Owl Quotes (63 sayings about wise birds)
Owl quotes may remind us of wisdom, silence, the dark of night. Or maybe witches and wizards (like Harry Potter), death and ill omen (from ancient times and medieval literature), or even humor.
We’ve collected every type of owl quote here for you to enjoy and consider.
Famous Owl Quotes
What? There are famous owl quotes? You may have heard a few of these.
The Owl and the Pussy-cat
The Owl and the Pussy-cat went to sea
In a beautiful pea-green boat,
They took some honey, and plenty of money,
Wrapped up in a five-pound note.
The Owl looked up to the stars above,
And sang to a small guitar
Edward Lear, The Owl and the Pussycat
Is there a more famous owl quote than The Owl and the Pussycat? This iconic nonsense poem was first published in 1870. If you’ve ever heard the phrase runcible spoon, author Edward Lear created it for this poem.
Lonely Owls
Owls are known as lonely birds; but it’s not known that they have the forest as their best friend
Mehmet Murmat Ildan
Turkish playwright and novelist Mehmet Murmat Ildan also has many famous quotes.
The Owl’s Eyes
Have you ever
Stared into the owl’s eyes? They blink slow, then burn:
Burn gold in the dark inner core of the snow-shrouded cedar.
Robert Penn Warren, Or Else–Poem/Poems 1968-1971
Pulitzer prize winning writer Robert Penn Warren is most famous for his novel All the King’s Men. He’s also the only person to win the Pulitzer prize for both fiction and poetry.
Sad nights
Do not trap yourself into an owl’s hooting sound
where sad nights linger through the blackness of a hound
Munia Khan
The Owl, Tennyson
When cats run home and light is come,
And dew is cold upon the ground,
And the far-off stream is dumb,
And the whirring sail goes round,
And the whirring sail goes round;
Alone and warming his five wits,
The white owl in the belfry sits.
Alfred Tennyson, Song, The Owl.
Did you know Lord Alfred Tennyson is one of the most quoted writers from The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations?
He authored phrases that have become common, like Nature, red in tooth and claw,” and “‘Tis better to have loved and lost, Than never to have loved at all.”
The Gloom Bird
Omens drear
Fright and perplex, so also shuddered he—
Not at dog’s howl, or gloom-bird’s hated screech,
John Keats’ Hyperion
This verse comes from John Keats’ unfinished epic poem, Hyperion. The gloom-bird refers to the owl, whose cry was considered an ill omen in the 1800s.
The Owl of Minerva
The owl of Minerva takes its flight only when the shades of night are gathering.
— G.W.F. Hegel, Philosophy of Right (1820), “Preface”; translated by S W Dyde, 1896
Germanic philosopher Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel influenced many modern philosophical topics.
Here, he writes about the owl of Minerva, or the owl of Athena, which represents this goddess of wisdom. This association led to the owl as a symbol of wisdom and knowledge.
Owl Wisdom Quotes
Owls are regarded as a source of wisdom and intelligence from their association with Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom. It’s no surprise that these magnificent birds of prey feature prominently in owl wisdom quotes.
What does he see?
The owl,” he was saying, “is one of the most curious creatures. A bird that stays awake when the rest of the world sleeps. They can see in the dark. I find that so interesting, to be mired in reality when the rest of the world is dreaming. What does he see and what does he know that the rest of the world is missing?
M.J. Rose, Seduction
MJ Rose’s suspense novel Seduction is a tale of mythology and reincarnation. Here, a character discusses the intrigue of arwen owl’s observations.
Solemn Writers
A serious writer may be a hawk or a buzzard or even a popinjay, but a solemn writer is always a bloody owl.
Ernest Hemingway
Maybe this owl quote belongs in the list of famous owl quotes above, or humorous ones below. No matter how you categorize it, Hemingway is known as a writer who prunes as many words as possible, leaving his text as an iceberg, with most of the meaning below the surface.
Previous lives
In their previous lives, poets were bats, and thinkers were owls.
Michael Bassey Johnson, Song of a Nature Lover
Our most enchanting bird
To be honest, owls aren’t the brightest of birds, amazing as they are; parrots and crows are much smarter. It’s all in the eyes: those magnificent piercing optics are what make all owls look like they are deep in concentrated scrutiny and steeped in long-lost knowledge.
The more he heard
A wise old owl sat on an oak. The more he saw, the less he spoke. The less he spoke, the more he heard. Why can’t we all be like that bird?
Unknown
Owls make poor heroes
Owls are wise. They are careful and patient. Wisdom precludes boldness. That is why owls make poor heroes
Patrick Rothfuss, The Name of the Wind
I love this unique but accurate quote about owls!
Knowledge
There is always a hidden “owl” in “knowledge.”
E.I. Jane
Simple but true!
Bambi’s Children
Everything you say,’ Geno said rather irritably, ‘contradicts itself.’
‘Of course it does,’ the screech owl rejoined obscurely. ‘Otherwise, how would anyone ever keep to the middle of the road?
Felix Salten, Bambi’s Children
First of all, did you know the Disney movie Bambi is based on a book called Bambi, a Life in the Woods?
If you knew that, did you know there’s a sequel called Bambi’s Children: The Story of a Forest Family? This 1939 book by Austrian author Felix Salten tells the story of Bambi and Faline’s twin fawns, Gino and Gurri, and their coming of age. Gino and Gurri were actually modeled after Salten’s own children. And as in Bambi, the wise owl of the forest has much to say!
RELATED: Owl Names from Mythology
Owl Quotes from Winnie the Pooh
The talkative Owl is regarded as (and regards himself as) the most intelligent creature in the Hundred Acre Wood. Of course, you’ll find lots of Owl’s “wisdom” in his quotes below.
Did you know that Winnie the Pooh is now in the public domain, and you can read it online for free? Check out the Project Gutenberg version here.
Owl knows something
And if anyone knows anything about anything,” said Bear to himself, “it’s Owl who knows something about something.
Winnie the Pooh
AA Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh
Owl’s Anecdote
Owl was telling Kanga an Interesting Anecdote full of long words like Encyclopædia and Rhododendron to which Kanga wasn’t listening
AA Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh
Important Things
Owl was explaining that in a case of Sudden and Temporary Immersion the Important Thing was to keep the Head Above Water
AA Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh
Owl Knows Things
Owl hasn’t exactly got Brain, but he Knows Things. He would know the Right Thing to Do
Piglet, AA Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh
Owl and Christopher Robin talk about rain
The atmospheric conditions have been very unfavourable lately,” said Owl.
“The what?”
“It has been raining,” explained Owl.
“Yes,” said Christopher Robin. “It has.”
“The flood-level has reached an unprecedented height.”
“The who?”
“There’s a lot of water about,” explained Owl.
Owl and Chrisopher Robin, AA Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh
Something very wise
Owl tried to think of something very wise to say, but couldn’t.
AA Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh
Short Owl Quotes
Sometimes you just need a short owl quote full of wisdom! Here you go, from famous to rare.
Keats
The wailing owl
The wailing owl
Screams solitary to the mournful moon.
David Mallett, Excursion.
David Mallett’s Excursion, published in 1728, is a little-known but beautiful poem. You can also read it online here.
Virtuous owl
O you virtuous owle,
The wise Minerva’s only fowle.
Sir Philip Sidney, A Remedy for Love
Similarly, Sidney’s Elizabethan era work, A Remedy for Love is available online here.
Fashionable owls
Then lady Cynthia, mistress of the shade,
Goes, with the fashionable owls, to bed.
Edward Young, Love of Fame, Satire V, line 209.
Edward Young’s famous Love of Fame was originally published in 1725! You can read the full poem here.
RELATED: Quotes About Red- Tailed Hawks
Funny owl quotes
Be an owl
Being human is hard. So be an owl.
Unknown
Counting Owls
Don’t count your owls before they are delivered.
JK Rowling
Hogwarts
It was a lot like working at Hogwarts, except that, instead of receiving letters from our owls, we would find coughed-up owl pellets in our coffee mugs.
Stacey O’Brien, Wesley the Owl: The Remarkable Love Story of an Owl and His Girl
Stacey O’Brien’s book Wesley the Owl is a remarkable story of a scientist who adopts an injured baby barn owl. Filled with many fascinating quotes, the reader will also learn quite a bit about “wild pets” and every aspect of an owl’s life.
Who or why?
Interdimensional travel is full of dangers that can be difficult to predict, but there are signs to watch out for. Owls are especially helpful for savvy explorers. In our own universe, they ask, “Who?” You can tell a parallel world is perilous when you hear an owl ask, “Why?
T.R. Darling, Quiet Pine Trees
The book Quiet Pine Trees is a delightful collection of short stories, including time travel and eerie horror stories spanning many genres
The Office
I am both a night owl and an early bird. So I am wise and I have worms.
Michael Scott, The Office
Do we need to say anything more about Mr Scott?
Inauspiciousness
The inauspiciousness of the owl is nothing but the inauspiciousness of the man who thinks that owl is inauspicious!
Mehmet Murat Ildan
Here we have another quote from Mehmet Murat Ildan, the playwright from Turkey.
Easy come, easy go
Perhaps he does not want to be friends with you until he knows what you are like. With owls, it is never easy-come-easy-go.
T.H. White, The Sword in the Stone
T.H. White 1938 novel The Sword in the Stone retells the tale of King Arthur’s boyhood and how he pulled the sword from the stone. It’s actually the foundation for Disney’s movie, The Sword in the Stone. And White later expanded on the book, building it into The Once and Future King.
Cute Owl Quotes
These cute owl quotes are perfect for captions, Instagram, and more!
An owl is mostly air.
-Ursula K. Le Guin, Out Here: Poems and Images from Steens Mountain Country
It’s wise to think about whooo you are
Anonymous
I’ll owl-wys love you!
Owl you need is love!
It’s owl good!
Owl be waiting!
Owl be back!
It’s owl or nothing!
Owl quotes for Instagram
And here are more Instagram- worthy owl quotes!
A merry note
Then nightly sings the staring owl,
Tu-whit;
Tu-who, a merry note
William Shakespeare, Love’s Labour’s Lost, Act V, Scene 2
The stern’st goodnight
It was the owl that shriek’d, the fatal bellman,
Which gives the stern’st good night.
William Shakespeare, Macbeth (1605), Act II, Scene 2, Line 3.
The clamorous owl
The clamorous owl, that nightly hoots and wonders
At our quaint spirits.
William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Act II, Scene 2, Line 6.
Companion to owls
I am a brother to dragons, and a companion to owls.
Job 30: 29
Owl Quotes from Shakespeare
Shakespeare frequently used owls as a symbol of evil, pending misfortune, ill omen, or death. He intentionally used owl references from ancient Greek and Latin that those watching his plays would know. Here are just a handful of the many owl- related quotes from Shakespeare.
The clamorous owl
The clamorous owl, that nightly hoots and wonders
At our quaint spirits.
William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Night-owl
Shall we rouse the night-owl in a catch that will draw three souls out of one weaver?
William Shakespeare, Twelfth Night
Night’s Herald
The owl, night’s herald, shrieks “tis very late!”
The sheep are gone to fold, birds to their nest,
And coal-black clouds that shadow heaven’s light
Do summon us to part and bid goodnight.
William Shakespeare, Venus and Adonis
The sternest good night
Hark! Peace!
It was the owl that shrieked, the fatal bellman,
Which gives the sternest good night.
William Shakespeare, Macbeth
Lady Macbeth hears an owl shriek when Duncan is murdered. In Shakespeare’s time, owls were viewed as harbingers of death.
The poor wren
The poor wren,
The most diminutive of birds, will fight,
Her young ones in the nest, against the owl.
William Shakespeare, Macbeth
Later in Macbeth, Lady Macbeth compares herself to a wren
Comrade with the owl
No, rather I abjure all roofs, and choose
To wage against the enmity o’ the air,
To be a comrade with the wolf and owl –
Necessity’s sharp pinch!
William Shakespeare, King Lear
King Lear avoids his daughters, telling readers that he’d rather be outside than with them.
Henry IV part III (v.6), King Henry mentions how such a sign appeared when Gloucester was born. And of course Gloucester grew up to become the clearly cursed Richard III.
An evil sign
The owl shriek’d at thy birth, an evil sign.
William Shakespeare, Henry IV Part III
King Henry describes an owl shrieking when Gloucester was born. Later, Gloucester becomes the cursed Richard III.
Screech owl
The screech-owl, screeching loud,
Puts the wretch that lies in woe
In remembrance of a shroud.
William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night’s Dream
At the end of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Puck reminds everyone how late it is.
Frightful
Their music frightful as the serpent’s hiss,
And boding screech-owls make the concert full!
William Shakespeare, Henry VI Part II (iii.2)
Songs of death
Out on you, owls! nothing but songs of death?
William Shakespeare, Richard III, Part IV
Here, King Richard receives bad news from his messengers and shares his frustration with them.
The owl by day
The owl by day,
If he arises, is mocked and wondered at.
William Shakespeare, Henry VI
The owl at noon
And yesterday the bird of night did sit
Even at noon-day, upon the market-place,
Hooting and shrieking. When these prodigies
Do so conjointly meet, let not men say,
These are their reasons; they are natural;
For, I believe they are portentous things
Unto the climate that they point upon.
William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar
Even more ominously, this owl appears at noon.
Goodnight, my good owl
Goodnight, my good owl
William Shakespeare, Love’s Labour Lost
Like many of Shakespeare lines, this one from Boyet sounds innocent, but is actually an insult. He is hinting that the subject looks wise but is actually an idiot.
Dialogue of the Owl and the Cuckoo
When icicles hang by the wall
And Dick the shepherd blows his nail
And Tom bears logs into the hall
And milk comes frozen home in pail,
When blood is nipped and ways be foul,
Then nightly sings the staring owl
Tu-whit, tu-who, a merry note,
While greasy Joan doth keep the pot.
When all aloud the wind doth blow
And coughing drowns the parson’s saw
And birds sit brooding in the snow
And Marian’s nose looks red and raw,
When roasted crabs hiss in the bowl
Then nightly sings the staring owl,
Tu-whit, tu-who, a merry note,
While greasy Joan doth keel the pot.
William Shakespeare, Love’s Labour Lost
At the end of Love’s Labour Lost, Shakespeare presents The Dialogue of the Owl and the Cuckoo, where the owl represents winter and the cuckoo represents spring.
Related post: Names for Owls
Owl proverbs
The wisest of all birds
The owl is the wisest of all birds because the more it sees, the less it talks.
African proverb
When the owl sings
Cuando el tecolote canta, el indio muere (“When the owl cries/sings, the Indian dies”).
Ancient Mexican saying
This ancient Mexican saying comes from the Mayan belief that owls are harbingers of death.
The owl, the enemy
Furthermore, their horrible faces frightened people. They were the enemies, the owls. They incited to evil, to sin and to discord.
They were also false in their hearts, black and white at the same time, envious and tyrannical.
Mayan Popol Vuh
Related post: Tips to Identify Owl Feathers
Quotes about owls and night
Of course, we closely associate owls with night. And here are countless quotes along those lines.
Silence
Every night the owl with his wild monkey-face calls through the black branches, and the mice freeze and the rabbits shiver in the snowy fields— and then there is the long, deep trough of silence when he stops singing, and steps into the air.
Mary Oliver, New and Selected Poems, Volume One
Night is mine
With the prominent hood
The pygmy owl screeched loudly,
“Not yours,
Night is mine.
Ahila, I Named The Village
Secrets
People say the darkness is where secrets are best hidden. Night time brings clarity and focus to owls, even if the aperture of this vision comes with a stigma.
Kimberly Morgan, On Angels and Rabbit Holes
I am here
That little owl with a call as steady as my heartbeat was telling anyone who would listen, ‘I am here.’ We were listening. We’re listening still.
Heather Durham, Going Feral: Field Notes on Wonder and Wanderlust
Drink with the owls
Those who drink whiskey with the owls at night, cannot soar with the eagles the next day.
Brian D. Ratty, Tillamook Passage: Far Side of the Pacific
Horned owl
In the hollow tree, in the old gray tower,
The spectral Owl doth dwell;
Dull, hated, despised, in the sunshine hour,
But at dusk—he’s abroad and well!
Not a bird of the forest e’er mates with him—
All mock him outright, by day:
But at night, when the woods grow still and dim,
The boldest will shrink away!
O, when the night falls, and roosts the fowl,
Then, then, is the reign of the Horned Owl!
Barry Cornwall, The Owl
Screech owl
The screech-owl, with ill-boding cry,
Portends strange things, old women say;
Stops every fool that passes by,
And frights the school-boy from his play.
Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, The Politicians, Stanza 4.
Hunting owls
IN THE WILD, the father owl hunts relentlessly. He has to provide approximately six mice per baby per night. The usual brood is five babies. The father also has to feed his mate, who never leaves the nest and eats about three mice per day. And he must feed himself about four mice a day. This adds up to some thirty-seven full-grown mice every night during nesting season.
Stacey O’Brien, Wesley the Owl: The Remarkable Love Story of an Owl and His Girl
Finally, we will wrap up our list of owl quotes with this remarkable fact about just how much a father owl hunts to feed his family!