Elephant symbolism is present in cultures all around the world. In some, elephants are admired for their power and strength, while others value how gentle and wise they are. Also, numerous cultures associate them with good luck and prosperity.
Now the question is, how can we apply the elephants’ wisdom to our lives? Well, reading the 36 best elephant quotes is a great place to start.
35 Best Elephant Quotes
Best Elephant Quotes About Strength and Perseverance
#1. “As an elephant in the battlefield withstands arrows shot from bows all around, even so shall I endure abuse.” — Buddha
#2. “There is no creature among all the beasts of the world which hath so great and ample demonstration of the power and wisdom of Almighty God as the elephant.” ― Edward Topsell
#3. “In order to leave nothing to chance, elephants plaster themselves with mud and dust as further protection against both heat and flies. In the animal kingdom, it is not necessary to be thin-skinned to be sensitive.” — C. Court Treat
#4. “He who mounts a wild elephant goes where the elephant goes.” — Unknown
#5. “When elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers.” — African Proverb
#6. “Elephants are symbols of might and memory, harmony and patience, power and compassion. We are equivocal about them, as we are about anything which evokes strong feelings in us. We love and fear them, kill and revere them, see them as beasts of the moon with crescent tusks or as buffoons in baggy pants.” — The Beginnings of the Maasai
#7. “When you have got an elephant by the hind legs and he is trying to run away, it’s best to let him run.” — Abraham Lincoln
#8. “In captivity, their enormousness is muted, cloaked in indignity and shame, a source of acute dismay. But in the wild, they invoke awe, exercising uncanny skills, taking obvious delight in one another as they shuffle through our lives, keeping grave appointments at the other end of the world. There is much about them that remains mysterious.” — Lyall Watson
#9. “To get the attention of a large animal, be it an elephant or a bureaucracy, it helps to know what part of it feels pain. Be very sure, though, that you want its full attention.” — Kelvin Throop
Impactful Elephant Quotes
#10. “The elephant is never won by anger; nor must that man who would reclaim a lion take him by the teeth.” — John Dryden
#11. “If anyone wants to know what elephants are like, they are like people only more so.” — Peter Corneille
#12. “Nature’s great masterpiece, an elephant; the only harmless great thing.” — John Donne
#13. “Elephants don’t know anything about the world of ants; the peaks of mountains are oblivious of what is happening on the plains!” — Mehmet Murat Ildan
#14. “An elephant is a mouse built to government specifications.” — Lazarus Long
#15. “Mediocrity is the elephant in the room.” — Kevin Spacey
#16. “Awake. Be the witness of your thoughts. The elephant hauls himself from the mud. In the same way, drag yourself out of your sloth.” — Buddha
#17. “When we are hungry, elephants are food. When we are full, elephants are beautiful.” — Edward R. Ricciuti
#18. “They say that somewhere in Africa the elephants have a secret grave where they go to lie down, unburden their wrinkled gray bodies, and soar away, light spirits at the end.” — Robert McCammon
#19. “When the bullseye becomes as big as an elephant in your mind, you won’t be able to miss it.”― Alejandro Jodorowski
#20. “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality.” — Desmond Tutu
#21. “We are all a tiger with feelings. An elephant who never forgets. We are tiger, panther, monkey – we are all of these things, all of the life rhythms.” — Ruby Dee
Funny Elephant Quotes
#22. “Words are cheap. The biggest thing you can say is ‘elephant’.” — Charlie Chaplin
#23. “My roommate got a pet elephant. Then it got lost. It’s in the apartment somewhere.” — Steven Wright
#24. “When eating an elephant take one bite at a time.” — Creighton Abrams
#25. “I have a memory like an elephant. In fact, elephants often consult me.” — Noel Coward
#26. “Down in the alley where the garbage grows, a flea jumped on an elephant’s toes. The elephant cried with tears in his eyes, why don’t you pick on someone your size?” — Unknown
#27. “I have a memory like an elephant. I remember every elephant I’ve ever met.” — Herb Caen
#28. “It is the little bits of things that fret and worry us; we can dodge an elephant, but we can’t a fly.” — Josh Billings
#29. “Writing a book is like washing an elephant: there is no good place to begin or end, and it’s hard to keep track of what you’ve already covered.” — Anonymous
#30. “Love will draw an elephant through a key-hole.” — Samuel Richardson
#31. “Right now, I’ve got just two rules to live by. Rule one: don’t taunt elephants. Rule two: don’t stand next to anybody who taunts elephants.” ― Howard Tayler
#32. “Even the elephant carries but a small trunk on his journeys. The perfection of traveling is to travel without baggage.” — Henry David Thoreau
#33. “By a sweet tongue and kindness, you can drag an elephant with a hair.” — Persian Proverb
#34. “If you do not have a memory like an elephant, leave impressions like one.” — Unknown
#35. “If size mattered, the elephant would be the king of the jungle.” — Rickson Gracie
Conclusion
Whether you are looking for some guidance in life or the strength to persevere — you can always turn to the best elephant quotes for inspiration. They can make you laugh, and help you find the power to push through any hardships that may come your way.
