23 Goose Quotes About The Gaggling Waterfowls
The extensive history of goose domestication reflects their various roles, from wild flocks to farmyard friends. This bird has inspired countless metaphors and sayings through time, enriching our language with phrases that capture their essence. Explore our collection of goose quotes that resonate with wisdom and the essence of these feathered friends.
Quick links to our selection of goose quotes:
Goose Quotes About Their Relationship With Humans
For as early as 7,500 years, humans have already domesticated geese1. These birds are known for their protective instincts, low maintenance, and ability to forage weed. On a bustling farm, a gaggle of geese can be both serene and lively inhabitants, their honks a loud and familiar sound.
While sometimes seen as forceful, their presence has been valued for their contributions to farm life. Here are some quotes reflecting our relationship with them. Check out our articles on goose facts and types of geese to learn more about these feathered friends.
"Oh, but I like my geese. Like cats, they can't be told what to do, and like dogs, they're loyal, and like people, they talk every chance they get."
- Shannon Hale
"That's the wall I always slam into on a good morning like this. My mother will be worrying about me, and I can't tell her that I'm okay. The geese don't care that I'm crying again. They're used to it."
- Lily King
"The way of life can be free and beautiful, but we have lost the way. Greed has poisoned men's souls, has barricaded the world with hate, has goose-stepped us into misery and bloodshed."
- Charlie Chaplin
"Chickens are cheerless birds, I advise you to keep geese which can be taught to follow like dogs, one needs all the companionship one can get in these days."
- Nancy Mitford
Golden Egg Quotes
The "golden egg" is a timeless metaphor originating from Aesop's fable, later woven into Jack and the Beanstalk and a story by the Brothers Grimm. This motif represents the pursuit of wealth, often with a lesson on greed and contentment.
The quotes below show different interpretations of this expression.
"Don't kill the goose that lays the golden egg."
- Aesop
"The goose that lays the golden eggs likes to lay where there are eggs already."
- Charles Spurgeon
"Most people put money in their piggy bank. I buy a goose that lays golden eggs over and over again. That's what an asset is."
- Robert Kiyosaki
"You can't have employment and despise employers. No goose, no golden eggs."
- Paul Tsongas
Metaphorical Goose Quotes To Think About
Beyond golden eggs, these waterfowl are featured in metaphors like the "wild goose chase," depicting a futile search for something out of reach. Similarly, "goose's trial" represents an absurd investigation where the outcome is already known.
Guess the meaning of other figures of speech included in the following quotes.
"How do geese know when to fly to the sun? Who tells them the seasons? How do we, humans know when it is time to move on? As with the migrant birds, so surely with us, there is a voice within if only we would listen to it, that tells us certainly when to go forth into the unknown."
- Elisabeth Kubler-Ross
"If you feel the urge, don't be afraid to go on a wild goose chase. What do you think wild geese are for anyway?"
- Will Rogers
"When I sit down to write, I just let the goose out of the bottle."
- Tom Robbins
"What's good for the goose is good for the gander."
- John Ray
"A fox should not be on the jury at a goose's trial."
- Thomas Fuller
"Friends part forever wild geese lost in cloud"
- Matsuo Basho
"The snow goose need not bathe to make itself white. Neither need you do anything but be yourself."
- Lao Tzu
"He writes so well he makes me feel like putting my quill back in my goose."
- Fred Allen
Notable Goose Quotes In Literature
In literature, geese symbolize freedom and untamed nature. In one of the quotes below, Jim Kjelgaard's "Stormy" uses the cry of northbound wild geese to stir deep emotions. It's a sound that has resonated through the ages, embodying freedom and a sense of limitless adventure. Writers harness this imagery, conveying the wild call as a beckoning to be one with nature.
"Something told the wild geese/ It was time to fly,/ Summer sun was on their wings,/Winter in their cry."
- Rachel Field
"I'll love you till the ocean Is folded and hung up to dry And the seven stars go squawking Like geese about the sky."
- W. H. Auden
"Drifting out of the black sky, it was a far-carrying and haunting cry. The first hairy man who heard that sound had tilted his head to search out its source, and it has touched a sensitive chord in human beings ever since. It was the voice of freedom unlimited, the incarnation of nature itself, the sound and song of fond dreams: the cry of the northbound wild geese."
- Jim Kjelgaard, Stormy
Some Top Gun Quotes
Goose stands out as the charming co-pilot and wingman to Maverick, the daring protagonist in the high-flying world of the Top Gun film franchise.
The story follows elite fighter pilots navigating intense training and complex relationships. Goose brings warmth to the high-stakes environment, grounding the movie's thrilling aerial action with heartfelt human connection. Here are some of the characters' unforgettable lines.
"Great balls of fire!"
- Goose
"Every time we go up there, it's like you're flying with a ghost."
- Goose
"I feel the need, the need for speed."
- Maverick
"You don't have time to think up there. If you think, you're dead."
- Maverick
| 1 | Wen, J., Li, H., Wang, H., Yu, J., Zhu, T., Zhang, J., Li, X., Jiang, Z., Ning, Z., & Qu, L. (2023). Origins, timing and introgression of domestic geese revealed by whole genome data. Journal of Animal Science and Biotechnology, 14(1). |
Isabela is a determined millennial passionate about continuously seeking out ways to make an impact. With a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering with honors, Isabela’s research expertise and interest in artistic works, coupled with a creative mindset, offers readers a fresh take on different environmental, social, and personal development topics.
