Bats have fascinated generations and cultures with their mysterious nocturnal existence and agile flight patterns. Also, being the only mammals who can achieve true flight, they are interestingly associated with both evil spirits and good fortune. Learn more about these flying "blind" mammals as you explore our collection of bat quotes below.
Due to the evolution of the English language, flying bats from the animal kingdom also share a name with the wooden club baseball players use. That's why we have also dedicated a section of bat sayings to one of America's favorite sports.
Quick links to our selection of bat quotes:
When we see a hanging black creature at night, we automatically think of bats. This habit may seem strange to us, but it's actually a very efficient way for bats to rest and conserve energy.
We also commonly think of bats to be blind, but in reality, they have a different type of vision. They use echolocation, emitting high-pitched sounds that bounce off objects and return to their ears. This allows them to create a detailed map of their surroundings.
This sense is so acute that some bats can even detect insect wings fluttering. Besides that, they still have small eyes that are equipped not only for low-light conditions but also for ultraviolet detection1.
Alongside butterflies and bees, bats are also important pollinators. So, next time you see a bat hanging or while reading the bat quotes below, remember how amazing these creatures are and how much they contribute to our world.
"The bat hanging upside down laughs at the topsy-turvy world."
"We see then that the bat is a very wonderful creature, one of Nature's triumphs and masterpieces."
"The bat is a winged mouse. They live very retired during the day, but at night come out for a frolic. They fly very much uncertain, and act as though they had taken a little too much gin. They don’t seem to be bird, beast, nor insect, but a kind of live hash, made out of all three. Bats have a destiny to fill, and I will bet they fill it better than we do ours."
"A Bat meeting anyone running away, signifies an evasion: for although she have no wings, yet she flies."
"There cannot be found in the animal kingdom a bat, or any other creature, so blind in its own range of circumstance and connection, as the greater majority of human beings are in the bosoms of their families"
"But make no mistake: the weeds will win: nature bats last."
Bats have long captured the imagination of authors and artists, inspiring them to weave these mysterious creatures into their works. Take Lewis Carroll's 1865 novel, "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland," for example. Our lovable Mad Hatter recites a quirky poem, "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Bat," a delightful parody of the classic "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star."
But not all bat references are light-hearted. Hunter S. Thompson's "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" showcases the darker side of bats in the famous line, "We can't stop here, this is bat country!" This uneasy statement sets the tone for the book's chaotic and violent themes. Later adapted into a 1988 film, the bat imagery inspired the heavy metal band Avenged Sevenfold to title the song "Bat Country."
And, of course, we have Batman, with 13 feature-length films featuring the caped crusader. And this famous crime fighter has been played by many an a-lister, including Val Kilmer, Christian Bale, and Robert Pattinson.
Check other metaphors from Greek philosopher Aristotle to French composer Claude Debussy through their bat quotes below that explore how they fly high, enter our dreams, and more.
"Twinkle, twinkle little bat How I wonder what you're at! Up above the world you fly, Like a teatray in the sky."
"We can't stop here, this is bat country!"
"And she was always cold toward bats, too, and could not bear them; and yet I think a bat is as friendly a bird as there is."
"For as the eyes of bats are to the blaze of day, so is the reason in our soul to the things which are by nature most evident of all."
"The colour of my soul is iron-grey and sad bats wheel about the steeple of my dreams."
"I will not join the rat race because I'm not a rat. And I will not blindly follow a specific faith because I'm not a bat. The only race I'll take part in is for humans being humane. It's called the human race, and sadly it's got the least participants."
The real 1960s began on the afternoon of November 22, 1963. It came to seem that Kennedy's murder opened some malign trap door in American culture, and the wild bats flapped out.
~ Lance Morrow
Not every winged Creature is considered a bird or a bat. Some wings are made of magic.
~ Raani York
As Halloween creeps closer, various iconic symbols take center stage. From the orange pumpkins to the black felines and, of course, the vampire's animal form, the bats. Their nocturnal habits and silent flight through the night sky have earned them a reputation as mischievous spirits, a belief that dates back to ancient Celtic times.
But let's remember that most bats are harmless. And as long as we know how to avoid the rabid ones, we should not fear these creatures.
Dispel these flying mammals' creepy reputation by reading the funny bat quotes below.
"The baby bat screamed out in fright, ‘Turn on the dark, I'm afraid of the light.'"
"I got rabies shots for biting the head off a bat but that's OK – the bat had to get Ozzy shots."
"I remember when we were doing the first Dragon's Lair, I got really involved with coming up with all the little rooms and what was the danger in the room and going into it with bats and spiders and snakes."
Baseball and its iconic bat have been entwined in American history for over a century and a half, capturing sports enthusiasts' hearts while fostering camaraderie and competition. With its humble beginnings in the mid-1800s, the sport has evolved significantly, but the bat remains a key element.
Players in the early days showcased their ingenuity by crafting bats from various materials like scrap wood. And in 1859, J.F. Hillerich's first commercially made baseball bats marked the start of an industry. His family’s household name, the Louisville Slugger bat, has been the official bat of Major League Baseball since 1997.
From baseball legend Babe Ruth to recent players, have a glimpse of their love for the game through their bat quotes below.
"Sometimes you just need a spark, and then boom, boom, boom, now the bats come alive."
"If people got hit on the head by a baseball bat every week, pretty soon they would invent reasons why getting hit on the head with a baseball bat was a good thing."
"I won't be happy until we have every boy in America between the ages of six and sixteen wearing a glove and swinging a bat."
"A full mind is an empty bat."
"The bat is gone, but the smile remains."
| 1 | Müller, B., Glösmann, M., Peichl, L., Knop, G. C., Hagemann, C., & Ammermüller, J. (2009). Bat Eyes Have Ultraviolet-Sensitive Cone Photoreceptors. PLoS ONE, 4(7). |
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