100 Dadisms – How We Know That Father Really Does Know Best
100 Dadisms – How We Know That Father Really Does Know Best

Each year, the third Sunday in June is dedicated to dear ol’ Dad. Many of us have learned a lot from our fathers. Some things more helpful or fun than others. Some valuable life lessons and sometimes even harsh reality. When thinking back about our own fathers, we remember some of the funny little expressions he used to say all of the time. These often-heard phrases are some of Dad’s favorite quips and quotes are known as Dadisms.
We, at Greystone Health, couldn’t think of a better way to honor all of the fathers, grandfathers, stepfathers and male role models in your life than to share their words of wisdom, life lessons and funny anecdotes. This is just another way to tell the fatherly figures in your life that you’ve been listening all of these years, and appreciate their support, advice and encouragement along the way.
To share the love of all of the wonderful dads and male role models everywhere, we’ve compiled 100 treasured sayings that reflect the collective wisdom of fathers for generations to remind us that dad really does know best:
- “As long as you live under my roof, you’ll live by my rules.”
- “Don’t use that tone with me!”
- “Don’t look at me in that tone of voice!”
- “It builds character.”
- “If I’ve told you once, I’ve told you a thousand times.”
- “You can do anything you put your mind to.”
- “You don’t need to tell anyone how good you are. If it’s true, others will know.”
- “Don’t ask me, ask your mother.”
- “Laugh at yourself first, you’ll take the bite out of others doing so for you.”
- “Leave things better than you find them.”
- “Life is not a spectator sport.”
- “Stop crying or I’ll give you a reason to cry.”
- “This hurts me more than it hurts you.”
- “This is your last warning.”
- “I think about what I have, not what I don’t have.”
- “Manners go a long way and they don’t cost a dime.”
- “You’re gonna like it, whether you like it or not!”
- “I’ll tell you why. Because I said so. That’s why.”
- “If it were easy then everyone would do it.”
- “The early bird gets the worm. Rise and shine!”
- “As long as you tried your hardest, that’s all that matters.”
- “I’m so proud of you.”
- “If I didn’t love you so much I wouldn’t punish you … I would let you do whatever you wanted.”
- “It will work out in the end.”
- “Life is a journey and you’ve just reached one of many speed bumps to come.”
- “Act your age!”
- “You have things so easy!”
- “Those who speak, don’t always do. Those who do, don’t always speak.”
- “Shake it off. It’s only pain.”
- “Everyone is NOT doing it because YOU are not!”
- “What did I just get finished telling you?”
- “You aren’t going out wearing that!”
- “Get out of my face, before I change my mind.”
- “I don’t care what other people are doing! I’m not everybody else’s father!”
- “You’re only young once.”
- “It’s hard to be good, and easy to be bad.”
- “The first liar doesn’t stand a chance.”
- “You’re always a winner if you lose with a smile.”
- “You’ll realize the value of money once you start earning it.”
- “I’m not just talking to hear my own voice!”
- “Just wait until I get you home!”
- “Don’t make me turn this car around!”
- “Enough is enough!”
- “You don’t know what hard work is.”
- “A little dirt never hurt anyone.”
- “Treat people when you don’t need them the way you wish you’d treated them when you do need them.”
- “Two wrongs do NOT make a right.”
- “Waste not, want not.”
- “Be home early.”
- “Worrying about things you can’t change is like a rocking chair … it gives you something to do, but it doesn’t get you anywhere.”
- “A watched kettle will eventually boil.”
- “Coffee will stunt your growth.”
- “Eat it! It will grow hair on your chest!”
- “Hey” is for horses.”
- “Even a blind pig finds an acorn now and then.”
- “Fill your mouth with food and not with words.”
- “I feel for you, but I can’t reach you from here.”
- “I’m not lost, it’s just over the next hill!”
- “I’m not watching television. I’m resting my eyes.”
- “If you forget, you’ll be grounded till the end of the world.”
- “Learn to laugh at yourself. You’ll never run out of material.”
- “My father used to tell me…”
- “That’s not a tear, I have something in my eye.”
- “What part of NO don’t you understand?”
- “Turn off those lights. Do you think I am made of money?”
- “Use your head for more than a hat rack.”
- “We’re not lost. I’m just not sure where we are.”
- “What do you think this is, your birthday?”
- “What’s so funny? Wipe that smile off your face.”
- “Whatever you do, don’t tell your mother”
- “When I was your age….”
- “You’re getting too big for your britches.”
- “Everything in moderation. Except love. Love with everything you’ve got. But don’t be a stalker.”
- “Am I talking to a brick wall?”
- “So, you think you’re smart, do you?”
- “You call that a haircut?”
- “You call that noise ‘music’?”
- “If your friend jumped off a bridge, would you?”
- “Who said life was supposed to be fair?”
- “Are you trying to heat/cool the whole outside?”
- “You want something to do? I’ll give you something to do.”
- “Come in when the streetlights are on!”
- “Get your elbows off the table.”
- “Think before you speak.”
- “Always say please and thank you. That way, you get more.”
- “Attitude is everything.”
- “Don’t believe anything you hear and only half of what you see.”
- “Don’t forget to check your oil.”
- “Don’t take yourself so seriously, take what you do seriously!”
- “Don’t tell on anybody unless you tell on yourself first.”
- “Don’t cry over spilled milk.”
- “Drive like everyone is out to get you.”
- “Everything in moderation, including moderation.”
- “If you want to do something, do it because you want to. Don’t do it because someone else did.”
- “Measure twice, cut once.”
- “Put the short things on the short shelf and the tall things on the tall shelf.”
- “The only way to have more money is to earn more or spend less.”
- “They don’t make them like they used to.”
- “You should visit more often. Your mother worries.”
- “You’ll understand when you’re older.”
Before long, all of these silly jokes, cringe-worthy life lessons and witty quips, that you once heard as a child, you’ll hear yourself saying as a father. Make sure to take time to thank your dad for everything he’s done to help you along the way. Whether you go fishing or camping together, have a family barbecue or enjoy a virtual chat, take the time to let him know how much you love him. This is a great time to remember and honor all of the men, be they fathers, grandfathers, uncles or other important male figures who have loved and supported you.
From all of us at Greystone Health, we wish all of those men in your lives a very Happy Father’s Day!