Cowboy Sayings and Quotes

From Buffalo Bill Cody to The Lone Ranger, cowboys occupy a special space in American pop culture. There’s just something about the spectacle of wrangling often dangerous animals and their courageous image that continues to capture the imagination of the public. Channel your inner cowboy with the wise and humorous cowboy quotes below.

Some cowboys have to much tumbleweed in their blood to settle down. Ken Alstad
If you think bull riding' isn't intense, come sit on his back and try on my saddle. This aint for tenderfoots. Clancy Jean Driscoll
No hour of life is wasted that is spent in the saddle. Winston Churchill
No man should have cowboys boots in his wardrobe. That's fair enough, isn't it? Unless you're a cowboy, of course. Paul Weller
Ride E'm Cowboy, don't let them throw ya down.. You can't make no money if ya hit the ground, Ride E'm Cowboy, don't let them throw ya down, You're the toughest Cowboy in town. Juice Newton
A good cowman knows how to lie to the tax collector and the cattle buyer. Anonymous
When my time comes, just skin me and put me up there on Trigger, just as though nothing had ever changed. Roy Rogers
Cowboys need nothin' more than a hat, horse, and the will to ride. Anonymous
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
Any cowboy can carry a tune. The trouble comes when he tries to unload it. Anonymous
It doesn't matter if a Cowboy lives in the mountains or in the flats, as long as it's warm and there is a place to lay his hat. Anonymous
When I grew up, I only had two dreams. One was to be a cowboy and another was to be in the military. I grew up extremely patriotic and riding horses. Chris Kyle
Cowboys work hard, play well, love soft, and are a hell of alot better than any other boy I've ever seen. Olivia Flannery
Now you are thinking like a thief. Fewer guns and more exits. We'll cure your cowboy ways yet. Richard Kadrey
There is no better place to heal a broken heart than on the back of a horse. Missy Lyons
The cowboy must never shoot first, hit a smaller man or take unfair advantage. Anonymous
Cowboys are gentlemen who treat women with respect and work hard. They use their manners more than any other man would and ride horse and bulls like their is no tomorrow. Anonymous
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
The horse is a mirror to your soul. And sometimes you might not like what you see in the mirror. Buck Brannaman
First buy a cowboy hat and boots. Then you're on your way to being a Texan. James A. Michener
Ain't nuthin' like ridin' a fine horse in new country. Agustus MacCrae
A true cowboy knows love, pain and shame but never cares about fame. Anonymous
When you're young and you fall off a horse, you may break something. When you're my age, you splatter. Roy Rogers
Where the leather is scarred, there is a great story to tell. Jimmy Tart
Let him ride a horse. He's a cowboy ain't he. Nathanael West
You can tell a true cowboy by the type of horse that he rides. Anonymous
Learn this well, the last ride is never the last ride. And the end is not the end. Richard Rowland
Cowboys don't go around breaking hearts. Missy Lyons
The only good reason to ride a bull is to meet a nurse. Anonymous
I took to the life of a cowboy like a horse takes to oats. Anonymous
A cowboy is a man with guts and a horse. William James
True cowboys are the ones who aren't afraid to get dirty. Lane Frost
Real cowboys never run, they just ride away. Anonymous
Cowboys they are all so tough on the outside, but so sweet and soft on the inside. Amber
It ain't the clothes that make the cowgirl, it's the attitude and heart. Anonymous
Boots, chaps and cowboy hats. Nothing else matters. Anonymous
It's a lot like nuts and bolts-if the rider's nuts, the horse bolts! Nicholas Evans
I took to the life of a cowboy like a horse takes to oats. Clinton McCoy
The essential joy of being with horses is that it brings us in contact with the rare elements of grace, beauty, spirit and fire. Shannon Ralls Lemon
Horses and life, it’s all the same to me. Buck Brannaman
There is something about riding on a prancing horse that makes you feel like something, even when you aint worth a thing Will Rogers
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 nutures--a cattleman's herd. Blake Allmendinger
The cowboy no doubt can be regarded as a proud rider, skilled, observant, alert, resourceful, unyielding, daring, punctilious in a code peculiar to his occupation, and faithful to his trust. Charles W. Harris, Buck Rainey
The cowboy has been called America's folk hero. Charles W. Harris, Buck Rainey
That the cowboy is one of the most romantic figures in American history is uncontested. Charles W. Harris, Buck Rainey
Like the bears, the cowboy seemed to hibernate in the winter, and our only glimpse of him or the West was invariably in a summer setting. Charles W. Harris, Buck Rainey
Cowboys come in many different shapes and sizes but all cowboys must be able to ride horses. Meg Clibbon
The cowboys can rest and look at the distant mountains, the fish in the creek and the setting sun. Meg Clibbon
Cowboy films often show cowboys who are handsome, clean shaven, young and fair skinned. In real life cowboys were often quite old. They were covered in dust and had little time to wash or shave. Usually their horses were more handsome than they were. Meg Clibbon
The cowboy remains an excellent model of popular history-- authoritative yet acccessible. Philip Ashton Rollins
The cowboy was far more than a theatric character. He was an affirmative, constructive factor in the social and political development of the United States. Philip Ashton Rollins
The cowboy I know is a working man. He is defined by his work, which should not be confused with the term 'job'. John R. Erickson
Cowboy work is more than a job; it is a life-style and a medium of expression. John R. Erickson
Remove the cowboy from his working environment and you have someone else, someone who resembles a cowboy in outward appearance but who, to one degree or another, is an imposter. John R. Erickson
Since he lives where he work, andsince he deals with animals instead of machines, the cowboy is never really off work . John R. Erickson
The cowboy life attracts special type of individual who can shift for himself and endure isolation, and one who thrives on physical hardship, a certain amount of danger, and low wages. John R. Erickson
The cowboy doesn't have to punch a time clock, drive through snarls of traffic every morning, shave, wear a tie, or participate in office rituals to gain advancement.When he gets tired of the scenery, or if the boss crowds him too close, he packs his few possessions in a pick up and horse trailer, and moves on to another ranch. John R. Erickson
The cowboy is a common laborer with heroic tendencies and a sense of humor. John R. Erickson
A good old rodeo never hurt anyone. Taylor Kitsch
Inside every cowboy there’s a lady who’d love to slip out. Willie Nelson
If your were out west about a hundred years ago, you might heard a cowboy yelling--ti yi yippy yay!- as he rode across the plains. Lucille Recht Penner
Cowboy lived on a cattle ranches. A ranch had a house for the rancher and his family, barns for animals, and a bunkhouse where the cowboys slept. Lucille Recht Penner
What was it like to be a cowboy-- to ride thousands of miles across the prairie.. to sleep under the stars at night.. to face storms and cattle rustlers and spampedes?Come take a ride with some cowboys and learn all about their exicting lives in the old west! Lucille Recht Penner
I thought being a cowboy would be a terribly romantic thing to do. But it wasn't. I shoveled a lot of stalls. Bob Weir
There's a big difference between me and a real, legitimate working hand, or a world-champion rodeo cowboy. I play 'em, and I aspire to be like that, but those guys are tough. Luke Perry
If you're going to wear a cowboy hat, you're going to have to go all the way. You should have livestock around you, settle all of your disputes with a pistol, and ride a horse absolutely everywhere. Tom Segura
In a lot of places in the United States and certainly even more places around the world, the image of the cowboy has become, for some people, a negative one. The word 'cowboy' implies a strong, stubborn individual whose individualism depends on pulling down other people's individualism. Viggo Mortensen
Every coach has his own style of play, but when you spend your whole life as a Cowboy, you have to be influenced by what we did Tom Landry
Cowboys don't get married, unless they stop being cowboys. David Goodman
Kid, cowboying is something you do when you can't do nothing else. Dick Richards,Eric Bercovici
A cowboy would rather throw a bull than eat beans with his knife. Charles Dorian
These cowboys follow the rodeos from town to town in an effort to win some prize money and, incidentally, to break a few bones. Some of them win prize money. Charles Dorian
They use to tell me, ride 'em cowboy don't let 'em throw you down / You can't make no money if you hit the ground / They say, ride 'em cowboy don't let 'em throw you down / You're the toughest cowboy in town. Paul Davis
The cowboy and the lady, as different as could be / But it seemed so right that rainy night in Tennessee. Bobby Goldsboro
I think I'd rather be a cowboy, I think I'd rather ride the range. / I think I'd rather be a cowboy than to lay me down in love and lady's chains. John Denver
Rodeo ain't no ordinary life / But a cowboy ain't no ordinary man Tracy Byrd
Driving all night too many miles to go / Pedal tot he metal listenin' to the radio / I got three days to get from Cheyenne to San Antone / That's the life of a cowboy ridin' the rodeo Kostas Lazarides,Vince Gill
Ride cowboy ride hold on for your life / Eight seconds is a long long time when you're sitting on dynamite. Kostas Lazarides,Vince Gill
Now if you think the grass is greener on the far side of the hill, / All you cowboys: take it easy, there's no grass there at all. Chris De Burgh
That's cowboy logic, every cowboy's got it / He's got a simple solution to just about anything Chik Rains.Don Cook
Now a cowboy's got a set of rules that he lives by day to day / If you ask for his advice, he'll more than likely say / If it's a fence, mend it, if it's a dollar bill, spend it. Chik Rains.Don Cook
Cowboys they don't ever understand this thing between a woman and a man / Until they find the one they always lose Jack Clement
When a horse wants to run, there ain't no sense in closing the gate / You can have your space, cowboy. Kacey Musgraves, Luke Laird, Shane McAnally
I'd like to be a cowboy an' ride a fiery hoss / Way out into the big an' boundless west; / I'd kill the bears an' catamounts an' wolves I come across, / An' I'd pluck the bal' head eagle from his nest! / With my pistols at my side Eugene Field
A Cowboy never says goodbye, / it’s not in his nature. Kurt Philip Behm
Spending that many hours in the saddle gave a man plenty of time to think. That's why so many cowboys fancied themselves Philosophers. Charles Marion Russell