45 Cowboy Quotes & Sayings: Insights From The Saddle
Cowboy quotes. That’s what you came here for, and that’s what I’m here to cover.
In a world defined by materialism, there’s something admirable about the cowboy way of life.
It’s simple, honorable, and meaningful. It’s not about sports cars, fancy restaurants, and designed clothes
It’s a culture of grittiness and simplicity, and the following cowboy sayings encapsulate that message.
So without further ado, let’s dive in!
Best Cowboy Quotes
- “A cowboy’s hands are as strong as steel, as tough as leather, but soft enough to touch a butterfly’s wing and the skin of a woman without disturbing the beauty of either.” ~ Carol Crandell
- “Some cowboys have too much tumbleweed in their blood to settle down.” ~ Ken Alstad
- “Life’s a rodeo. All you have to do is stay in the saddle.” ~ George Jung
- “Life is getting up one more time than you’ve been knocked down.” ~ John Wayne
- “Arrogance is the cowboy that talks, confidence is the cowboy that shows.”
- “Tomorrow is the most important thing in life. Comes into us at midnight very clean. It’s perfect when it arrives, and it puts itself in our hands. It hopes we’ve learned something from yesterday.” ~ John Wayne
- “A cowboy is defined by the work that he does. Any man lays claim to that name if he lives on a ranch and works–drives, brands, castrates, or nurtures – a cattleman’s herd.” ~ Blake Allmendinger
- “I’ve always followed my father’s advice: he told me, first to always keep my word and, second, to never insult anybody unintentionally. If I insult you, you can be goddamn sure I intend to. And, third, he told me not to go around looking for trouble.” ~ John Wayne
- “True cowboys are the ones who aren’t afraid to get dirty.” ~ Lane Frost quote
- “We have a sense that we should be like the mythical cowboy… able to take on and conquer anything and live in the world without the need for other people.” ~ Morrie Schwartz
- “You know, you did something that no one does, Rip. You’ve outlived your past.” ~ Lloyd Pierce
- “Life is a series of adjustments. I learned that from all the years I spent bronc ridin’.The bronc goes left, I had to shift right and then make counter move after counter move. It’s the same sort of shuffle and shifts with life.” ~ Cowboy McKennon Kelly
- “I have tried to live my life so that my family would love me and my friends respect me. The others can do whatever the hell they please.” ~ John Wayne
Cowboy Sayings
- “Cowboys work hard, play well, love soft, and are hell of a lot better than any other boy.” ~ Olivia Flannery
- “An old cowboy friend o’mine told me once. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it! And if the job is too hard it’s cause you’re doin it wrong.”
- “It doesn’t matter if a cowboy lives in the mountainsides or in the flats, as long as it’s warm and there is a place to lay his hat.”
- “Cowboys don’t get married, unless they stop being cowboys.” ~ David Goodman
- “Generally, you ain’t learnin’ nothin when your mouth’s a-jawin’.”
- “Don’t worry about bitin’ off more’n you can chew; your mouth is probably a whole lot bigger than you think.”
- “I have a very strict gun control policy. If there’s a gun around, I want to be in control of it.” ~ Clint Eastwood
- “Life is tough, but it’s tougher if you’re stupid.” ~ John Wayne
- “Lettin’ the cat out of the bag is a whole lot easier than puttin’ it back.”
- “The quickest way to double your money is to fold it up and put it back in your pocket.”
Badass Cowboy Quotes
- “Don’t be like the rest of them darling.” ~ Grace Kelly
- “The best way to describe a cowboy is mud, guts, and glory.”
- “I believe in lovin’ with your whole soul and destroying anything that wants to kill what you love. That’s it. That’s all there is.” ~ Beth Dutton quote
- “Courage is being scared to death..and saddling up anyway.” ~ John Wayne
- “Integrity is what the world’s missing now.” ~ Weldon Hawley
- “It’s 5% talent…15% skill…and 80% just hanging in there.”
- “No hour of life is wasted that is spent in the saddle.” ~ Winston Churchill
- “Cowboys don’t take baths, they just dust off.” ~ Tornado
- “It’s the one constant in life. You build something worth having, then someone’s gonna try and take it.” ~ John Dutton quote
- “Slap some bacon on a biscuit and let’s go! We’re burnin’ daylight!”
- “A true cowboy knows love, pain, and shame, but never cares about fame.”
- “Cowboys and men are two totally different breeds.”
Western Quotes
- “That was the trouble with explaining with words. If you explained with gunpowder, people listened.” ~ Dean F. Wilson, Dustrunner
- “It’s a hell of a thing, killing a man. You take away all he’s got and all he’s ever gonna have.” ~ Clint Eastwood as Bill Munny
- “A decent cowboy does not take what belongs to someone else and if he does he deserves to be strung up and left for the flies and coyotes.” ~ Judge Roy Bean
- “You see, in this world, there’s two kinds of people, my friend; those with loaded guns and those who dig. You dig.” ~ Clint Eastwood
- “Death can come for ya any place, any time. It’s never welcomed. But if you’ve done all you can do, and it’s your best, in a way I guess you’re ready for it.” ~ John Wayne
- “When my time comes, just skin me and put me up there on Trigger, just as though nothing had ever changed. ~ Roy Rogers
- “When you’re young and you fall off a horse, you may break something. When you’re my age, you splatter.” ~ Roy Rogers
- “When you stop fighting, that’s death.” ~ John Wayne
Well that’s a wrap on this collection of cowboy quotes.
The rugged lifestyle of the Old West provides timeless wisdom. Life nowadays is frantic and fast-paced. We’re constantly bombarded with stimuli from all directions.
These cowboy sayings are a reminder to embrace simplicity, and get your hands dirty from time to time.
Hope you enjoyed!
