---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Be a father, if not, why bother, son? A…"
description: "\"Be a father, if not, why bother, son? A boy can make 'em, but a man can raise one. If you did it, admit it and stick with it.\" — Ed O.G"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d44/ed-o-g-64544_bother_be-a-father-if-not-why-bother-son-a-boy_1297317.png"
---

#  Be a father, if not, why bother, son? A boy can make 'em…

![“Be a father, if not, why bother, son? A boy can make 'em, but a man can raise one. If you did it, admit it and stick with it.” quote by Ed O.G](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d44/ed-o-g-64544_bother_be-a-father-if-not-why-bother-son-a-boy_1297317.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d44/ed-o-g-64544_bother_be-a-father-if-not-why-bother-son-a-boy_1297317.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d44/ed-o-g-64544_bother_be-a-father-if-not-why-bother-son-a-boy_1297317.png)

> “Be a father, if not, why bother, son? A boy can make 'em, but a man can raise one. If you did it, admit it and stick with it.”

[Ed O.G](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-o-g/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The quote urges men to embrace fatherhood, suggesting it is a meaningful responsibility and a test of character.

**In simple terms:** Encourages men to be fathers responsibly.

Key Takeaway

Embrace fatherhood responsibly.

Themes

fatherhood responsibility masculinity legacy

Mood

thoughtful encouraging

Type

advice philosophical

When to use this quote

- family life
- advice
- personal development

Key Concepts

parenting role models personal growth

Questions to Reflect On

- What defines a good father?
- How does fatherhood shape identity?

A Different Perspective

Fatherhood is a personal choice, not an obligation.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Boys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boys/) [Father](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/father/) [Hip hop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hip-hop/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Rap](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rap/) [Son](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/son/)

## Related quotes

> [“How can you approve of them? Does it not bother you that your son, your only son, the very last male to carry the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abigail-roux/how-can-you-approve-of-them-does-it-not-bother-you-that-your-son-your/)

[Abigail Roux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abigail-roux/)

> [It is the duty of man to raise up man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-marti/it-is-the-duty-of-man-to-raise-up-man/)

[Jose Marti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-marti/)

> [No man can ever raise above that that which he aims.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/archibald-alexander-hodge/no-man-can-ever-raise-above-that-that-which-he-aims/)

[Archibald Alexander Hodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/archibald-alexander-hodge/)

> [Any fool can make a baby, but it takes a man to raise a child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/any-fool-can-make-a-baby-but-it-takes-a-man-to-raise-a-child/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“It doesn't take a man to have a child, it takes a man to raise a child.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gonzobilly/it-doesn-t-take-a-man-to-have-a-child-it-takes-a-man-to-raise-a-child/)

[GonzoBilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gonzobilly/)

> [God provides the wind, Man must raise the sail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/god-provides-the-wind-man-must-raise-the-sail/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [It's hard for a black man to raise a family.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/snoop-dogg/it-s-hard-for-a-black-man-to-raise-a-family/)

[Snoop Dogg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/snoop-dogg/)

> [Any fool can make a baby, only a man can raise one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/any-fool-can-make-a-baby-only-a-man-can-raise-one/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I was talking to a businessman, and I said, Don't you think most men are little boys? And he said, I'm no little boy!…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-winters/i-was-talking-to-a-businessman-and-i-said-don-t-you-think-most-men/)

[Jonathan Winters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-winters/)

> [“This was a boy who could make a school uniform look good. What he did to formal wear was damn near criminal.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-hawkins/this-was-a-boy-who-could-make-a-school-uniform-look-good-what-he-did/)

[Rachel Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-hawkins/)

> [I didn't know what to do. How do you tell an eight-year-old boy his mother's going to die? I tried. In my own stumbling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dean/i-didn-t-know-what-to-do-how-do-you-tell-an-eight-year-old-boy-his/)

[James Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-dean/)

> [If I were a cat, I'd make love with a door mat; if I were a frog, I'd make love with a pond log;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-malfatti/if-i-were-a-cat-i-d-make-love-with-a-door-mat-if-i-were-a-frog-i-d/)

[Jean-Paul Malfatti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-malfatti/)

> [A boy can make you believe that he loves you when he doesnt. A girl can make you believe that she doesnt love you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/xuan-ta/a-boy-can-make-you-believe-that-he-loves-you-when-he-doesnt-a-girl/)

[Xuan Ta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/xuan-ta/)

> [One boy can make you hate all the guys, but one man can teach you that not all guys are the same.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/one-boy-can-make-you-hate-all-the-guys-but-one-man-can-teach-you-that/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Boy you make me high, I I I want you to try-y-y, Get back A.S.A.P.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-stan/boy-you-make-me-high-i-i-i-want-you-to-try-y-y-get-back-a-s-a-p/)

[Alexandra Stan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-stan/)

## More by Ed O.G

> [Put on your adidas and step off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-o-g/put-on-your-adidas-and-step-off/)

[Ed O.G](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-o-g/)

> [God works in different ways and it shows... And everybody knows, love comes and goes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-o-g/god-works-in-different-ways-and-it-shows-and-everybody-knows-love/)

[Ed O.G](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-o-g/)

> [I wish I didn't get searched when I come through customs. I wish Christians stop beefin' with Muslims, Wish the poor didn't have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-o-g/i-wish-i-didn-t-get-searched-when-i-come-through-customs-i-wish/)

[Ed O.G](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-o-g/)

> [How many rappers in the game have "little" in front of their name? Lil' Wayne, Lil' Boosie it's a lil' shame Lil' Flip, Lil'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-o-g/how-many-rappers-in-the-game-have-little-in-front-of-their-name-lil/)

[Ed O.G](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-o-g/)

[Explore all 5 Ed O.G quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-o-g/)

## More Bother quotes

> [ Brad \[Dourif\] would tell himself that he was not intentionally trying to mimic Jack Nicholson in any way. I think that actually bothers him… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-kirschner/brad-dourif-would-tell-himself-that-he-was-not-intentionally-trying/)

[David Kirschner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-kirschner/)

> [One day I decided I would like to put a record into my system. So I picked up a record that was lying on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pauline-oliveros/one-day-i-decided-i-would-like-to-put-a-record-into-my-system-so-i/)

[Pauline Oliveros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pauline-oliveros/)

> [Im tired, tired of putting more effort than you do. Im tired of always having to start the conversation and if I dont, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-tired-tired-of-putting-more-effort-than-you-do-im-tired-of-always/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I think what bothers us about fighting sports isn't the damage to the athlete but the fact that you win by doing more harm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-gottschall/i-think-what-bothers-us-about-fighting-sports-isn-t-the-damage-to-the/)

[Jonathan Gottschall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-gottschall/)

> [There is an idea that you can take the spiritual teachings of a religion outside of a religion and practice them; these ideas are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seyyed-hossein-nasr/there-is-an-idea-that-you-can-take-the-spiritual-teachings-of-a/)

[Seyyed Hossein Nasr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seyyed-hossein-nasr/)

> ['Inequality' has become the political theme/slogan of our time in both Europe and the U.S., yet political leaders do not even bother to consider…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-singer/inequality-has-become-the-political-theme-slogan-of-our-time-in-both/)

[Paul Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-singer/)

> [I've always been a late bloomer in some ways, and extremely precocious in other ways. When I was twenty I was living in New…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meghan-daum/i-ve-always-been-a-late-bloomer-in-some-ways-and-extremely-precocious/)

[Meghan Daum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meghan-daum/)

> [“Shut up. Stand up. Put this on. That’s right . . . if you were the kind of man who found it easy to do that kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-stross/shut-up-stand-up-put-this-on-that-s-right-if-you-were-the-kind-of-man/)

[Charles Stross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-stross/)

> [We have reached the point where we can lose a game or two and not drop out of sight in the rankings. I've been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lavell-edwards/we-have-reached-the-point-where-we-can-lose-a-game-or-two-and-not/)

[LaVell Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lavell-edwards/)

> [I've said I want the meanest, toughest SOB I can find to protect America. And so that's why Trump's tone doesn't bother me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-jeffress/i-ve-said-i-want-the-meanest-toughest-sob-i-can-find-to-protect/)

[Robert Jeffress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-jeffress/)

> [I was a loner as a child. I had an imaginary friend - I didn't bother with him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/i-was-a-loner-as-a-child-i-had-an-imaginary-friend-i-didn-t-bother/)

[George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/)

> [This hype word bothers me though It always sounds like an accusation, what does it mean, advertising, column inches in the press? Bands themselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-johnson/this-hype-word-bothers-me-though-it-always-sounds-like-an-accusation/)

[Holly Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-johnson/)

> [Our students wanted to know everything: but only the newest theory seemed to them worth bothering with. Knowing nothing of the intellectual achievements of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-levi-strauss/our-students-wanted-to-know-everything-but-only-the-newest-theory/)

[Claude Levi-Strauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-levi-strauss/)

> [Show me a man who cannot bother to do little things and I'll show you a man who cannot be trusted to do big…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-dale-bell/show-me-a-man-who-cannot-bother-to-do-little-things-and-i-ll-show-you/)

Lawrence Dale Bell

> [People are people. All that celebrity tagging doesn't bother me at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-price/people-are-people-all-that-celebrity-tagging-doesn-t-bother-me-at-all/)

[Katie Price](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-price/)

Browse all 1,604 Bother quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Be a father, if not, why bother, son? A boy can make 'em, but a man can raise one. If you did it, admit it and stick with it.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Ed O.G"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-o-g/be-a-father-if-not-why-bother-son-a-boy-can-make-em-but-a-man-can/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Bother"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-o-g/be-a-father-if-not-why-bother-son-a-boy-can-make-em-but-a-man-can/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d44/ed-o-g-64544_bother_be-a-father-if-not-why-bother-son-a-boy_1297317.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d44/ed-o-g-64544_bother_be-a-father-if-not-why-bother-son-a-boy_1297317.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d44/ed-o-g-64544_bother_be-a-father-if-not-why-bother-son-a-boy_1297317.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Be a father, if not, why bother, son? A boy can make 'em, but a man can raise one. If you did it, admit it…” — Ed O.G",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Ed O.G",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-o-g/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Be a father, if not, why...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-o-g/be-a-father-if-not-why-bother-son-a-boy-can-make-em-but-a-man-can/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-o-g/be-a-father-if-not-why-bother-son-a-boy-can-make-em-but-a-man-can/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
