The majestic and gentle elephant has inspired writers, artists, and other people throughout history. Here are some noteworthy elephant quotes and sayings that demonstrate the strong impression these majestic animals have on us.
And if you’d like to learn more elephant symbolism, mythology, and spiritual meanings, visit UniGuide’s post on elephant meaning and symbolism. Enjoy!
Table of Contents
Elephant Quotes
1. “Only elephants should own ivory.” – Yao Ming
2. “They say an elephant never forgets. What they don’t tell you is, you never forget an elephant.” – Bill Murray
3. “Nature’s great masterpiece, an elephant – the only harmless great thing.” – John Donne
4. “The elephant is never won by anger; nor must that man who would reclaim a lion take him by the teeth.” – John Dryden
5. “We admire elephants in part because they demonstrate what we consider the finest human traits: empathy, self-awareness, and social intelligence. But the way we treat them puts on display the very worst of human behavior.” – Graydon Carter
6. “I meant what I said and I said what I meant. An elephant’s faithful one-hundred percent!” – Dr. Seuss
7. “If elephants didn’t exist, you couldn’t invent one. They belong to a small group of living things so unlikely they challenge credulity and common sense.” – Lyall Watson
8. “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
9. “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
10. “Elephants can sense danger. They never forget the times when they were hunted.” – Jennifer Richard Jacobson
11. “In the elephant, we see a magnificence that is surpassed only by the indifference of its executioner.” – Peter Matthiessen
12. “Elephants are gentle giants with hearts of gold.” – Unknown
13. “The elephant does not have to be convinced that it is powerful; it is born powerful.” – Anonymous
14. “An elephant is faithful to the end. They’re true. They’re true blue. Every friend is true blue.” – Stephen Sondheim
15. “An elephant can trumpet and shake the earth but not the self-possession of the ants who hold it up.” – Rebecca Solnit
16. “Elephants are the giants that remind us how small we are.” – Unknown
17. “When you look into an elephant’s eye, you see a wisdom that comes from deep within.” – Anonymous
18. “The world would be a poorer place without elephants.” – Mark Shand
19. “An elephant’s trunk is a marvelous invention, a combination of a hand, a nose, and a hose.” – Anonymous
Elephant Proverbs
20. “The elephant is a very wise animal; the one that carries the heaviest loads does not necessarily live the longest.”
21. “When elephants fight, it’s the grass that suffers.” – Anonymous
22. “An elephant does not die from one broken rib.” – Anonymous
23. “An elephant does not get tired carrying his trunk.” – Anonymous
24. “Be thine enemy an ant, see in him an elephant.” – Anonymous
25. “A man’s greed is like a snake that wants to swallow an elephant.” – Anonymous
26. “A man who is trampled to death by an elephant is a man who is blind and deaf.” – Anonymous
27. “The elephant and the tiger do not go hunting on the same pasture.” – Anonymous
Elephant Sayings
In addition to elephant quotes and proverbs, we have a lot of sayings that mention elephants. Here are some elephant sayings and and what they mean:
28. “The elephant in the room” — Refers to an obvious problem or issue that everyone is aware of but no one wants to address.
29. “Seeing the elephant” — Refers to gaining experience or witnessing something remarkable.
30. “To have the memory of an elephant” — Suggests having an exceptional or remarkable memory.
31. “To be the elephant in the line-up” — Refers to being the most outstanding or remarkable presence among a group.
32. “To be as strong as an elephant” — Means having great physical or emotional strength.
33. “A white elephant” — Refers to an object, possession, or gift that is expensive, rare, strange, or has little practical use.
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A gentle giant
With a trunk as long as a tree
And a heart of gold.