50 Deadbeat Dad Quotes For Healing Broken Connections

By Clifton Sankofa

School Leader, Language Arts Expert & Master Quote Curator

Published November 29, 2022

Take a moment to check out some of our deadbeat dad quotes.

What makes a dad a deadbeat?

Deadbeat dads are fathers who do not support, engage or communicate with their children.

They are a sensitive topic for many people.

Deadbeat fathers have existed in every era.

Hip-hop pioneer KRS-One noted, “Many of us were raised without a father, and the subject of deadbeat dads hits home in a lot of areas.”

In the U.S., fatherless households and one-parent households are on the rise.

Single-father rates have increased, but women head five out of the six single-parent households.

The percentage of kids living with their mothers has tripled since 1960.

Why do fathers become deadbeats?

The reasons are manifold; some are by choice, others by circumstance.

Our deadbeat dad quotes shed insight on the impacts deserting children has on the family and community.

Insightful Deadbeat Dad Quotes

1. “Many of us were raised without a father, and the subject of deadbeat dads hits home in a lot of areas.” – KRS-One

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2. “How do you know I’m a deadbeat? I haven’t been here long enough.” – Daniel Decatur Emmett

3. “Men made God in their image, and he’s a deadbeat dad. Never sends money, doesn’t come to visit, can’t get him on the phone.” – Mimi Gonzalez

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4. “If you ignore your children, that’s what you’re going to become: a loser, a deadbeat for the rest of your life.” – Special Agent Seeley Booth

5.. “Sometimes, my mom would take us to see Santa Claus, but that’s just because she suspected one of them was my deadbeat dad.” – Jenna Maroney

6. “Either they think I’m a pedophile or a deadbeat dad. That’s what I get for being a single dad – suspicious looks at the playground.” – Dominic West

7. “My father was a food lover and a deadbeat dad, and maybe a connection between good food and bad dads was forged early.” – J. R. Moehringer

8. “When our binoculars are focused on the dad as “deadbeat,” it often even leads us to missing concrete cues a dad gives to show his desire to be involved.” – Warren Farrell

9. “I don’t get into the deadbeat dad thing. I don’t think men innately decide to be irresponsible fathers. I think there’s a backstory.” – Cheri Honkala

10. “One of the greatest challenges in collecting child support is that deadbeat dads move from job to job and state to state. It’s hard to keep track of them.” – Rod Blagojevich

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Deadbeat Dad Proverbs And Quotes

11. “There’s really no point in having children if you’re not going to be home enough to father them.” – Anthony Edwards

12. “Be more than a father, be a dad. Be more than a figure, be an example.” – Steve Maraboli

13. “They’re given really bad choices. It’s less deadbeat dads and more unemployed fathers, and some fathers decide to sedate and give up.” – Cheri Honkala

14. “It began to really eat away with me that in the ’60s the federal government, desiring to help poor moms who were dealing with deadbeat dads, decided, ‘We’ll help: we’ll give a check for every child you can have out of wedlock.” – Louie Gohmert

15. “Deadbeat Dads are the worst kind of fathers, and they need to be brought to justice.” – Chandan Negi

16. “When someone chooses to be a deadbeat dad, they are choosing to abandon their responsibilities.” – Chandan Negi

17. “The pawn who does not come to work is the one the creditor regards as a deadbeat.” – Yoruba Proverb

18. “If you have much, give of your wealth; if you have little, give of your heart.” – Arabic Proverb

18. “A bad father has never a good son.” – Latin Proverb

19. “A father is a banker provided by nature.” – French Proverb

20. “A greedy father has thieves for children.” – Serbian Proverb

Deadbeat Dad Quotes For Daughters

21. “There are many signs that a dad is a deadbeat.” – Chandan Negi

22. “It doesn’t matter who my father was. It matters who I remember he was.” – Anne Sexton

23. “Becoming a father is easy enough, but being one can be very rough.” – Wilhelm Busch

24. “In reality, the world is as full of bad mothers as it is of bad fathers, and it is not the motherless children who become delinquent but the fatherless ones.” – Louis de Bernieres

25. “A deadbeat father is a man who is responsible for providing financial support to his children but fails to do so.” – Chandan Negi

26. “Deadbeat dads can have a significant negative impact on their children’s lives, causing them to struggle financially and emotionally.” – Chandan Negi

27. “Your children will become what you are; so be what you want them to be.” – David Bly

28. “Kids are like a mirror; what they see and hear, they do. Be a good reflection for them.” – K. Heath

29. “Your children need your presence more than your presents.” – Jesse Jackson

30. “As your kids grow up, they may forget what you said, but they won’t forget how you made them feel.” – Kevin Heath

Deadbeat Dad Quotes For Sons

31. “Fathers in today’s modern families can be so many things.” – Oliver Hudson

32. “Any fool can be a Father, but it takes a real man to be a Daddy!” – Philip Whitmore

33. “The father who does not teach his son his duties is equally guilty with the son who neglects them.” – Confucius

34. “Fathers, you are the head and strength of the family unit. If you are not in place, there is a weakness in the link.” – Anita R. Sneed Carter

35. “There are no illegitimate children, only illegitimate parents.” – Leon R. Yankwich

36. “What a child doesn’t receive, he can seldom later give.” – P.D. James

37. “Many people think of child support when they think of deadbeat dad; however, these dads also may classify as deadbeat if they refuse to care adequately for their children.” – Anonymous

38. “Every dad is the family role model, whether he wants the job or not.” – Dennis Rainey

39. “Most deadbeat dads are frightened, angry, and depressed men.” – Anonymous

40. “Unless a father accepts his faults, he will most certainly doubt his virtues.” – Hugh Prather

Missing Dad, Deadbeat Dad, And Missing Father Quotes

41. “Stay out of Malibu, Lebowski! Stay out of Malibu, deadbeat!” – Malibu Police Chief

42. “Deadbeat dads don’t pay child support. They minimize their taxable income to cheat their kids.” – Anonymous

43. “Unless a father accepts his faults, he will most certainly doubt his virtues.” – Hugh Prather

44. “What a child doesn’t receive, he can seldom later give.” – P.D. James

45. “And my dad drilled it in my head, you know, ‘If you want it bad enough, and you’re willing to make the sacrifices, you can do it. But first, you have to believe in yourself.” – Jennie Finch

46. “Deadbeat dads are full of hatred, vengeance, and spite. They plunge their kids into poverty or deny them middle-class comfort, just to punish their former partners.” – Anonymous

47. “What a child doesn’t receive, he can seldom later give.” – P.D. James

48. “Deadbeat dads are like a plague on society, and all should be neutered with a rusty breadknife.” – Anonymous

49. “Deadbeat dads are like serial killers, there are a few of them out there, but most of the time what you’re dealing with is dead broke and dead-bolted.” – Anonymous

50. “Your children will become what you are; so be what you want them to be.” – David Bly

What did you learn from these deadbeat dad quotes?

Single-parent households correlate o poverty rates.

Poverty makes some family dynamics difficult by adding stress.

It is easy to paint all deadbeat dads as morally deplorable.

However, the reasons and circumstances that bring about fatherless homes are varied.

Anti-poverty advocate and American actor Cheri Honkala observed, “I don’t get into the deadbeat dad thing. I don’t think men innately decide to be irresponsible fathers. I think there’s a backstory. They’re given really bad choices. It’s less deadbeat dads and more unemployed fathers, and some fathers decide to sedate and give up.”

Blaming deadbeat fathers without considering the context and conditions that impacted their choices does not solve the problem.

Some men are not strong enough to be accountable fathers, and life gets the best of them.

Analyzing the conditions and finding solutions to the symptoms that cause fatherless homes is vital in solving the fatherless household dilemma.