50 Shark Quotes About The Ocean Predator

By Norbert Juma

Master quote curator and editor on a mission to inspire

Published March 8, 2023

Shark quotes offer us a glimpse into what it feels like to come across this powerful sea animal.

Most of the quotes in our compilation are worth reading and sharing.

Besides our quotes section, we have shared some ways to avoid shark encounters.

Tell us your favorite shark quote in the comment section!

Ways to Avoid Shark Attacks

Although it’s rare to come in contact with sharks, you must be prepared for the worst-case scenario.

Here are some of the most authentic tips to follow when facing an attack by a shark.

Stay calm, and don’t panic
Keep your eyes on the shark
Try swimming toward the shore without getting noticed
Fight back if the shark attacks

Stay Calm and Don’t Panic

If suddenly a shark comes in front of you from nowhere, the first thing you must do is be calm.

When you panic, the possibility of making wrong decisions is higher.

Your first response when seeing a shark should be a normal one.

Don’t flee from the spot immediately, as your sudden movements could trigger the attack mode of the shark.

Keep your Eyes on the Shark

The next tip relates to the psychology of predators.

If you show these animals your weakness by not looking into their eyes, the possibilities of getting attacked are higher.

Keep your eyes on the shark and act like a predator.

You can push the shark away if it comes too close.

By letting the shark know you aren’t easy prey, avoiding an attack is possible.

Try Swimming toward the Shore without Getting Noticed

If a shark is nearby, don’t make sudden movements or gestures.

Be calm and try to move away from the shark when it is not focusing on you.

Carefully plan your moves by keeping a close eye on the shark.

If the shark swims away from you, start swimming toward the shore.

But swim gently without making a lot of noise.

Fight back if the Shark Attacks

Even if, after all your efforts, the shark is in the mood to attack you, it’s time to activate your attack mode.

Since your life is in danger, you must try all you have.

You can punch a shark on its gills, nose, and eyes, as these are the most delicate parts.

If you have a weapon, that is even better.

You can use a knife to aim for the gills and lower part of the shark.

This would help keep the shark away and allow sufficient time to reach the shore.

Top 10 Shark Quotes

Here is our collection of the top 10 shark quotes you want to read and enjoy.

1. “Sharks freak me out.” — Millie Bobby Brown

2. “I am terrified of sharks, so I don’t surf!” — Janel Parrish

3. “I’ve swam with great white sharks.” — Rob James-Collier

4. “Bull sharks get quite a lot of bad press.” — Jeremy Wade

5. “Sharks – I’m sure they’re going to get me one day.” — Alex Horne

6. “I’m just a simple guy swimming in a sea of sharks.” — Don Johnson

7. “Sharks are in real trouble, and they need all the help they can get.” — Ted Danson

8. “Drummers are like sharks. They have to move all the time or they die.” — Pat Smear

9. “We should be afraid of sharks half as much as sharks should be afraid of us.” — Peter Benchley

10. “What scares me? Bears. And sharks. And my girlfriend.” — Doyle Wolfgang Von Frankenstein

Informational Shark Quotes

The quotes in this section deal with the description of the features of sharks.

11. “Sharks are naturally peaceful.” — George Wing

12. “All sharks were born swimming.” — Rebecca McNutt

13. “Sharks are intelligent creatures.” — Ronnie Christensen

14. “Sharks are the lions of the sea. They glamorize the oceanic glory.” — Munia Khan

15. “If size really mattered, the whale, not the shark, would rule the waters.” — Matshona Dhuwayo

16. “Sharks are being driven to extinction because people want to eat their fins and their flesh.” — Barbara Block

17. “We kill 100 million [sharks] yearly. By 2050 we will have filled the sea with more plastics than fish.” — Sy Montgomery

18. “But as they say about sharks, it’s not the ones you see that you have to worry about; it’s the ones you don’t see.” — David Blaine

19. “Sharks are among the most perfectly constructed creatures in nature. Some forms have survived for two hundred million years.” — Eugenie Clark

20. “The shark is the apex predator in the sea. Sharks have molded evolution for 450 million years. All fish species that are prey to the sharks have had their behavior, their speed, their camouflage, their defense mechanisms molded by the shark.” — Paul Watson

Great White Shark Quotes

These shark quotes are as impressive as the Great White shark is to marine life lovers.

21. “Twenty-five years ago, nobody knew much about white sharks.” — Peter Benchley

22. “If you mess with my friend, I will personally feed you to a great white shark.” — Rick Riordan

23. “I’m obsessed with great white sharks. And I want to dive into the coral of the Great Barrier Reef.” — Sara Sampaio

24. “For an actor, it’s great fun to play one of these hungry white sharks. Audiences love to hate them.” — Michael Douglas

25. “No matter how strong you are, you cannot hold open the jaws of a great white shark with your bare hands … that can do your brain.” — Ivan Stoikov

26. “I discovered I scream the same way whether I’m about to be devoured by a great white shark or if a piece of seaweed touches my foot.” — Axl Rose

27. “One of my fears would be getting torn apart by a great white shark. I love the ocean, but I always have this deep fear of getting torn apart by a great whitey.” — Theo James

28. “Sometimes making a story is as easy as putting two characters in a room and seeing what happens. So, imagine a great white shark and a giant squid in the same bathroom.” — Jim Toomey

29. “The fox is not a little orange puppy dog with doe eyes and a waggly tail. It’s a disease-ridden wolf with the morals of a psychopath and the teeth of a great white shark.” — Jeremy Clarkson

30. “Of all the creatures in the world that really frighten me – the hyena in Africa, the great white shark – leopard seals are near the top of the list. They’re killers.” — Lewis Gordon Pugh

Insightful Shark Quotes

Find the underlying meaning in these shark quotes to relate to the situations or people around you.

31. “The studios will go wherever they smell money. It’s like sharks to the blood.” — Don Bluth

32. “I’ve seen sharks in the ocean; it hasn’t made me get out of the ocean; that’s for sure.” — Luke Hemsworth

33. “There’s a cardinal rule that you don’t talk about sharks. If you don’t see it, it’s not there.” — Mark Warkentin

34. “I’ve come through it and seen people in football that are sharks. They are ones to stay away from.” — Ashley Young

35. “Don’t believe what the spiritual sharks and clever carnival hustlers tell you about fearless living – they lie.” — Guy Finley

36. “When the money gets bigger, and the stakes get higher, the sea gets wider, and the sharks in the water grow sharper teeth.” — Keith Jackson

37. “I think people need to become more educated about money. We need to stop creating systems that benefit only the most-cutthroat sharks.” — Nicholas Jarecki

38. “I’ve been on swims where people have freaked out about sharks. You have to think about something else; otherwise, it will absolutely paralyze you. I do math problems, anything.” — Lewis Gordon Pugh

39. “Books are sharks… because sharks have been around for a very long time. There were sharks before there were dinosaurs, and the reason sharks are still in the ocean is that nothing is better at being a shark than a shark.” — Douglas Adams

40. “I’m not saying that everyone should swim with sharks, but sometimes you have to jump over your own shadow in order to learn something that you will never forget for the rest of your life. Then you know you can conquer your fears.” — Heidi Klum

Other Fascinating Shark Quotes

Here are some more shark quotes we hope will pique your interest.

41. “The only thing on the mind of a shark is to eat.” — Lil Wayne

42. “Sharks aren’t the monsters we make them out to be.” — Yasmine Hamdi

43. “I am actually terrified of sharks; it is my number-one fear.” — Claire Holt

44. “Sharks are the criminals of the sea. Dolphins are the outlaws.” — Tom Robbins

45. “Sharks don’t target human beings, and they certainly don’t hold grudges.” — Peter Benchley

46. “I think a relationship is like a shark. It has to constantly move forward, or it dies.” — Woody Allen

47. “I’ve never been bitten by a shark, though God knows I had to poke a lot of them in the nose.” — Scott Glenn

48. “By nature, I keep moving, man. My theory is, be the shark. You’ve just got to keep moving. You can’t stop.” — Brad Pitt

49. “Sharks are really serious animals. They’ve been around longer than dinosaurs. They’re basically prehistoric killing machines, and that’s terrifying and fascinating, at the same time.” — Sara Paxton

50. “The chances of that shark attacking you in any way is so remote. The sea should be enjoyed, the animals in it. When you see a shark underwater, you should say, ‘How lucky I am to see this beautiful animal in his environment!’” — Eugenie Clark