50 Feather Quotes That Will Make You Appreciate Birds

By Stephanie Kirby

Writer, Entrepreneur and Inspirational quote curator

Published March 7, 2023

Check out these feather quotes to learn more about what feathers are and how birds and people use them.

Feathers are epidermal growth on most birds that form an outer covering, and they are instrumental in repelling water, insulating the animal, and helping in the bird’s flight.

In addition to being so imperative to birds, feathers have been widely used by humans for ages.

Some of the uses of feathers include such things as filler for pillows, bedding, coats, sleeping bags, and more, as they are soft and provide insulation.

Feathers are also used as quill pens, decorations, and arrow fletching and have cultural and religious value to many groups of people.

Enjoy these Feather quotes to learn more about the versatility of feathers!

You will also enjoy our article on eagle quotes.

Favorite feather quotes

Feathers are used in so many different applications, as shown in the following quotes.

1. “Flight without feathers is not easy.” — Plautus

2. “A heart without dreams is like a bird without feathers.” — Suzy Kassem

3. “Soft feathers cannot make a cruel bird kind.” — Munia Khan

4. “Our birthdays are feathers in the broad wing of time.” — Jean-Paul

5. “Praises for our past triumphs are as feathers to a dead bird.” — Paul Eldridge

6. “It is only fine feathers that make fine birds.” — Aesop

7. “A brain of feathers, and a heart of lead.” — Alexander Pope

8. “If feathers don’t ruffle, nothing flies.” — Jessica Raine

9. “Words and feathers the wind carries away.” — George Herbert

10. “May the hinges of friendship never rust, nor the wings of love lose a feather.” — Edward Ramsay

Feather Quotes on the Beauty of Feathers

Feathers are beautiful and vary between bird species and the sex of the bird.

11. “In the foliage / A kind token from a bird / Feather in Fall’s grass” — Marie Helen Abramyan

12. “I enjoy how women dressed in the 1920s with the shimmering jewels and rich feathers.” — Janelle Monae

13. “It is true I am rather taken up with dress; but as to feathers, everyone wears them, and it would seem extraordinary if I did not.” — Marie Antoinette

14. “Feathers are superior to fur, even. They’re so beautiful, and nature uses such amazing colors.” — Bibhu Mohapatra

15. “In painting feathers, you want to create the look of feathers, but if you try to paint all the feathers, you have nothing but disaster.” — John O’Neill

16. “When you’re surrounded by feathers and sequins and ridiculous Lycra outfits, it’s impossible not to have a smile on your face.” — Catherine Martin

17. “I have to remind myself that some birds aren’t meant to be caged. Their feathers are just too bright.” — Stephen King

18. “A mourning dove’s beauty is an understated one: the colors of its feathers ranging through various shades of gray and drab violet, often with a striking splash of turquoise around the eyes.” — Jonathan Miles

19. “Style is the feather in the arrow, not the feather in the cap.” — George Sampson

20. “I caught a glimpse of happiness, and saw it was a bird on a branch, fixing to take wing.” — Richard Peck

Feather quotes from analogies and stories

Feathers are used in many analogies and sayings to bring hope and comfort.

21. “I am a free man. I feel as light as a feather.” — Javier Perez De Cuellar

22. “If you keep your feathers well oiled, the water of criticism will run off as from a duck’s back.” — Ellen Swallow Richards

23. “I was so blessed. The first person I gave my heart to was an angel who plucked the feathers off his wings and built a nest for it.” — Kamand Kojouri

24. “The haft of the arrow had feathered with one of the eagle’s own plumes. We often give our enemies the means of our own destruction.” — Aesop

25. “Silence fell like a hammer made of feathers. It left holes in the shape of the sound of the sea.” — Terry Pratchett

26. “Feathers fall; soft as a song, light as morning dreams.” — Eirene Evripidou

27. “And maybe… you were a little fat bear cub with no wings and no feathers.” — Else Holmelund Minarik

28. “Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul—and sings the tunes without the words—and never stops at all.” — Emily Dickinson

29. “The soul, light as a feather, fluid as water, innocent as a child, responds to every movement of grace like a floating balloon.” — Jean-Pierre De Caussade

30. “The feather was a thing; when I was a kid, we used to find feathers around the house, and whenever we found them, my mum used to say it was my nan leaving them around for us to find, so that was quite sweet.” — Liam Payne

Funny feather quotes

You may get a laugh from the following feather quotes.

31. “Sticking feathers up your butt does not make you a chicken.” — Chuck Palahniuk

32. “I don’t have feathers, but I feel like a bird sometimes.” — Yves Rossy

33. “I embarrass my children, I think. I am the lady in feathers in the carpool line.” — Mia Sara

34. “Why slap them on the wrist with a feather when you can belt them over the head with a sledgehammer?” — Katharine Hepburn

35. “I was one of the people who was taught not to ruffle any feathers. Of course, I have no problem ruffling feathers.” — Anne Heche

36. “I don’t know if it’s animalistic or what, but men become like peacocks with their feathers up when women are around.” — Bradley Cooper

37. “Life is always either; a tightrope or a feather bed—Give me the tightrope.” — Edith Wharton

38. “Imagine if birds were tickled by feathers. You’d see a flock of birds come by, laughing hysterically!” — Steven Wright

39. “A peacock that rests on his feathers is just another turkey.” — Dolly Parton

40. “Once you sleep on feathers, you can’t go back to sleeping on the floor.” — Lenny Bruce

More feather quotes to make you think

These feather quotes will make you think differently about the world around you.

41. “I am a feather for each wind that blows.” — William Shakespeare

42. “Life is short. It can come and go like a feather in the wind.” — Shania Twain

43. “Anytime you make a big statement about something in the world, you are bound to ruffle some feathers.” — Nusseir Yassin

44. “Writing songs is like capturing birds without killing them. Sometimes you end up with nothing but a mouthful of feathers.” — Tom Waits

45. “Is education possibly a process of trading awareness for things of lesser worth? The goose who trades his is soon a pile of feathers.” — Aldo Leopold

46. “A bird with great feathers may have nothing else! Anyone who is deceived by dazzling feathers can find themselves in a pale world!” — Mehmet Murat ildan

47. “Sometimes you have to stand up for what’s right, and sometimes that may be ruffling feathers and may be frowned upon by everyone else…” — George Hill

48. “What’s the point of hitting pads, landing 10,000 punches, and then landing punches that are soft as feathers in a fight? I hit hard.” — Jessica Andrade

49. “If you want to know how far gossip travels, do this – take a feather pillow up on the roof, slice it open, and let the feathers fly away on the wind. Then go and find every single feather and re-stuff the pillow.” — Rebecca Pidgeon

50. “The only thing I have done religiously in my life is keep a journal. I have hundreds of them, filled with feathers, flowers, photographs, and words—without locks, open on my shelves.” — Terry Tempest Williams