37 Women On The Best Things They Learned From Their Fathers

37 Women On The Best Things They Learned From Their Fathers

Whether your dad was present or absent, a positive role model or a negative influence -- we all have a father-daughter story.

In light of Father's Day, HuffPost Women asked members of our Facebook community to tell us about the most important things their dads taught them. The insights were varied, personal and relatable.

Here are 37 women on the greatest lesson they've learned from their dads:

1. "My dad always taught me to do my best at any task I'm trying to accomplish, whatever it may be. In his words: 'If you pick your nose, you'd better be the best damn nose-picker there is.'" -- Taylor Mays

2. “Never leave a room wishing you had said something.” -- Hippie Gypsy Rose

3. "Dad's best advice to me when I graduated law school was to be confident, look everyone you meet in the eye, and walk in ‘like you own the place.’ Nearly 30 years later as a practicing lawyer, I think about that advice every single time I enter a courtroom." -- Jane Weisbecker Arnone

4. "My father taught me independence by never being home, he taught me to believe in myself and to watch my words by being constantly critical...He taught me loyalty by cheating on my mother...He taught me to be a good person by being an example of a crappy person." -- Judith Fetrowsmith

5. "To the poorest man and to the richest man, my father taught me to give with love." -- Marjie Muder

6. "The importance of reading and education as well as about strong, female Indian role models. The stories he read to me as a child, I now read to my children." -- Jessica Patton

7. "How to change a flat and shine my boots to keep them waterproof in the winter." -- Ingrid Moore

8. "He taught me how to beat my depression, and he taught me strength when he beat his own." -- Kerryn Bakken

9. "My father taught me that the only things we regret later in life are the times we didn't spend with the ones we love." -- Lynnette Deneil

11. "My stepdad taught me that people that are not blood can love you just as much, if not more, than the ones that are." -- Raven Nicole Helms

12. "I learned a powerful work ethic from my dad. If you want something, work for it. It's never going to get handed to you for free." -- Tonia Cruz

13. "My father taught me that it is never too late to work on being the person you want to be, the very best version of yourself." -- Caitlin Lowery

14. "Be true to yourself and those you love. Know when to walk away. Trust your instincts." -- April Pardoe

15. "My father, who is chronically mentally ill, taught me that people are complex and imperfect and that everyone has a story…He taught me that you can love someone without understanding them, and that sometimes loving a person is about letting them live the way they want to, in spite of our different ideas of what a 'good life' might be." -- Pam Zander Turos

16. "I give praises to my mother who did it by herself 46 years ago. She was both mom and dad too me." -- Tahirah Waliyyuddin

17. "My dad raised four children on his own in the early 70's when our mother left. He taught us how to be good parents." -- Jacki Bean Fasching

18. "Be on time and never break a promise." -- Lissa Andrews

19. "My father taught me to listen, to compromise, and to laugh." -- Gail Kane

20. "Look people in the eye, do not get pushed around by anyone, never argue with a cop, be pushy when needed, help out a stranger and love my mother forever." -- Leslie Boyd

21. "He taught me to ride a bike and to drive." -- Jill McNamara-Twiss

22. "He gave me an intense love of the English language; the great writers and poets, comic strips and word puzzles…Dad taught me to appreciate nature: birds, trees, laying in a hammock, breathing deeply the scent of lilacs and how to recognize the smell of rain." -- Peggy 'Healton' Frye

23. "My dad has taught me the love of music." -- Jessica Dekarske

24. "I learned a love of gardening from my father who worked the land all of his life." -- Loretta Garcia

25. "I have learned acceptance, patience and devotion from my dads. I've learned that love is not defined by social acceptance." -- Dawn Warner

26. "My dad taught me how to dance Argentine tango when I was 10. He brought me to wine tastings in Napa Valley when I was 13, and taught me how to drink responsibly at a very young age. He brought me to a tequila maker when I was 15 and always tried to instill a sense of responsibility through knowledge and understanding." -- Janel Morales

27. "The most important thing my dad taught me is that your circumstances don't define who you are." -- Dana Gallegos

28. "Work hard, play hard." -- Monique Yvette Flores

29. "Love many, trust few, always paddle your own canoe." -- Deborah Fallis

30. "Because of my dad, I'm the gal that always has a Leatherman in her fabulous purse." -- Beckey Salg

31. "Do not believe every thing you read. Stay curious." -- Viv Cox

32. "My dad always said that 99 percent of the things we worry about will never happen and for the 1 percent that do, 99 percent of those won't matter in 5 years." -- Lyn Huston

33. "Take no shit but do no harm." -- Joy Holt

34. "You're never too old to learn something new." -- Georgiann Rogers

35. "I've learned that drugs and alcohol will ruin your life. That helping make a baby doesn't make you a father." -- Channing Hale

36. "Life goes on." -- Netta Laor Yeung

37. "In the third grade my dad gave me…a bag of pine cone seeds, and told me that I had the power in my own hands to make the world a more beautiful place. This lesson has stuck with me my whole life. He showed me I could do anything if I tried." -- Laura Olson Linder

Before You Go

"My daughter did a portrait of me for Father's Day."

Kids Know How To Keep It Real On Father's Day

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