Son quotes are messages that can be penciled in a birthday card or used to sign an email to show your son how much you care. Whether it’s National Son’s Day, your son’s birthday, or you just want to tell your son you are thankful for him, there is a quote that will resonate with him.
75 Best Son Quotes
Birthday Quotes for Son
A son’s birthday is an important time of the year. He’s another year older and son quotes are the perfect way to fill in his card without seeming too cheesy.
- “Every father should remember that one day his son will follow his example rather than his advice.” — Charles F. Kettering
- “I admire the strong, young man you’ve become. Happy birthday, son!”—Unknown
- “Be strong out there, my son. Look for the love and kindness in others. Forgive yourself when you make mistakes, and enjoy the journey.” — Kirsten Wreggitt
- “The first step, my son, which one makes in the world, is the one on which depends the rest of our days.” — Voltaire
- “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
- “Happy birthday to the person who couldn’t wait to be an adult. How does it feel now?”—Unknown
- “Hear, my son, your father’s instruction, and forsake not your mother’s teaching, for they are a graceful garland for your head and pendants for your neck.” — Proverbs 1:8-9
- “May all your birthday wishes come true — except the illegal ones. Happy birthday!”—Unknown
- “I suppose it’s too late to return you to sender, right? OK, I guess I’ll keep you! Happy birthday!”—Unknown
Quotes About Sons
Sometimes you may need to write a card for someone else who has a son. Quotes about sons can come in handy in these instances, especially when you want to admire someone’s achievements as a parent.
- “Mother is her son’s first god; she must teach him the most important lesson of all, how to love.” — T.F. Hodge
- “50% of raising boys is trying to get them to wear pants in the winter.”—Unknown
- “You don’t raise heroes, you raise sons. And if you treat them like sons, they’ll turn out to be heroes, even if it’s just in your own eyes.” — NASA astronaut Walter M. Schirra, Sr.
- “The years will rush by, and one day you will be watching your son as a man, and feeling incredibly proud that he is caring, safe, making a contribution, and hopefully going far beyond you in the scope of his life.” — Steve Biddulph
- “He doesn’t know you’re watching him, but in this special, reflective moment, you realize he’s growing up.” — Robert Lewis
- “Of all the animals, the boy is the most unmanageable.” — Plato
- “A boy is a magical creature—you can lock him out of your workshop, but you can’t lock him out of your heart.” — Allan Beck
- “Let your boys test their wings. They may not be eagles, but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t soar free.” — C.J. Milbrandt
- “Behold, sons are a gift from the Lord. Happy the man whose quiver is filled with them.” Psalm 127: 3,5
- “Until you have a son of you 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
Mother Son Quotes
The bond between a mother and son is one of the most unique things on the planet. All mothers should have at least one mother-son quote on their hand no matter the occasion.
- “There is no greater privilege in living than bringing a tiny new human being into the world and then trying to raise him or her properly during the next eighteen years.” — James C. Dobson
- “My friend asked what it was like to live in a house full of boys, so I peed on her bathroom floor, ate everything in her fridge, told her 800 stories about Minecraft, farted 20 times, and when she was ready to kill me, I gave her a hug and told her she was pretty.”—Unknown
- “There is an enduring tenderness in the love of a mother to a son that transcends all other affections of the heart.” — Washington Irving
- “Being a mother to a little boy and helping him discover the world is one of the greatest experiences in a woman’s life, which makes objective goals dull in comparison. The connection between a mother and her son opens the gate to a new world of wonder and love.” — Anonymous
- “I love the little boy you are now and the man you will become.”—LoveToKnow
- “Sometimes when I need a miracle, I look into my son’s eyes, and realize I’ve already created one.” — Unknown
- “A mother’s love doesn’t make her son more dependent and timid; it actually makes him stronger and more independent.” — Cheri Fuller
- “Raising boys has made me a more generous woman than I really am.” — Mary Kay Blakely
- “Sons are the anchors of a mother’s life.” — Sophocles
- “No matter how many LEGOs I step on, I’m always so grateful to be your mom (or dad)”—LoveToKnow
- “The most important mark I will leave on this world is my son.” —Sarah Shahi
- “A boy’s best friend is his mother.” — Joseph Stefano
- “All women become like their mothers. That is their tragedy. No man does. That’s his.” — Oscar Wilde
Father Son Quotes
Fathers and sons also have special bonds which can play an important part as a son ages. Father-son quotes can be funny, quirky, and ideal for any situation.
- “No love is greater than that of a father for his son.” — Dan Brown, Angels & Demons
- “A son’s first hero is his dad.” — Unknown
- “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
- “For thousands of years, father and son have stretched wistful hands across the canyon of time.” — Alan Valentine
- “By the time a man realizes that maybe his father was right, he usually has a son who thinks he’s wrong.” — Charles Wadsworth
- “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
- “When a father gives to his son, both laugh; when a son gives to his father, both cry.” — Yiddish Proverb
- “With sons and fathers, there’s an inexplicable connection and imprint that your father leaves on you.” — Brad Pitt
- “Becoming a dad means you have to be a role model for your son and be someone he can look up to.” — Wayne Rooney
- “And he said to him, ‘Son, you have always been with me, and all that is mine is yours.” — Luke 15:31
- “No matter how tall a son grows, he will always look up to his dad.” — Unknown
- “Every father should remember that one day his son will follow his example rather than his advice.” — Charles F. Kettering
- “When your son grows up, become his brother.” — Arabic Proverb
- “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.
- “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
- “It is not flesh and blood, but heart which makes us fathers and sons.” — Friedrich von Schiller
Graduation Quotes for Sons
The day your son graduates is one of the most important days of his life. Graduations quotes for sons can be inscribed on their gift or written on the card where you put their cash gift.
- “Giving your son a skill is better than giving him one thousand pieces of gold.” — Chinese Proverb
- “No matter what, no matter when, no matter where, I love you always.”—LoveToKnow
- “Before you were born, I carried you in my heart. I looked into your eyes and saw all my hopes and dreams in them. When I heard the news of your graduation, I felt it was my achievement. I’m proud of you, my boy.”—MomJunction
- “My wild, wild son, run free. Ooh, you’ll know it when you’re where you’re supposed to be.” — Armin van Buren and Sam Martin
- “If you would have your son to walk honorably through the world, you must not attempt to clear the stones from his path but teach him to walk firmly over them—not insist upon leading him by the hand but let him learn to go alone.” — Anne Brontë
- “My love for you will never change. It’s been there since the day you were born, and it will be there as long as the world continues to turn.”—LoveToKnow
- “My son, if your heart is wise, then my heart will be glad indeed.” — Proverbs 23:15 (NIV)
Proud Son Quotes
There aren’t many opportunities to tell your son how proud you are of him. Proud son quotes can be used for any occasion when you want to let your son know he’s done a good job.
- “Son, you will outgrow my lap, but never my heart.” — Unknown
- “When you teach your son, you teach your son’s son.” — The Talmud
- “The years will rush by, and one day you will be watching your son as a man, and feeling incredibly proud that he is caring, safe, making a contribution, and hopefully going far beyond you in the scope of his life.” — Steve Biddulph
- “If you want a son to grow up into a man you can be proud of, be a man he can be proud of.” — Anonymous
- “Sons are born to make their fathers better men.” ― Mekael Shane
- “Even more than the time when she gave birth, a mother feels her greatest joy when she hears others refer to her son as a wise learned one.” — Thiruvalluvar
Inspirational Son Quotes
Your son brings so much inspiration to your life. Inspirational son quotes can help you through the times when you may not be getting along with your son or can be put in a card to let your son know he’s your inspiration in life.
- “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
- “Your son will open your eyes, broaden your knowledge, and help your sense of humor.” — Michael Thompson Ph.D.
- “I hope I can be as good of a father to my son as my dad was to me.” — Calvin Johnson
- “A father is a teacher, a singer, a doctor, a lawyer & every heroic character to his son. But a son is only a son to a father.” ― Sajal Sazzad
- “You don’t raise heroes, you raise sons. And if you treat them like sons, they’ll turn out to be heroes, even if it’s just in your own eyes.” — Wally Schirra
- “There is more to a boy than what his mother sees. There is more to a boy then what his father dreams. Inside every boy lies a heart that beats. And sometimes it screams, refusing to take defeat. And sometimes his father’s dreams aren’t big enough, and sometimes his mother’s vision isn’t long enough. And sometimes the boy has to dream his own dreams and break through the clouds with his own sunbeams.” — Ben Behunin
- “Every mother hopes that her daughter will marry a better man than she did, and is convinced that her son will never find a wife as good as his father did.” — Martin Andersen-Nexo
- “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
- “Of course, my son has been the center of my life and will always be the center of my love. When he was young, I was the rock in his life. Now that I am old, he is the rock in my life.” Hyacinth Mottley
- “Regardless of the situation you and your son find yourselves in, you, the parent, can always change how you respond to your teen.”—Kevin Fall
- “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
- 73. “Mothers all want their sons to grow up to be president, but they don’t want them to become politicians in the process.”—John F. Kennedy
- 74. “If you can give your son or daughter only one gift, let it be – enthusiasm.”—Bruce Barton
- “Our sons grow and change, sometimes before our eyes, and we can barely keep up with their active, inquisitive natures.”—Dr. Gregory L. Jantz