---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In my early 20s, a friend and I worked…"
description: "\"In my early 20s, a friend and I worked for a few months on a sheep farm in New Zealand. Working with ewes, I learned a lot about the power of wool - ho..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa0/anthony-doerr-886_cold_in-my-early-20s-a-friend-and-i-worked-fo_588268.png"
---

#  In my early 20s, a friend and I worked for a few months on…

![“In my early 20s, a friend and I worked for a few months on a sheep farm in New Zealand. Working with ewes, I learned a lot about the power of wool - how it keeps you cool when you're hot, warm when you're cold, dry when you're wet.” quote by Anthony Doerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa0/anthony-doerr-886_cold_in-my-early-20s-a-friend-and-i-worked-fo_588268.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa0/anthony-doerr-886_cold_in-my-early-20s-a-friend-and-i-worked-fo_588268.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa0/anthony-doerr-886_cold_in-my-early-20s-a-friend-and-i-worked-fo_588268.png)

> “In my early 20s, a friend and I worked for a few months on a sheep farm in New Zealand. Working with ewes, I learned a lot about the power of wool - how it keeps you cool when you're hot, warm when you're cold, dry when you're wet.”

[Anthony Doerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-doerr/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Working on a sheep farm taught that wool adapts to temperature and moisture, illustrating versatile protection.

**In simple terms:** Wool adjusts to heat, cold, and wetness.

Key Takeaway

Seek adaptable solutions.

Themes

adaptability nature learning resilience

Mood

reflective inspired

Type

observational practical

When to use this quote

- outdoor work
- design
- clothing
- environmental design

Key Concepts

material science thermal regulation biomimicry

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you apply adaptive principles in daily life?
- What materials mimic wool’s versatility?

A Different Perspective

Wool’s properties may not translate to all contexts.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Cold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cold/) [Cool](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cool/) [Ewes Learned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ewes-learned-4820438/) [Friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship/) [New](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new/) [Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power/) [Power Wool](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power-wool-4820441/) [Sheep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sheep/) [Wool](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wool/) [Wool Keeps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wool-keeps-4820440/) [Working Ewes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/working-ewes-4820439/)

## Related quotes

> [Is man no more than this? Consider him well. Thou ow'st the worm no silk, the beast no hide, the sheep no wool, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/is-man-no-more-than-this-consider-him-well-thou-ow-st-the-worm-no/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [If you give the poor wool today, God will give you a sheep tomorrow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/if-you-give-the-poor-wool-today-god-will-give-you-a-sheep-tomorrow/)

[Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/)

> [“Earl had let Bertie off the porch for some fresh grass and I didn't want Dr. Eustace to see her. She still looked as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-juby/earl-had-let-bertie-off-the-porch-for-some-fresh-grass-and-i-didn-t/)

[Susan Juby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-juby/)

> [As to the most prudent logicians might venture to deduce from a skein of wool the probable existence of a sheep; so you, from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evelyn-underhill/as-to-the-most-prudent-logicians-might-venture-to-deduce-from-a-skein/)

[Evelyn Underhill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evelyn-underhill/)

> [Where does virgin wool come from? The sheep that runs the fastest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-f-banks/where-does-virgin-wool-come-from-the-sheep-that-runs-the-fastest/)

[Harry F Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-f-banks/)

> [It was such a thrill. I found the roughest, toughest girls who love to party. They study and work all day in the Agricultural…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beccy-cole/it-was-such-a-thrill-i-found-the-roughest-toughest-girls-who-love-to/)

[Beccy Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beccy-cole/)

> [One of the many things that surprised me about 'Wool' is how many of its fans don't consider themselves science fiction readers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/one-of-the-many-things-that-surprised-me-about-wool-is-how-many-of/)

[Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/)

> [I don't like juries having the wool pulled over their eyes. I don't think that's what the Constitution is about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-grace/i-don-t-like-juries-having-the-wool-pulled-over-their-eyes-i-don-t/)

[Nancy Grace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-grace/)

> [Here we grow the flax and grain; here we raise the meat they eat, and the wool to keep them warm; we cut trees…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-poole/here-we-grow-the-flax-and-grain-here-we-raise-the-meat-they-eat-and/)

[Ernest Poole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-poole/)

> [There is no morally coherent difference between fur and other animal clothing, such as leather, wool, etc., just as there is no morally coherent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-l-francione/there-is-no-morally-coherent-difference-between-fur-and-other-animal/)

[Gary L. Francione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-l-francione/)

> [Holy is the dish and drain, the soap and sink, and the cup and plate and the warm wool socks, and the cold white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-newcomer/holy-is-the-dish-and-drain-the-soap-and-sink-and-the-cup-and-plate/)

[Carrie Newcomer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-newcomer/)

> [The peace we seek, founded upon decent trust and cooperation among nations, can be fortified not by weapons of war but by wheat and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/the-peace-we-seek-founded-upon-decent-trust-and-cooperation-among/)

[Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/)

> [I'd rather not deal with such questions, because anyway it's like shearing a pig - lots of screams but little wool.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-putin/i-d-rather-not-deal-with-such-questions-because-anyway-it-s-like/)

[Vladimir Putin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-putin/)

> [A lot of my climbing and hiking gear is all wool because I can wear it for a week straight and it doesn't smell.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-clarke/a-lot-of-my-climbing-and-hiking-gear-is-all-wool-because-i-can-wear/)

[Jason Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-clarke/)

> [I'm a dyed-in-the-wool party man. I don't know just what party I am in right now, but I am for the party.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huey-long/i-m-a-dyed-in-the-wool-party-man-i-don-t-know-just-what-party-i-am-in/)

[Huey Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huey-long/)

## More by Anthony Doerr

> [I was a nerdy kid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-doerr/i-was-a-nerdy-kid/)

[Anthony Doerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-doerr/)

> [“he moved neither forward nor backward in time, but merely endured variations of the same day over and over. Maybe he was the one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-doerr/he-moved-neither-forward-nor-backward-in-time-but-merely-endured/)

[Anthony Doerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-doerr/)

> [“Open your eyes, the Frenchman on the radio used to say, and see what you can with them before they close forever.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-doerr/open-your-eyes-the-frenchman-on-the-radio-used-to-say-and-see-what/)

[Anthony Doerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-doerr/)

> [“Just when we think we have a system, ...the system collapses. Just when we know our way around, we get lost. Just when we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-doerr/just-when-we-think-we-have-a-system-the-system-collapses-just-when-we/)

[Anthony Doerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-doerr/)

> [“An hour passed and another and then, like a glass of water overfilled - the meniscus inverting, going convex, gravity pulling at the edges,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-doerr/an-hour-passed-and-another-and-then-like-a-glass-of-water-overfilled/)

[Anthony Doerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-doerr/)

> [“For dinner, he orders wild boar cooked with fresh mushrooms. And a full bottle of Bordeaux. Especially during wartime, such things remain important. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-doerr/for-dinner-he-orders-wild-boar-cooked-with-fresh-mushrooms-and-a-full/)

[Anthony Doerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-doerr/)

> [“Do you know what happens, Etienne,” says Madame Manec from the other side of the kitchen, “when you drop a frog in a pot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-doerr/do-you-know-what-happens-etienne-says-madame-manec-from-the-other/)

[Anthony Doerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-doerr/)

> [“You ever hope for something so much? So much you can't sleep, so much your skull hurts? But the thing is, you don't even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-doerr/you-ever-hope-for-something-so-much-so-much-you-can-t-sleep-so-much/)

[Anthony Doerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-doerr/)

> [“Hope was a sunrise, a friend in the alley, a whisper in an empty corridor.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-doerr/hope-was-a-sunrise-a-friend-in-the-alley-a-whisper-in-an-empty/)

[Anthony Doerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-doerr/)

> [Time is a slippery thing: lose hold of it once, and its string might sail out of your hands forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-doerr/time-is-a-slippery-thing-lose-hold-of-it-once-and-its-string-might/)

[Anthony Doerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-doerr/)

> [“...the air a library and the record of every life lived, every sentence spoken, every word transmitted still reverberating within it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-doerr/the-air-a-library-and-the-record-of-every-life-lived-every-sentence/)

[Anthony Doerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-doerr/)

> [“silent desperation of everything they never said - gaps and absences in every conversation, the past circumscribing the present, the future hemming in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-doerr/silent-desperation-of-everything-they-never-said-gaps-and-absences-in/)

[Anthony Doerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-doerr/)

> [“She is in charge of everything, but no one knows. It is a tremendous burden, she says, to be responsible for every little thing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-doerr/she-is-in-charge-of-everything-but-no-one-knows-it-is-a-tremendous/)

[Anthony Doerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-doerr/)

> [I guess you could say I've been writing all my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-doerr/i-guess-you-could-say-i-ve-been-writing-all-my-life/)

[Anthony Doerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-doerr/)

> [Only Numbers. Pure math. You have to accustom yourself to thinking that way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-doerr/only-numbers-pure-math-you-have-to-accustom-yourself-to-thinking-that/)

[Anthony Doerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-doerr/)

[Explore all 336 Anthony Doerr quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-doerr/)

## More Cold quotes

> [Once ye made up yer mind to do somethin', 'tis better t'stumble o'er the small hillock of jump-ahead than t'bash yer head on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hawkins/once-ye-made-up-yer-mind-to-do-somethin-tis-better-t-stumble-o-er-the/)

[Karen Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hawkins/)

> [When you're scared - and I mean really scared, not just hearing a noise in the night, or standing toe to toe with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/when-you-re-scared-and-i-mean-really-scared-not-just-hearing-a-noise/)

[Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/)

> [From the bitter cold winter at Valley Forge, to the mountains of Afghanistan and the deserts of Iraq, our soldiers have courageously answered when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/solomon-ortiz/from-the-bitter-cold-winter-at-valley-forge-to-the-mountains-of/)

[Solomon Ortiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/solomon-ortiz/)

> [When I get a chance to play golf or go on a boat with good people, take the boat out and put some lobsters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-mac/when-i-get-a-chance-to-play-golf-or-go-on-a-boat-with-good-people/)

[Bernie Mac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-mac/)

> [Of course Messi could handle a cold Tuesday night in Stoke. He'd be drinking tea and relaxing beforehand. Me? I'd probably be the same.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neymar/of-course-messi-could-handle-a-cold-tuesday-night-in-stoke-he-d-be/)

[Neymar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neymar/)

> [This cold weather has set all the young Folks to providing Bedfellows. I have signed two or three Licences every Day \[as a Fairfax…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mason/this-cold-weather-has-set-all-the-young-folks-to-providing-bedfellows/)

[George Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mason/)

> [When my main character in 'Heat' climbs the tower, the highest diving platform, hoping to resume competitive diving after an injury, I am there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cadnum/when-my-main-character-in-heat-climbs-the-tower-the-highest-diving/)

[Michael Cadnum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cadnum/)

> [You start playing when it's cold and you want to be playing when it's cold again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimy-williams/you-start-playing-when-it-s-cold-and-you-want-to-be-playing-when-it-s/)

[Jimy Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimy-williams/)

> [It would be a piece of ingenuousness to accuse the man of today of his lack of moral code. The accusation would leave him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-ortega-y-gasset/it-would-be-a-piece-of-ingenuousness-to-accuse-the-man-of-today-of/)

[Jose Ortega y Gasset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-ortega-y-gasset/)

> [I would have touched it like a child But knew my finger could but have touched Cold stone and water. I grew wild, Even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/i-would-have-touched-it-like-a-child-but-knew-my-finger-could-but/)

[William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/)

> [What's to become of the morally sound? Left out in the cold, I suppose. We must heal the sick.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henrik-ibsen/what-s-to-become-of-the-morally-sound-left-out-in-the-cold-i-suppose/)

[Henrik Ibsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henrik-ibsen/)

> [When I first started, all the reviews of Cold Chisel would say, 'This singer won't have a voice in six months.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-barnes/when-i-first-started-all-the-reviews-of-cold-chisel-would-say-this/)

[Jimmy Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-barnes/)

> [One of the problems trying to play an instrument outside in the cold is your fingers give up on you and you can't wear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-macdonald/one-of-the-problems-trying-to-play-an-instrument-outside-in-the-cold/)

[Amy Macdonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-macdonald/)

> [God tempers the cold to the shorn sheep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-etienne-sainte-claire-deville/god-tempers-the-cold-to-the-shorn-sheep/)

[Henri Etienne Sainte-Claire Deville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-etienne-sainte-claire-deville/)

> [Those nights lying alone are not discontinuous with this cold hectic dawn. It is who I am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-carson/those-nights-lying-alone-are-not-discontinuous-with-this-cold-hectic/)

[Anne Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-carson/)

[Browse all 5,381 Cold quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cold/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "In my early 20s, a friend and I worked for a few months on a sheep farm in New Zealand. Working with ewes, I learned a lot about the power of wool - how it keeps you cool when you're hot, warm when you're cold, dry when you're wet.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Anthony Doerr"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-doerr/in-my-early-20s-a-friend-and-i-worked-for-a-few-months-on-a-sheep/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Cold"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-doerr/in-my-early-20s-a-friend-and-i-worked-for-a-few-months-on-a-sheep/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa0/anthony-doerr-886_cold_in-my-early-20s-a-friend-and-i-worked-fo_588268.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa0/anthony-doerr-886_cold_in-my-early-20s-a-friend-and-i-worked-fo_588268.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa0/anthony-doerr-886_cold_in-my-early-20s-a-friend-and-i-worked-fo_588268.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“In my early 20s, a friend and I worked for a few months on a sheep farm in New Zealand. Working with ewes, I…” — Anthony Doerr",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Anthony Doerr",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-doerr/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "In my early 20s, a friend...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-doerr/in-my-early-20s-a-friend-and-i-worked-for-a-few-months-on-a-sheep/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-doerr/in-my-early-20s-a-friend-and-i-worked-for-a-few-months-on-a-sheep/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
