We can learn a lot by watching "Modern Family," whether it’s picking up on some killer comebacks from Alex, or getting fashion advice from Haley. But if we look a little deeper, we can find life lessons in Phil’s antics and Claire’s occasional craziness. It’s time we give this wonderful show credit for the valuable advice it has given us.

“We do strange things for the people we love. We lie to them, we lie for them. There may be some bumps along the way, but we never stop wanting what’s best for them. That’s what makes this such a tough job- kind of the best job in the world.”

“Everybody’s afraid of something, right? Heights, clowns, tight spaces. Those are things you get over, but then there’s our children. Will they fit in? Will they be safe? Those are fears you never get past. Sometimes all you can do is take a deep breath, pull them close, and hope for the best.”

“Can people change? I don’t know. People are who they are -- give or take 15 percent. That’s how much people can change if they really want to. Whether it’s for themselves, or for the people they love. Yeah, 15 percent, but sometimes that’s just enough."

“We’re from different worlds, yet we somehow fit together. Love is what binds us through fair and stormy weather.”

"What’s my coaching philosophy? Give a kid a bird, and he becomes one of those weird dudes who walks around with a bird on his shoulder. But give him a pair of wings, and he can fly.”

“Nobody loves change, but part of life is learning to let things go."

“A kiss can mean so many different things. It can be the start of something new. It can be how we say ‘this is the person that I love.’ It can be romantic. It can also be worth waiting for."

“You can’t have a successful marriage without being a good listener. Sometimes it takes a little work, sometimes it takes a lot of work, and sometimes it’s just excruciating."

“People can surprise you. You get used to thinking of them one way, stuck in their rules, thinking they are what they are. And then they do something that shows there’s all this depth and dimension you never knew existed."

“You’d think the dreamers would find the dreamers and the realists would find the realists, but more often than not, the opposite is true. You see, the dreamers need the realists to keep them from soaring too close to the sun. And the realists? Well, without the dreamers, they might never get off the ground.”

“Family is family. Whether it’s the one you start out with, the one you end up with, or the family that you gain along the way.”

“They say the important thing in life isn’t the destination, it’s the journey. The challenges you face along the way, the unexpected twists and turns, the disappointments you overcome. But they’re wrong, it’s all about the destination, especially when the destination is your amazing oceanfront hotel!”

“I’ve always seen life like a series of doors. Sometimes you get to choose the door you go through, sometimes you don’t get that choice. But you still gotta walk through. So you can either go kicking and screaming, or walk through with your head held high.”

“We like to think we’re so smart, that we have all the answers. But if you scratch beneath the surface, you don’t have to dig very deep to find the kid you were. Which is why it’s kind of crazy we’re raising kids of our own. I guess that’s the real circle of life. Your parents fake your way through it, you fake your way through it, and hopefully you don’t raise a serial killer.”