Kids get their fair share of advice from their dads—whether it’s how to parallel park or how to learn from one's mistakes. Throughout history, fathers have been a source of wisdom and guidance for their families. This Father’s Day, we're exploring six letters from famous figures and the fatherly advice they shared with their children.
Albert Einstein (1879–1955)
In 1915, the famous mathematician Albert Einstein made his greatest discovery: the theory of general relativity. Excited by his recent success, he wrote to his 11-year-old son, Hans Albert. He offered his son advice about finding joy in work.
I am very pleased that you find joy with the piano. This and carpentry are in my opinion for your age the best pursuits, better even than school. Because those are things which fit a young person such as you very well. Mainly play the things on the piano which please you, even if the teacher does not assign those. That is the way to learn the most, that when you are doing something with such enjoyment that you don't notice that the time passes. I am sometimes so wrapped up in my work that I forget about the noon meal.
Jawaharlal Nehru (1889–1964)
The politician Jawaharlal Nehru would lead India’s independence movement and become the nation’s first prime minister. In 1928, he wrote 30 letters to his ten-year-old daughter, Indira, while he was away. In these letters, he educated her on natural and human history, while also sharing wisdom about the world.
As Indians we have to live in India and work for India. But we must not forget that we belong to the larger family of the world and the people living in other countries are after all our cousins. It would be such an excellent thing if all the people in the world were happy and contented. We have therefore to try to make the whole world a happier place to live in.
Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919)
The 26th U.S. President, Theodore Roosevelt, had plenty of advice for his children. In 1917, his youngest son, Quentin, proposed to Flora Payne Whitney right before he left to fight in World War I. Roosevelt soon learned Quentin rarely wrote to his fiancée while he was away. To ensure his son didn't lose the woman he loved, Roosevelt gave Quentin some straightforward advice:
Write no matter how tired you are, no matter how inconvenient it is; write if you’re smashed up in a hospital; write when you are doing your most dangerous stunts; write when your work is most irksome and disheartening; write all the time! Write enough letters to allow for half being lost.
George S. Patton (1885–1945)
George S. Patton made his mark on history as a brilliant but hot-tempered general during World War II. On June 6, 1944, the Allied forces launched their surprise invasion of Normandy, France. That day, the general wrote a letter to his son George, who was a 21-year-old cadet at West Point. Patton’s long letter was filled with advice about leadership and what it takes to be a good soldier:
There are apparently two types of successful soldiers. Those who get on by being unobtrusive and those who get on by being obstrusive. I am the latter type and seem to be rare and unpopular: but that is my method. One has to choose a system and stick to it. People who are not themselves are nobody.
W.E.B. Du Bois (1868–1963)
In 1914, the historian and civil rights activist W.E.B. Du Bois wrote to his daughter, Yolande. She had moved to England to start school and was missing her home in America. As a young woman of color, she worried about fitting in. Her father told her to ignore other people’s opinions and believe in herself:
The main thing is the YOU beneath the clothes and the skin–the ability to do, the will to conquer, the determination to understand and know this great, wonderful curious world. Don’t shrink from new experiences and custom. Take the cold bath bravely. Enter into the spirit of your big bed-room. Enjoy what is and not pine for what is not. Read some good, heavy, serious books just for discipline: Take yourself in hand and master yourself. Make yourself do unpleasant things, so as to gain the upper hand of your soul.Above all remember: your father loves you and believes in you and expects you to be a wonderful woman.
John Steinbeck (1902–1968)
In 1958, the famous writer John Steinbeck received a letter from his son, Thom. Thom asked his parents for their advice about love. Steinbeck sent back a thoughtful reply:
First–if you are in love–that’s a good thing—that’s about the best thing that can happen to anyone. Don’t let anyone make it small or light to you.Second—There are several kinds of love. One is a selfish, mean, grasping, egotistical thing which uses love for self-importance. This is the ugly and crippling kind. The other is an outpouring of everything good in you—of kindness, and consideration and respect—not only the social respect of manners but the greater respect which is recognition of another person as unique and valuable. The first kind can make you sick and small and weak but the second can release in you strength, and courage and goodness and even wisdom you didn't know you had.
Wishing everyone a Happy Father’s Day this Sunday! Don’t forget to give the dads in your life a big hug.
Photo by Ante Hamersmit on Unsplash
Further Reading
Lawson, Dorie McCullough. Posterity: Letters of Great Americans to Their Children. New York: Doubleday, 2004
Nehru, Jawaharlal. Letter from a Father to a Daughter. Allahabad: Allahabad Law Journal Press, 1929.