Father’s day is a century-old tradition that sends children, grandchildren, wives, and mothers down card aisles and through colorful tie racks trying to find the perfect way to show their appreciation, or look for an inspirational quote to sum it all up.

Father’s day was first unofficially recognized by the governor of Washington State on June 19, 2010, although it wasn’t until President Richard Nixon signed a proclamation in the middle of his re-election campaign, declaring it a national holiday in 1972. By that time, it already had enough nationwide support, since retailers and advertisers promoted goods as ways to honor American troops and support the war effort.

This year, Americans will spend an estimated $12.5 billion on their Father’s Day gifts, according to the National Retail Federation. More than 64 percent report sending their appreciation with a card, one of the following 20 quotes could hit the nail on the head with what you’re trying to express to your father this year.

  1. “I cannot think of any need in childhood as strong as the need for a father’s protection.” –Sigmund Freud, Austrian neurologist and founding father of psychoanalysis
  1. “Few sons are like their fathers- many are worse, few better.” –Homer, Greek philosopher and author of The Odyssey
  1. “Fatherhood is pretending the present you love most is soap-on-a-rope.” –Billy Cosby, American comedian and actor
  1. “Above all, children need our unconditional love, whether they succeed or make mistakes; when life is easy and when life is tough.” –President Barack Obama, 44th current president of the United States
  1. “This is my most important role. If I fail at this, I fail at everything.” –Mark Wahlberg, American actor
  1. “Fatherhood is great because you can ruin someone from scratch.” –Jon Stewart, American political satirist and television host
  1. “It’s admirable for a man to take his son fishing, but there is a special place in heaven for the father who takes his daughter shopping.” –John Sinor, San Diego Tribune newspaper columnist
  1. "When a father gives to his son, both laugh; when a son gives to his father, both cry.” –William Shakespeare, English poet and playwright
  1. “The nature of impending fatherhood is that you are doing something that you’re unqualified to do, and then you become qualified while doing it.” –John Green, author of The Fault in Our Stars
  1. "I thought I would be more inspired to have all these new feelings to talk about, but I really just want to hang out with my daughter." –Jay Z, Shawn Corey Carter, hip-hop artist and producer
  1. “It’s only when you grow up, and step back from him, or leave him for your own career and your own home. It’s only then that you can measure his greatness and fully appreciate it. Pride reinforces love.” –Margaret Truman, daughter of 33rd United States President
  1. “Be a dad. Don’t be ‘Mom’s assistant.’ That’s depressing, just waiting for her to write you a list, walk around a store staring at it, calling her from the cereal aisle to make sure you got the right thing. Be a man. Make your own list. Fathers have skills that they never use at home. You run a landscaping business and you can’t dress and feed a 4-year-old? Take it on. Spend time with your kids and have your own ideas about what they need. It won’t take away your manhood; it will give it to you. I did that. I spent more time with my kids. And I found out that I’m a pretty bad father. I make a lot of mistakes and I don’t know what I’m doing. But my kids love me. Go figure.” – “Louis C.K.” Szekely, comedian, actor, producer
  1. "It is easier for a father to have children than for children to have a real father." –Pope John XXIII, Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli
  1. “Becoming a father, I think it inevitably changes your perspective of life. I don’t get nearly enough sleep. And the simplest things in life are completely satisfying.” –Hugh Jackman, Australian actor
  1. "When one has not had a good father, one must create one.”–Friedrich Nietzsche, German philosopher
  1. “My father was not a failure. After all, he was the father of a president of the United States.” –Harry S. Truman, 33rd President of America
  1. “The greatest thing a father can do for his daughter is to love her mother.” –Elaine S. Dalton, 13th president of the Young Women organization
  1. “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., American actor
  1. “My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give to another person; he believed in me.” –Jim Valvano, basketball coach and broadcaster
  1. "It was times like these when I thought my father, who hated guns and had never been to any wars, was the bravest man who ever lived." –Harper Lee, author of To Kill a Mockingbird