Modern Family: The Best Phil Dunphy Quotes

There are plenty of dads on TV right now, but very few of them represent real dads as well or have the same brilliant combination of hilarity and sweetness as Phil Dunphy from Modern Family.

The show has a large ensemble cast, but it’s arguably Phil who’s most people’s favorite character. Ty Burrell’s lovable performance steals this unique twist on the mockumentary format from the rest of the cast – and that’s some cast to steal a show from including; Julie Bowen, Ed O’Neill, Sofia Vergara, Eric Stonestreet. For fans of Modern Family, here some of Phil Dunphy’s best quotes.

Updated on February 10th, 2021 by Kristen Palamara: Although Modern Family ended in 2020, the show about multiple generations of a family was incredibly popular and ran for 11 seasons. Fans loved the hilarious family members and everyone they met during the show. One of the funniest and most lovable characters of the series was Phil Dunphy. He was endlessly optimistic even through his countless hilarious blunders and he was a supportive father and husband. Phil had some of the funniest lines in the series from advice he gave to his children to awkward phrasing to real-estate tricks. 

15 On Dancing, Singing, And Acting

“Dance until your feet hurt, sing until your lungs hurt, act until you’re William Hurt.”

Phil is a character who loves giving everything he has to any task at hand and dancing, singing, and acting are no different. Phil loves trying new things even if he fails he’ll always give everything he has and this quote proves it. Phil is sure to dance until his feet hurt, sing until his lungs hurt, and act until he’s just as good as the famed actor William Hurt.

14 On Achieving Dreams

“Never be afraid to reach for the stars because even if you fall, you’ll always be wearing a Parent-chute.”

Phil Dunphy is one of the most supportive fathers in recent television history and this quote proves it. He always tells his children, Claire, and the rest of their family that they should try to reach and strive toward their dreams and what they really want in life. In this quote, he tells his kids that they shouldn’t be afraid to reach for the stars because he’ll always be there to help them if they fall.

13 On His Real-Estate Strategy

“Buy low, sell high. People are going to look at this and say, “That guy’s high.”

Unfortunately, but hilariously, Phil misspeaks a lot throughout the series and has odd phrasing that he doesn’t catch before he speaks it into existence. He tries to relay some real-estate advice, which starts out pretty well and normal enough, but he completely loses track of it by the end of the quote. He means to say that people will look at him and think that he’ll be able to sell properties at a high rate, but instead, he says that people will look at him and say that he’s high.

12 On Mantras

“It’s like they say, sometimes God closes a door, but sometimes he closes it so hard, you can’t get your wife out.”

Phil puts his own hilarious spin on the well-known mantra of “sometimes when God closes a door, he opens a window.” It’s delivered by Ty Burrell in a deadpan fashion that shows Phil crack his optimistic demeanor ever so slightly when he doesn’t know how to help Claire so he instead makes a joke about the situation by playing on the phrase and saying that sometimes God closes that door too hard.

11 On Dunphy Determination

“Do you see me saying “I’m done”? Never. Because there is no “done” in Dunphy.”

Phil never gives up on anything in his life and is endlessly optimistic as he tries every option to find success with whatever task is at hand. Again, he trips over his words with this quote. Phil says that he would never say that he’s done because there’s no done in Dunphy, but of course, there is a done in Dunphy.

10 On Popularity

“Cheerleading in my college was cool. The football players were so jealous they wouldn’t even let me and my buddies – Trevor, Scotty, and Ling – go to their parties.”

Here, the joke is on Phil. But on another note, it’s important in today’s society that the producers of Modern Family have championed a male character with so few masculine traits. Phil is a successful working man who provides for his family and fixes things around the house, but he’s also an ex-cheerleader who loves High School Musical and can’t play sports. He’s also a loving husband and father of three, raising two daughters and a son without many traditional masculine traits.

9 On Turn-Ons

“I’ll admit it – I’m turned on by powerful women. Michelle Obama, Oprah, Condolezza Rice, Serena Williams…Wait a minute.”

Ty Burrell’s delivery of this line is perfect, particularly the last part. He realizes what really turns him on at the same time we do and he plays it with the most incredibly accurate facial expression. The timing works well, too, as he pauses for just long enough for Phil to put the pieces together and figure out what else those four women have in common. It’s masterful acting, and it’s also a well-written moment – one of the show’s funniest ever.

8 On Tricking Life

“When life gives you lemonade, make lemons. Life will be all, ‘Whaaat?’”

There’s no character on TV right now who dishes out quite as much life advice as Phil Dunphy – or, as he calls it, Phil’s-osophy.

From “The most amazing things that can happen to a human being will happen to you if you just lower your expectations,” to “Watch a sunrise at least once a day,” that leather-bound book of Phil’s life lessons should really be published, so it can be unleashed upon the world. But it’s this simple twist on the lemonade analogy, in which Phil suggests tricking life into giving you what you desire, that stands out the most.

7 On Emotionally Distant Fathers

“I always felt bad for people with emotionally distant fathers; it turns out I’m one of them. It’s a miracle I didn’t end up a stripper.”

He ended up being a cheerleader, so he wasn’t far off. Phil’s relationship with his father, played by the great Fred Willard, was always used to fantastic comedic – and dramatic – effect over the years, which is what made it so sad when his mother passed away. Not only was a beloved character’s mother dying – a beloved character’s wife was dying, too. The great thing about Phil realizing this is that it deepens his relationship with his dad and also shows that he’s worried about those kinds of things. Phil’s a terrific example of an emotionally involved dad.

6 On Romantic Cinema

“I love filmmaking and I love love. I guess you could say I enjoy making love on film and I love doing it by myself.”

Like most of Phil’s lines, this one couldn’t possibly have been worded in a more awkward or humiliating way. All he’s trying to say is that he enjoys watching romantic movies. He does cry every time he watches Dirty Dancing, so that’s not a surprise. But he insinuates a number of other things – an astounding number of things for just one sentence – in his attempt to explain exactly what draws him to cinema’s most romantic works.

5 On Fearlessness

“I am brave. Roller coasters? Love ‘em. Scary movies? I’ve seen Ghostbusters, like, seven times. I regularly drive through neighborhoods that have only recently been gentrified. So, yeah, I’m pretty much not afraid of anything.”

Jay likes to jokingly question Phil’s manhood, and in a desperate attempt to gain his father-in-law’s approval, Phil constantly tries to prove otherwise. At least he’s always confident in himself, and he never falters in that respect. Even after Jay intentionally flies a model plane into Phil’s face, Phil doesn’t give up trying to impress him, because he wants the two to get along.

4 On Technology

“The iPad comes out on my actual birthday. It’s like Steve Jobs and God got together to say, ‘We love you, Phil.’”

Like most dads, Phil is obsessed with technology and he always wants to get the latest gadgets on the day of release. For Phil, on one particular year, the stars aligned. The iPad – which, back then, was the hottest new item from Apple, promising to combine the ease of a touchscreen iDevice with the complex computing power and large screen of a laptop – was being released on his birthday! Phil’s a man of simple pleasures, and this made his year.

3 On The Keys Of Success

“Success is 1% inspiration, 98% perspiration, and 2% attention to detail.”

Phil’s formula for success is an amalgamation of so many other formulas for success that it doesn’t even mathematically add up. Unless one of his other points, which isn’t explicitly stated but is sort of implied, is that you should always give 101%, in which case it’s a unique and original mantra for shooting for the stars.

The only classic part he left out that most people throw in there is “showing up.” Woody Allen said 80% of success is showing up. But then, Phil Dunphy is a better guy to follow in the footsteps of than Woody Allen.

2 On The ABCs Of Real Estate

“Always Be Closing. Don’t Ever Forget, Great Home Ideas Just Keep Lurking, Mostly Nearby. Often People Question Realtors Sincerity. Take Umbrage, Violators Will – ah, I always forget X.”

The phrase “Always Be Closing” is an old adage in the sales game. But Phil Dunphy, being the real estate wiz that he is, has taken that one step further and finished the alphabet with it – almost. He stumbles on the “X,” but that’s only three letters away from completing the whole alphabet. He still managed to remember 23 of the words that he lives his life by, which is impressive enough.

1 On Being A Cool Dad

“I’m the cool dad, that’s my thang. I’m hip, I surf the web, I text. LOL: laugh out loud. OMG: oh my God. WTF: why the face.”

This was one of Phil’s first lines ever in the pilot episode. It’s the perfect way to introduce the character. He thinks he’s cool without actually being cool – although his heart is always in the right place. He’s extremely lovable and wants respect in the eyes of his kids, and earns it pretty much just by trying. And he is so adorably innocent that he can’t figure out what an “F” stands for in text slang.

About The Author

Ben Sherlock
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Ben Sherlock is a writer, comedian, independent filmmaker, and Burt Reynolds enthusiast. He writes lists for Screen Rant and features and reviews for Game Rant. He’s currently in pre-production on his first feature (and has been for a while, because filmmaking is expensive). You can catch him performing standup at odd pubs around the UK that will give him stage time. Previously, he wrote for Taste of Cinema, Comic Book Resources, and BabbleTop.

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