Baaa! Fluffy white sheep have captured our hearts with their innocent nature. With over 1000 distinct species worldwide, the human race domesticated sheep2 approximately 10,500 years ago for their meat, milk, and wool. And many have spent countless hours counting them late at night.
Due to their docile nature, we often associate these animals with innocence, peace, vulnerability, and conformity, as seen in our daily metaphors. They've also found their way into countless literary works, from the Bible to the timeless classic, The Little Prince. Check out these and more in our collection of sheep quotes below.
Quick links to our selection of sheep quotes:
If I were to retire right now, I would be on a farm growing my food while surrounded by rescued animals, including sheep. Can you imagine the relaxing animal sounds while enjoying the fresh air breeze?
Raising sheep for meat, milk, or wool is a fulfilling pursuit, but having them for emotional companionship is a hundred times better. Whether surrounded by sheep, cows, or chickens, studies have proven how farming can significantly improve mental health1.
After reading the sheep quotes below, visit our hiking quotes and gardening quotes for more nature therapy.
"To my mind, the life of a lamb is no less precious than that of a human being."
"The goat kicked. The calf trampled. The chickens flapped. The sheep bleated."
"If I lived my life over again, I would stay in the countryside. I prefer the countryside—the milking of the cows and the sheep."
We describe individuals as having a sheep mentality when they blindly conform to the opinions or actions of others without questioning the logic behind them. Since these wooly mammals are prey with a strong social instinct to follow a leader, they are sometimes associated with followers and timid or vulnerable people. However, we should remember that these labels can be harmful and dismissive of individuals who lack assertiveness.
Build your confidence as these sheep quotes provide helpful reminders.
"A lion will never be afraid of sheep, no matter how many outnumber it."
"If a dog manages and directs a thousand sheep, it is not because of the genius of the dog, but because of the sheep's folly!"
"We are not sheep or cows. God didn't create fences for us or boundaries to contain our nationalities. Man did."
"Be yourself. If you’re not yourself, who are you? But take advice; listen to people. If you’re not listening, you’re lost. You’re a sheep among wolves."
"In a nation of sheep, one brave man forms a majority."
"The greatest fear in the world is of the opinions of others. And the moment you are unafraid of the crowd, you are no longer a sheep, you become a lion. A great roar arises in your heart—the roar of freedom."
"Since you cannot mix wolves with sheep, why would anyone dare to compare a lion with the lamb?"
If sheep herds are great in number and roam in a large plot of unprotected land, they need a shepherd to guide their path and protect them from predators. Their profession is one of the oldest, existing around 5,000 years ago.
Throughout time, the bond between sheep and their shepherd transcends its literal meaning. It often symbolizes the relationship between a leader and their followers or even a higher power and its believers.
If you are a leader, these sheep quotes will teach you to be an exemplary shepherd. You might also like our leadership quotes for more on the theme.
"It is the duty of a good shepherd to shear his sheep, not to skin them."
"Without tradition, art is a flock of sheep without a shepherd. Without innovation, it is a corpse."
"A good shepherd always feeds his sheep first, even when he himself is hungry."
"A sheep who teaches something to the shepherd is no more a sheep but a teacher!"
Aside from the metaphors above, we also use terms like "black sheep" to describe someone who deviates from societal norms. Such divergence may be perceived negatively but can also be a catalyst for change, as the black sheep challenges the status quo. But in nature, black sheep exist thanks to the genetic lottery with black fleece recessive genes.
Check out how writers use this metaphor and many more through the sheep quotes below.
"A man, when he is making up with anybody, can be cordial and gallant and full of little attention and altogether charming. But when a man is really in love, he can't help looking like a sheep."
"The black sheep of the family might produce eagles."
"Money, to me, had always been merely something the sheep used to show each other how wonderful they were."
"After all, the wool of a black sheep is just as warm."
"Most people are like sheep—nice, harmless creatures who want nothing more than to be left alone so they can graze. But then of course there are wolves who want nothing more than to eat the sheep."
"The so-called ‘innocents' are still wearing the skins of sheep to cover their evil intentions. Thus, we must avoid flatterers at any cost, so as not to become their victims."
To dive deeper into the different connotations attached to sheep, let's take two famous books as an example. In the Bible, the sheep often represent God's people, with the Lord depicted as a shepherd who guides and protects his flock. This imagery is particularly striking in Psalm 23, where the Lord leads his sheep to green pastures and still waters, providing them with safety and nourishment.
Meanwhile, the sheep symbolism in Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's novella, The Little Prince, took a different turn, focusing on conformity and individuality. The quirky sheep in the story reminds readers that blindly following the flock isn't always the best option. Instead, embracing our unique identity is the way to go.
Look further into these contrasting perspectives as you read the rest of our sheep quotes below.
"I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek your servant, for I do not forget your commandments."
"Jesus saw the huge crowd as he stepped from the boat, and he had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things."
"For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls."
"But if the sheep eats the flower, then for him it's as if, suddenly, all the stars went out. And that isn't important?"
"For millions of years, flowers have been producing thorns. For millions of years, sheep have been eating them all the same."
| 1 | Pedersen, I., Patil, G., Berget, B., Ihlebæk, C., & Gonzalez, M. T. (2015). Mental health rehabilitation in a care farm context: A descriptive review of Norwegian intervention studies. Work (Reading, Mass.), 53(1), 31–43. |
| 2 | Alberto, F.J., Boyer, F., Orozco-terWengel, P. et al. Convergent genomic signatures of domestication in sheep and goats. Nat Commun 9, 813 (2018). |
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