Top 120 Phillip C. McGraw Quotes (2026 Update)
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51. “We all have a social mask, right? We put it on, we go out, put our best foot forward, our best image. But behind that social mask is a personal truth, what we really, really believe about who we are and what we’re capable of.”

— Phillip C. McGraw

52. “This is no dress rehearsal.”

— Phillip C. McGraw

53. “Most choices are driven by immediate results.”

— Phillip C. McGraw

54. “You don’t need a pack of wild horses to learn how to make a sandwich.”

— Phillip C. McGraw

55. “The truth doesn’t have versions, it just is.”

— Phillip C. McGraw

56. “Eighty percent of all questions are statements in disguise.”

— Phillip C. McGraw

57. “At the end of the day, whether or not those people are comfortable with how you’re living your life doesn’t matter. What matters is whether you’re comfortable with it.”

— Phillip C. McGraw

58. “You’re FAT – and don’t try to sugarcoat it, because you’ll just eat that, too.”

— Phillip C. McGraw

59. “There is an interconnectedness among members that bonds the family, much like mountain climbers who rope themselves together when climbing a mountain, so that if someone should slip or need support, he’s held up by the others until he regains his footing.”

— Phillip C. McGraw

60. “Eighty percent of all choices are based on fear. Most people don’t choose what they want; they choose what they think is safe.”

— Phillip C. McGraw

61. “A year from now, you’re gonna weigh more or less than what you do right now.”

— Phillip C. McGraw

62. “Ain’t nothin’ to it, but to do it. – Maya Angelou.”

— Phillip C. McGraw

63. “If you don’t know what it is you want – and I mean specifically – then you won’t even know when you have it.”

— Phillip C. McGraw

64. “If you’re trying to get out of debt, you have to be willing to treat everything as expendable.”

— Phillip C. McGraw

65. “There’s a big difference between falling in love and being in love. There’s a big difference between infatuation and falling in love.”

— Phillip C. McGraw

66. “You can’t put feathers on a dog and call it a chicken!”

— Phillip C. McGraw

67. “Happiness isn’t a one-size-fits-all proposition. You must define what it looks like for you and then make a conscious effort to access whatever gets you to your unique definition of joy.”

— Phillip C. McGraw

68. “You don’t need a rope to pinch a stranger’s butt.”

— Phillip C. McGraw

69. “Relationships are negotiated and if you deal with ultimatums and authority all the time, then you’re not going to get anywhere.”

— Phillip C. McGraw

70. “You’re only lonely if you’re not there for you.”

— Phillip C. McGraw

71. “You cannot be who and what you are unless you have a lifestyle, both internally and externally, that is designed to support that definition of self.”

— Phillip C. McGraw

72. “We are proud to have a platform through the Dr Phil show and the Dr. Phil Foundation to offer children the voice they need to meet their goals in having a better life.”

— Phillip C. McGraw

73. “The most you get is what you ask for.”

— Phillip C. McGraw

74. “You either get it or you don’t. Become one of those who get it.”

— Phillip C. McGraw

75. “I mean, look, teachers don’t do their job for the money, obviously, because we pay them ridiculously little amounts for what they put in. Most of them come out of their own pocket for materials and things to help the children and all that.”

— Phillip C. McGraw

76. “I tell you, if you’re in the front row of the parade and you stop walking, pretty soon you’re back in the tuba section. And if you want to lead the parade you’ve got to keep moving.”

— Phillip C. McGraw

77. “I think every parent, every generation has wanted their children to do better and have a higher standard of living. But I think there’s too much guilt.”

— Phillip C. McGraw

78. “Are you doing what you’re doing today because you want to do it, or because it’s what you were doing yesterday?”

— Phillip C. McGraw

79. “Power begins with having a crystal-clear view of reality and what each and every person in your life is driven by.”

— Phillip C. McGraw

80. “Everyone faces the challenge of finding meaning to their suffering.”

— Phillip C. McGraw

81. “I’m one of those that believes you can’t be one kind of a man and another kind of president.”

— Phillip C. McGraw

82. “I just am not good at math.”

— Phillip C. McGraw

83. “I didn’t just come in on a load of turnips!”

— Phillip C. McGraw

84. “People who consistently win have a clear and thoughtful strategy. They know what they need to do and when they need to do it. They write it down so they stay on course, and avoid any alternative that does not get them closer to the finish line.”

— Phillip C. McGraw

85. “I’m embarrassed every time I look a teacher in the eye, because we ask them to do so much for so little.”

— Phillip C. McGraw

86. “Oh, everybody wears a mask. We all put our best foot forward. We all try and make a statement, I’m not saying that’s bad.”

— Phillip C. McGraw

87. “Do it! People who succeed don’t just sit and think about what they want to do. They take meaningful, purposeful, directional action consistently and persistently. Every step they take puts them toward the outcome they’re looking for.”

— Phillip C. McGraw

88. “If I was on the air and was just kind of a plain-vanilla personality that took the safe road and the safe way trying to please all of the people all of the time, I’d been gone in two weeks.”

— Phillip C. McGraw

89. “You have got to decide, look, this is who I am; this is my best way to present myself, and I’m going to ride that horse to the finish line. Not everybody will like it, but that’s OK.”

— Phillip C. McGraw

90. “Leaders inspire. They aren’t assigned leadership. They command it.”

— Phillip C. McGraw

91. “Some people prefer the passenger role, because it imposes no real pressure to decide or stand accountable for their life results.”

— Phillip C. McGraw

92. “Food is a coping mechanism; people are afraid of giving it up because then they’ll feel confused and lost.”

— Phillip C. McGraw

93. “Those who marry for money end up EARNING it anyway.”

— Phillip C. McGraw

94. “Well, let me tell you, if you’re 45, had three children and are post-menopausal, you’re not going to weigh what you did the day you graduated from high school. Get that out of your head. That’s a media-driven ideal that you’re never going to healthfully obtain.”

— Phillip C. McGraw

95. “Champions get what they want because they know what they want. They have a vision that keeps them motivated and efficiently on track. They see it, feel it, and experience it in their minds and hearts. What is success for you? You won’t get there without knowing what it feels and looks like.”

— Phillip C. McGraw

96. “You have to figure out what that is, and you have to make a plan to get to it. And the plan has got to have a timeline. You have to choose something that you can afford to do and then lock it in and passionately do it.”

— Phillip C. McGraw

97. “Pain is the price you pay for resisting life.”

— Phillip C. McGraw

98. “People create their own experiences.”

— Phillip C. McGraw

99. “A lot of people do have tragic childhoods. But you know what? Get over it.”

— Phillip C. McGraw

100. “Every one of us have things that we believe about ourselves when nobody else is looking, nobody else is listening, nobody else is monitoring what we’re doing. We believe things about ourselves.”

— Phillip C. McGraw