109 Bear Quotes that Honor the Animal

By Sckylar Gibby-Brown

Writer, Entrepreneur and Inspirational quote curator

Updated November 14, 2023

These bear quotes show off the strength and grace that bears possess.

What do you know about bears?

Human beings have been in awe of bears since the dawn of history.

Many traditions of northern Eurasia and North America have worshiped bears for centuries.

There is even archaeological evidence that Paleolithic tribes honored the animal as well since ancient bear bones have been found buried in a specific way that could have been done in a ceremony performed by neanderthals.

It’s no wonder that humans are fascinated with bears.

These animals possess qualities that most of us find honorable.

Bears are a symbol of strength and grace, but they also symbolize family, courage, protection, health, and vitality.

In this list of bear quotes, you will see why they have remained such a revered animal throughout time.

Don’t forget to also check out these animal quotes celebrating their role in our lives.

Check out our most popular quote article, a list of short inspirational quotes for daily inspiration.

Check out our inspirational quotes category page for more inspirational life quotes.

Bear quotes that honor the animal

1. “The best way of being kind to bears is not to be very close to them.” — Margaret Atwood

2. “Bears are very nice, as long as you are nice to them.” — Karl Lagerfeld

3. “The grizzly is a symbol of freedom and understanding” — Frank Craighead

4. “The mountains have always been here, and in them, the bears.” — Rick Bass

5. “Oh well, bears will be bears.” ― Michael Bond

6. “Bears are not companions of men, but children of God.” — Charles Muir

7. “Bears are masters of survival.” — Catherine Lukas

8. “Clever bears think of everything.” — Randal Case

9. “Bears not only make the habitat rich, but they also enrich us just by being.” — Linda Jo Hunter

10. “Bears need people. People need bears” – Pam Brown

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Bear quotes about bears and mother nature

11. “Bears keep me humble. They help me to keep the world in perspective and to understand where I fit on the spectrum of life. We need to preserve the wilderness and its monarchs for ourselves, and for the dreams of children. We should fight for these things as if our life depended upon it, because it does.” — Wayne Lynch

12. “Those who have packed far up into grizzly country know that the presence of even one grizzly on the land elevates the mountains, deepens the canyons, chills the winds, brightens the stars, darkens the forest, and quickens the pulse of all who enter it. They know that when a bear dies, something sacred in every living thing interconnected with that realm… also dies.” — John Murray

13. “When you are where wild bears live you learn to pay attention to the rhythm of the land and yourself.” — Linda Jo Hunter

14. “As the animal that, perhaps more than any other, embodied the pagan concept of a kinship between man and nature, the bear play.” — Bernd Brunner

15. “Always respect Mother Nature. Especially when she weighs 400 pounds and is guarding her baby.” — James Rollins

Bear quotes about bears from myths and legends

16. “The many surviving stories about bears reveal the variety of roles that they have played in the human imagination, from enemies of mankind to their protective spirits.” — Bernd Brunner

17. “The idea that people were related to bears played an important role not only in North America, but in Europe and Asia as well.” — Bernd Brunner

18. “In some tales, humans became bears as a result of unfortunate tree—climbing episodes.” — Bernd Brunner

19. “The gypsies believe the bear to be a brother to man because he has the same body beneath his hide, because he drinks beer, because he enjoys music and because he likes to dance.” ― Ernest Hemingway

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Bear quotes about bears

20. “The bear, he says, is many animals in one. Like a lion, he downs mammals much bigger than he; like any ruminant, he pillages crops; he steals grapes and fruit like a monkey; nibbles on berries like a blackbird; plunders anthills and beehives like a woodpecker; digs up tubers and larvae like a pig; and catches fish with the dexterity of an otter. And he eats honey like a man.” ― Paolo Rumiz

21. “Bears rose to the top of the food chain solely so they could dedicate half their lives to sleep. It’s the world’s most intimidating power nap.” ― James Breakwel

22. “All of the authoritative books on bears seem to agree on one thing: if you’re close enough to a bear to cause it to change its activity pattern, you’re too close, and in possible danger.” ― Dennis R. Blanchard

23. “He tried to act like a bear, and for us on the island, you don’t do that. You don’t invade on their territory… For him to act like a bear the way he did, to me it was the ultimate of disrespecting the bear and what the bear represents.” — Werner Herzog

24. “Aggression in bears can be and often is a stepping stone to friendship. Friendship and alliances frequently develop by repeated interactions, with initial aggression that lessens over time.” ― Benjamin Kilham

25. “While bears don’t live in established groups or obey rigid hierarchies as chimps and wolves do, they have amazingly complex social relationships.” ― Benjamin Kilham

26. “Bears look like they might be slow because they have short legs and large feet. However, some kinds can move very quickly!” — Therese M. Shea

27. “I think he just loved being with the bears because they didn’t make him feel bad. I get it too. When he was with the bears, they didn’t care that he was kind of weird, or that he’d gotten into trouble for drinking too much and using drugs(which apparently he did a lot of). They didn’t ask him a bunch of stupid questions about how he felt, or why he did what he did. They just let him be who he was.” ― Michael Thomas Ford

28. “It is estimated that bears kill over two million salmon a year. Attacks by salmon on bears are much more rare.” — Peter Gaulke

29. “Bears have been known to attack man, although the fact is that fewer people have been killed by bears than in all of World World I and World War II combined.” — Peter Gaulke

30. “The problem is that bears are pretty smart and humans aren’t: we’ll move into a remote area and leave a bag of dog food on our front porch and then panic when we see a grizzly bear helping himself to a meal.” ― Bruce W. Cameron

31. “Bears, it turns out, are a lot like humans. They form alliances with strangers, they make calculations about relative costs and benefits, they lay down rules and punish those who break them. They trade based on a clear system of reciprocity. They communicate using equal parts emotion, intention, and dependence on context—a combination that is essential for communication between strangers and in fact forms the basis for language.” ― Benjamin Kilham

32. “Bears are sort like people. They sit and stand, like people do. They use their paws like hands. Bears eat vegetables, meats and sweets.” — Diana Star Helmer

33. “Bears project a mighty physical presence and a capacity for action. They are smart, something that often becomes apparent the moment you come face-to-face with one.” — Charles Fergus

34. “Bears with their great size and strength, remind us of how weak and ineffectual we are as organisms: a bear, even a small one, could abolish a human fairly easily.” — Charles Fergus

35. “Bears remind us of ourselves. They walk on the flats of their feet, as people do.” — Charles Fergus

36. “People probably have revered bears for as long as we have interacted with them. And while bear worship is not a part of most modern religions, it is natural for us – even those of us who have never seen a bear – to be awed by such magnificent and formidable creatures.” — Charles Fergus

37. “He admired bears because everyone was afraid to disturb them while they slept and fish were so in love with bears that they jumper right into their mouths.” ― Robb Todd

38. “When all the dangerous cliffs are fenced off, all the trees that might fall on people are cut down, all of the insects that bite have been poisoned and all of the grizzlies are dead because they are occasionally dangerous, the wilderness will not be made safe. Rather, the safety will have destroyed the wilderness.” — R. Yorke Edwards

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More bear quotes

39. “If we can learn to live with bears, especially the grizzly, and if we can learn to accommodate the needs of bears in their natural environment, then maybe we can also find ways to use the finite resources of our continent and still maintain some of the diversity and natural beauty that were here when Columbus arrived.” — Stephen Herrero

40. “If you’re a bear, you get to hibernate. You do nothing for six months. I could deal with that. Before you hibernate, you’re supposed to eat yourself stupid. I could deal with that too. Yup, I wanna be a bear.” — Unknown

41. “This is a cold, stark world, but to polar bear mothers and cubs, it’s paradise.” – Stephen Judson

42. “A bear? No, bears are sweet! Besides, you ever see a bear with forty-foot feet?” – James Lapine

43. “The bears went out one day looking for food which was other bears.” – Andrew Witham

44. “Too much ice is really bad for polar bears.” — Willie Soon

45. “Polar bears have always hunted from floating platforms of sea ice.” – Stephen Judson

46. “Bear lifted me up so I could see all the Earth. He said I may jump high among the cliffs, and live forever.” – Full Mouth

47. “A bear grows more alive with age. No one with one ounce of sensitivity could ever consign a bear to the dustbin.” – Johnnie Hague

48. “Two bears in one cave will not end well.” – Mongolian Proverb

49. “It’s a bear! Granted, it seems like a very intelligent bear, but it’s still a bear! It has no concept of revenge.” – Christopher Barnard

50. “Most animals show themselves sparingly. The grizzly bear is six to eight hundred pounds of smugness. It has no need to hide. If it were a person, it would laugh loudly in quiet restaurants, boastfully wear the wrong clothes for special occasions, and probably play hockey.” — Craig Childs

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Bear Quotes About Bears

51. “I think that I was slightly naive. I thought that if I showed people the beauty of the Arctic and the beauty of the polar bears that they would care so much that they would stand up and try to make a change.” — Lewis Gordon Pugh

52. “We read our children stories starring elephants and monkeys and bears to teach them about nobility, curiosity and courage, to warn them against selfishness and stubbornness.” — Lydia Millet

53. “I like the idea of going to see the ice caps and the polar bears, because who knows how long they are going to be around for?” — Penny Lancaster

54. “Bears are extremely human, even down to their footprints. But I am also a fly fisherman, so I have fished beside brown bears in Alaska and was once charged by a black bear. I love bears.” — Joseph Monninger

55. “The grizzly is a symbol of what is right with the world.” — Charles Jonkel

56. “The panda is a funny, lovable animal, which defends its territory well. It’s strong but calm. It suits me perfectly.” — Metta World Peace

57. “Bears make many noises , including grunting, blowing, woofing, and growling. Cubs whine or cry when they are upset or ‘chuckle’ when they are happy.” — Catherine Lukas

58. “The extra fat feeds the bears during winter and helps keep them warm. As cold weather approaches, bears stop eating and grow tired and sleepy.” — Catherine Lukas

59. “All bears have thick fur and large heads with small eyes and small, round ears. Bears can walk upright, like people, on two big feet.” — Therese M. Shea

60. “Black bears can survive–and even thrive–on the fringes of civilization, or sometimes right in the midst of it.” — Linda Masterson

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Bear Quotes And Sayings

61. “Be cautious of bears at all times, even when being mauled by a tiger.” ― Craig Benzine

62. “So this was her kingdom: an octagonal house, a roomful of books, and a bear.” ― Marian Engel

63. “Like, when you kiss him, POW, he gets hit by a bear. Totally not your fault. You shouldn’t feel bad about that. It’s not your bear.” ― Maggie Stiefvater

64. “The Safari Club International has worked the legal system hard to try to keep polar bears – threatened primarily by climate change, but also by hunting – on the list of creatures people can import as trophies after shooting.” — Lydia Millet

65. “We need to save the Arctic not because of the polar bears, and not because it is the most beautiful place in the world, but because our very survival depends upon it.” — Lewis Gordon Pugh

66. “For humans, the Arctic is a harshly inhospitable place, but the conditions there are precisely what polar bears require to survive – and thrive. ‘Harsh’ to us is ‘home’ for them. Take away the ice and snow, increase the temperature by even a little, and the realm that makes their lives possible literally melts away.” — Sylvia Earle

67. “In the game of life, less diversity means fewer options for change. Wild or domesticated, panda or pea, adaptation is the requirement for survival.” — Cary Fowler

68. “Men look like pandas when they try and put make-up on.” — Adam Ant

69. “The grizzly bears that live in and around Yellowstone make up almost half the population in the lower 48 states, and now those bears are at risk.” — Lydia Millet

70. “I’ve seen a few wild grizzly bears, mostly in Alaska and British Columbia, and always from a distance. But each grizzly I’ve caught sight of was as fearsome and sublime as the last. You never get used to their raw power and massive bodies, or the mysterious intelligence in their dark, close-set eyes.” — Lydia Millet

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Bear Quotes About Their Adaptability To Nature

71. “Many people are working to slow global warming. They hope that polar bears will benefit from their work.” — Christina Wilsdon

72. “Polar bears are large, powerful creatures that live in the icy Arctic. But sadly, they are becoming more rare because of climate change and other damage to their habitat.” — Christina Wilsdon

73. “Black bears are much more adaptable, and willing and able to live in a much closer proximity to people.” — Linda Masterson

74. “Bears are a key indicator of ecosystem health wherever they are found. As such, bears can be a key focus for ecosystem conservation.” — Christopher Servheen

75. “Bears are well-known and have a positive image for much of the public.” — Christopher Servheen

76. “Beware / The Bear’s in town / Somebody’s money says the Bear’s going down / Yeah, the Bear never smiles ” — Mark Knopler

77. “Bears typically hibernate through the winter, so late autumn is crucial in terms of their survival.” — Geoffrey Luck

78. “I look like a bear, I talk like a bear but I can’t fish, I can’t climb a tree, I can’t even go in the woods!” — Steve Be

79. “Polar bears sure have great coats.” — David Campbell

80. “Some of these calves are just a week or two old, and they’re easy pickings for bears and wolves.” — Stephen Judson

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Bear Quotes That Will Make You Love Them

81. “Once a bear has been loved by a human being, its expression is forever marked.” — Jama Kim Rattigan

82. “There’s no bear like an old bear.” — Samantha Armstrong

83. “What we seem to want is a statistically homogenized picture of a species, when we really need to look at bears as dynamic, living mechanisms.” — Dr. Barrie Gilbert

84. “Haven’t you ever thought of living unconsciously like bears, sniffing the earth, close to pears and the mossy dark, far from human voices and fire?” — Nâzım Hikmet

85. “I had to weave and play around with a honey bear, you know, and I could wrestle with him a little bit, but there’s no way you can even wrestle a honey bear, let alone a grizzly bear that’s standing ten feet to eleven feet tall!” — Leslie Nielsen

86. “A bear knows all your secrets and keeps them.” — Roseanne Brown

87. “The Safari Club International has worked the legal system hard to try to keep polar bears threatened primarily by climate change, but also by hunting on the list of creatures people can import as trophies after shooting.” — Lydia Millet

88. “The Alaskan bears are a distinct species. Relegating grizzlies to Alaska is like relegating happiness to heaven; one may never get there.” — Aldo Leopold

89. “Historically, grizzlies ranged from Alaska to Mexico, with at least 50,000 bears living in the western half of the contiguous United States.” — Lydia Millet

90. “The great attraction everywhere would be Simon Smith and his dancing bear. It’s Simon Smith and His Amazing Dancing Bear.” — Jim Henson

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Bear Quotes to Celebrate the Majestic Creature

91. “Bears are a reminder of the wildness that still exists in our world.” ― Steve Backshall

92. Bears are both feared and revered for their strength and presence.” ― David Attenborough

93. “Bears have a mystery about them that has captivated humans for centuries.” ― Chris Packham

94. “Bears are fascinating creatures. They are both powerful and gentle at the same time.” ― John Muir

95. Bears are a reminder that we need to respect and preserve the natural world.” ― Jane Goodall

96. “Bears are symbols of strength, courage, and tenacity.” ― Jack Hanna

97. “The bear is one of the most charismatic and powerful species on Earth.” ― Dave Salmoni

98. “Bears are the protectors of wildness.” ― Jim Harrison

99. “The bear is the prince of paediatrics, a dispenser of happiness.” ― Antoine de Saint-Exupery

100. “I have a bear for a friend and I’m still afraid of them.” ― Kate Winslet

101. “A bear is just a bear until it’s confronted with something it can’t handle. Then it’s a survivor.” — Bear Grylls

102. “The polar bear is the supreme master of survival in the Arctic. It’s a large, powerful animal that’s built to withstand extreme cold and hunger.” — David Attenborough

103. “Oh my God, I don’t know what I’d do if I was privy to watching my kids being bullied! I would do what any parent would, I’d be like a grizzly bear protecting his cubs.” — Rib Hillis

104. “A roar cut through the melee: a booming growl, a noise that might come out of a she-bear protecting a cub. It was Alec- and suddenly bodies were flying everywhere.” — James Dashner

105. “It would be fitting, I think, if among the last manmade tracks on earth would be found the huge footprints of the great brown bear.” — Earl Fleming

106. “Balanced on a rock in the middle of a river, a black bear lowers her head to the water and … chomp! A wriggling salmon is no match for her strong jaws.” — Aaron Sidder

107. “In late November and early December, black bears head to their dens to sleep away the winter, or hibernate.” — Aaron Sidder

108. “Don’t tell me you’re wondering if people jump to their feet and shout stuff like ‘It’ll rain tomorrow if a polar bear eats the stars tonight!” — Haruki Murakami

109. “Polar bears have become the icon of climate change, stirring people’s emotions and bringing awareness to the issue in an unprecedented manner.” — Cassandra Brooks

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