not every father gets a chance to start his son off in his own footsteps.” — Alan Ladd

37. “Any man can be a father. It takes someone special to be a dad.” — Unknown

38. “A son needs his father at every situation he faces in present, and a father needs his son at every situation he faces for his son in past.” — Nishan Panwar