Skip to Content

18 Of The Best Celebrity Dad Quotes That Are Making Us Well Up

Prepare to swoon over words from Prince William, Jason Momoa and Ryan Reynolds

By
dad quotes
Getty Images

To be listing 'Dad quotes' might sound cheesy, but some of these uttered by the likes of Prince Harry, David Beckham and Ryan Reynolds have made us go all gooey, so we thought we'd share.

From opening up about their pride for their children and late night feeds, to comparing their kids to mobile phones, celebrities often can’t help gush about fatherhood and family.

Ahead of Father’s Day on Saturday June 21, we’ve rounded up the best father quotes from celebrities on what it means to be a dad and, it’s safe to say, they’ve made us a bit teary.

Here is a list of the best dad quotes from celebrities:

1

Matt Damon

dad quotes
Getty Images

In 2020 the actor opened up about being a father to four daughters.

‘The only way I can describe it — it sounds stupid, but — at the end of How the Grinch Stole Christmas, you know how his heart grows like five times?’ he told PEOPLE. ‘Everything is full; It’s just full all the time.’

2

Brad Pitt

dad quotes
Getty Images

Pitt is a father of six children: 19-year-old Maddox ((who is not subject to the custody decision), 17-year-old Pax, 16-year-old Zahara, 14-year-old Shiloh and 12-year-old twins Vivienne and Knox. In May Jolie’s ex-husband Pitt was tentatively granted joint custody of their children following a five-year long court battle.

‘You know, nowadays I really can’t wait to get home,' he told the Telegraph in 2015. ‘More than at any time in my life, I’ve got purpose - real purpose. It feels like I’ve found my place.’

He added: ‘Everyone talks about the joy of having kids –- blah, blah, blah. But I never knew how much I could love something until I looked in the faces of my children.’

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
3

Lin Manuel Miranda

dad quotes
Getty Images

The Hamilton and In The Heights creator recently spoke about fatherhood and the importance of family. ‘My kids are my number one priority no matter what I’m doing,’ he told Parade.com.

‘It’s interesting to see what their brains have picked up. The other day, my six-year-old son told me that one of my songs was too long. I have two little test audiences!’

On the wisdom he hopes to impart on his children, he noted: ‘The biggest lesson for my kids is that they know they are the most important things I have. No matter what is going on in my life, your kids are forever.’

4

David Beckham

dad quotes
Getty Images

Speaking about his favourite memories as a father, the former footballer told Unicef in 2018 that he has cherished the late nights.

‘My favourite time when I look back from day one with my sons and with, obviously, my daughter, each parent talks about the waking up during the night and the feeding during the night but, for me that was the most special time,’ he said.

‘It doesn’t matter what time of the night it is or how tired you are, they make you smile, they make you happy.’

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
5

Jason Momoa

‘I want to be remembered as, I hope, an amazing husband and a great father,’ the Game of Thrones star told Men’s Health in 2017.

‘My kids are my greatest piece of art. If I can pump them full of amazing stuff and surround them with beautiful art and music, then I’m going to live out my life watching them. They’re already way smarter and just way better than me. God, I love it. It’s beautiful. I want it to be the greatest thing I ever do: make good humans.’

6

John Krasinski

dad quotes
Axelle/Bauer-Griffin//Getty Images

‘I truly ― every single night ― say, “I can’t believe these two amazing girls are mine”,’ he revealed in 2016 on Jimmy Kimmel Live while talking about his daughters Hazel and Violet.

‘Family for me, it’s a non-negotiable thing. So if I’m honest, I was shooting 6,000 miles away from them, and I flew back every single weekend,’ he later told People about his filming Jack Ryan in Montreal.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
7

Prince William

dad quotes
Getty Images

‘I never used to get too wound up or worried about things,’ the Duke of Cambridge said during an interview with Ant and Dec in a documentary about the Prince Of Wales’ charity, The Prince’s Trust, in 2016.

‘But now, the smallest little things, you well up a little more, you get affected by the sort of things that happen around the world...a lot more, I think, as a father.’

8

Ashton Kutcher

dad quotes
Getty Images

Opening up about having two children, Wyatt and Dimitri, on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in 2014, the actor said: ‘When you first get them ... you're all excited, and you're ready to do all these things.

‘Then you realise it's like getting a new cell phone where all the features don't work yet. It's like a phone [that] won't take pictures, and you're like “Why won't my phone take pictures?!” And it won't make calls, and it doesn't do a lot. But it looks really cute!’

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
9

Dwayne Johnson

Following the birth of his third daughter, Tiana Gia, in 2018, ‘The Rock’ shared a photograph on Instagram. of him holding the newborn on his bare chest.

‘Your crazy dad has many responsibilities and wears many hats in this big ol’ world, but being your dad will always be the one I’m most proud to wear [sic],’ an excerpt of the caption reads.

10

John Legend

dad quotes
Getty Images

The singer told the Huffington Post in 2019 about his and wife Chrissy Teigen’s hopes for his children, Luna and Miles.

‘A lot of what we do, we think about our kids and the future we want for them,’ he told the news outlet.

‘A lot of it is also about character and interpersonal behaviour toward each other at home, and we want to model that in the way we talk to each other and in the way we talk to them. We want them to be smart, we want them to be kind, we want them to be good leaders, and we want them to be empathetic. And hopefully we’re able to model that at home with them.’

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
11

Ryan Reynolds

dad quotes
Getty Images

The Deadpool star regularly gushes about being a father to his three daughters.

During an interview with Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show in 2015, Reynolds said of his eldest child James: ‘We could end wars if we just carpet-bombed places with baby-head smell.

'We'd just be like, “What are we doing, guys? Come on. Let's lay down our arms. Let's high-five each other to death.”’

12

Ben Affleck

dad quotes
NOAM GALAI//Getty Images

‘They're most important in my life,’ the Oscar winner said to Us Weekly in 2013 about his children Violet, Seraphina, and Samuel, with his ex-wife Jennifer Garner.

‘Family is a wonderful thing, but it doesn't mean you can't do other stuff in your life. In fact, having a family makes whatever other thing you have that much richer.’

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
13

Ricky Martin

dad quotes
Getty Images

Martin recalled having a conversation with one of his twin sons who were born via surrogate in 2008.

Opening up about the adorable chat in 2014 during a radio interview, he recalled his son asked: ‘”Dad, was I in your belly?” and I told him, “You were in my heart and you are still in my heart”.

‘So I explained further, because I couldn't just leave it at that: “There was a woman that I adore with all my heart that helped me bring you into this world. She lent me her belly so that you could come and when you were born she put you in my arms.” And he said, “ah, ok” and he kept playing.’

14

Prince Harry

dad quotes
Dominic Lipinski//Getty Images

In 2019, the Duke of Sussex spoke candidly about being a father to his son, Archie, during a speech at the National Youth Mentoring Summit.

‘The person who may be sitting here today that doesn’t realise that someone looks up to them, that – for that person – you inspire them to be kinder, better, greater, more successful, more impactful,’ he told attendees.

‘Perhaps it's the newfound clarity I have as a father knowing that my son will always be watching what I do, mimicking my behaviour, one day maybe even following in my footsteps.’ He continued: ‘But it's not just my role as a father that shows me that; it's in the people I see every day that don't realise how inspirational they are to those watching.’

In December the Duke of Sussex appeared via a virtual call for an interview with WaterBear to discuss his conservation efforts as the president of the NGO African Parks. On the subject of fatherhood he said: 'The moment you become a father, everything really does change.

'Then you start to realise, well, what is the point in bringing a new person into this world when they get to your age and it’s on fire? We can’t steal their future. We really can’t. That’s not the job we’re here for.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
15

Justin Timberlake

dad quotes
Getty Images

The ‘Can’t Stop The Feeling’ singer welcomed his son Silas in 2015 with his wife Jessica Biel and spoke about becoming a parent on the Today show a year later.

‘They teach you,’ he said of children. ‘It's crazy. ... Watching him learn things, this new appreciation for both of them — you know, her and him — and so it's humiliating, and it's humbling at the same time.’

16

Idris Elba

dad quotes
Getty Images

‘My daughter and I speak about having the confidence to believe in your own journey and not to follow others,’ the Luther actor told Essence in 2016.

‘We speak about that a lot ― confidence and belief, and not following anyone else’s shine, but rather following your own shine … It’s really important to have that self-belief and that self-heartbeat.’

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
17

Chris Pratt

dad quotes
Getty Images

The actor opened up about his pride at being a parent to his son Jack with ex-wife Anna Faris during a 2014 speech at the March of Dimes Celebration of Babies.

‘I've done all kinds of cool things as an actor: I've jumped out of helicopters and done some daring stunts and played baseball in a professional stadium, but none of it means anything compared to being somebody's daddy,’ he said.

The actor is currently expecting a child with his wife Katherine Schwarzenegger.

18

Barack Obama

dad quotes
Getty Images

The former US president wrote about his experience of being a father to daughters Malia and Sasha in Parade magazine in 2009.

‘As fathers, we need to be involved in our children’s lives not just when it’s convenient or easy, and not just when they’re doing well — but when it’s difficult and thankless, and they’re struggling. That is when they need us most.’

During his Father’s Day address in 2011 he added: ‘In the end, that’s what being a parent is all about — those precious moments with our children that fill us with pride and excitement for their future, the chances we have to set an example or offer a piece of advice, the opportunities to just be there and show them that we love them.’

Headshot of Katie O'Malley
Katie O'Malley
Site Director

Katie O'Malley is the Site Director on ELLE UK. On a daily basis you’ll find Katie managing all digital workflow, editing site, video and newsletter content, liaising with commercial and sales teams on new partnerships and deals (eg Nike, Tiffany & Co., Cartier etc), implementing new digital strategies and compiling in-depth data traffic, SEO and ecomm reports. In addition to appearing on the radio and on TV, as well as interviewing everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Rishi Sunak PM, Katie enjoys writing about lifestyle, culture, wellness, fitness, fashion, and more.

Watch Next 
dad quotes
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
Page was generated in 7.5192010402679