--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I've always thought that anyone who needs…" description: "\"I've always thought that anyone who needs to join a herd so badly must be a bit of a sheep himself.\" — Carlos Ruiz Zafon" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b8/carlos-ruiz-zafon-126_herd_i-ve-always-thought-that-anyone-who-need_616967.jpg" --- # I've always thought that anyone who needs to join a herd… ![“I've always thought that anyone who needs to join a herd so badly must be a bit of a sheep himself.” quote by Carlos Ruiz Zafon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b8/carlos-ruiz-zafon-126_herd_i-ve-always-thought-that-anyone-who-need_616967.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b8/carlos-ruiz-zafon-126_herd_i-ve-always-thought-that-anyone-who-need_616967.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b8/carlos-ruiz-zafon-126_herd_i-ve-always-thought-that-anyone-who-need_616967.jpg) > “I've always thought that anyone who needs to join a herd so badly must be a bit of a sheep himself.” [Carlos Ruiz Zafon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Seeking group acceptance may reveal one's own conformity. **In simple terms:** Desire to fit in shows you may be a follower. Key Takeaway Question your need for approval. Themes conformity identity social pressure Mood contemplative critical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - workplace - social media - clubs - friend groups Key Concepts psychology self‑awareness Questions to Reflect On - Do you value independence over belonging? - When does conformity serve you? A Different Perspective Group belonging can provide support and growth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [How would she find her herd? How would she find you?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-christopher/how-would-she-find-her-herd-how-would-she-find-you/) [Lucy Christopher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-christopher/) > [There are a lot of people who believe that the individual can't make it himself. And that's why people want to join up in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-capra/there-are-a-lot-of-people-who-believe-that-the-individual-can-t-make/) [Frank Capra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-capra/) > [If all you do is follow the herd, you'll just be stepping in poop all day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/if-all-you-do-is-follow-the-herd-you-ll-just-be-stepping-in-poop-all/) [Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/) > [One small cloud, cast out by the herd, limps away to the west.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colum-mccann/one-small-cloud-cast-out-by-the-herd-limps-away-to-the-west/) [Colum McCann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colum-mccann/) > [We have no leadership. They rule by herd. Nobody is in charge. It reminds me of a bunch of cows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bud-grant/we-have-no-leadership-they-rule-by-herd-nobody-is-in-charge-it/) [Bud Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bud-grant/) > [Christians call it faith ... I call it the herd.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/christians-call-it-faith-i-call-it-the-herd/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [We are the most amazing creatures that this world has ever produced, but we seem to also have this herd mentality; we seem to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivienne-westwood/we-are-the-most-amazing-creatures-that-this-world-has-ever-produced/) [Vivienne Westwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivienne-westwood/) > [It's much better to say, "If the herd is running, I'm running with those guys." And humans have herd mentality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-barnard/it-s-much-better-to-say-if-the-herd-is-running-i-m-running-with-those/) [Neal Barnard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-barnard/) > [We have within us, from the start, that which will distinguish us from the vulgar herd.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-have-within-us-from-the-start-that-which-will-distinguish-us-from/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I wouldn't be able to do anything with my vampire horde except make it run around in a herd, but it would be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilona-andrews/i-wouldn-t-be-able-to-do-anything-with-my-vampire-horde-except-make/) [Ilona Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilona-andrews/) > [Following the herd is fine, until they all run off the side of a cliff together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-beck/following-the-herd-is-fine-until-they-all-run-off-the-side-of-a-cliff/) [Glenn Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-beck/) > [Some people are little more than herd animals, flocking together whenever the world becomes uncomfortable … I am not one of those people. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-naggum/some-people-are-little-more-than-herd-animals-flocking-together/) [Erik Naggum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-naggum/) > [Cultural institutions by and large share one primary objective: herd control. Even when ostensibly benign, their propensity for manipulation, compartmentalization, standardization and suppression of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/cultural-institutions-by-and-large-share-one-primary-objective-herd/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [Of what use is it to please the herd? They are simply coarse animals - for all that is admirable in man is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-p-lovecraft/of-what-use-is-it-to-please-the-herd-they-are-simply-coarse-animals/) [H. P. Lovecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-lovecraft/) > [If you're going to follow your bliss and make a difference in the world, you'll soon learn that you can't follow the herd.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/if-you-re-going-to-follow-your-bliss-and-make-a-difference-in-the/) [Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/) ## More by Carlos Ruiz Zafon > [“Our world will not die as a result of the bomb, as the papers say, it will die of laughter, of banality, of making a joke…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/our-world-will-not-die-as-a-result-of-the-bomb-as-the-papers-say-it/) [Carlos Ruiz Zafon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/) > [“I carried the trace of her lips, of her breath on my skin through streets full of faceless people escaping from offices and shops.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/i-carried-the-trace-of-her-lips-of-her-breath-on-my-skin-through/) [Carlos Ruiz Zafón](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/) > [“Nekada davno, u djetinjstvu, možda is toga što sam odrastao među knjigama i knjižarima, odlučio sam da želim postati pisac i živjeti životom punim…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/nekada-davno-u-djetinjstvu-mo-da-is-toga-to-sam-odrastao-me-u/) [Carlos Ruiz Zafón](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/) > [“nations never see themselves clearly in the mirror, much less when war preys on their minds.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/nations-never-see-themselves-clearly-in-the-mirror-much-less-when-war/) [Carlos Ruiz Zafón](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/) > [People might not agree with me, but I think a woman should have a feminine shape, something you can get your hands on. You,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/people-might-not-agree-with-me-but-i-think-a-woman-should-have-a/) [Carlos Ruiz Zafon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/) > [“But I couldn't absorb the idea that death could actually walk by my side, with a human face and a heart that was poisoned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/but-i-couldn-t-absorb-the-idea-that-death-could-actually-walk-by-my/) [Carlos Ruiz Zafón](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/) > [“Wise men think and speak alike.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/wise-men-think-and-speak-alike/) [Carlos Ruiz Zafón](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/) > [“Time plays for the other team.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/time-plays-for-the-other-team/) [Carlos Ruiz Zafón](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/) > [Once I'd worked out that I couldn't possibly expect people to enjoy a monstrous, 3000-page book, I realised I could in fact create a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/once-i-d-worked-out-that-i-couldn-t-possibly-expect-people-to-enjoy-a/) [Carlos Ruiz Zafon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/) > [The haunting of history is ever present in Barcelona. I see cities as organisms, as living creatures. To me, Madrid is a man and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/the-haunting-of-history-is-ever-present-in-barcelona-i-see-cities-as/) [Carlos Ruiz Zafon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/) > [Waiting is the rust of the soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/waiting-is-the-rust-of-the-soul/) [Carlos Ruiz Zafon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/) > [“The main pillar of organized religion, with few exceptions, is the subjugation, repression, even the annulment of women in the group. Woman must accept…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/the-main-pillar-of-organized-religion-with-few-exceptions-is-the/) [Carlos Ruiz Zafón](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/) > [“Bea says that the art of reading is slowly dying, that it's an intimate ritual, that a book is a mirror that offers us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/bea-says-that-the-art-of-reading-is-slowly-dying-that-it-s-an/) [Carlos Ruiz Zafon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/) > [Human beings believe just as they breathe - in order to survive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/human-beings-believe-just-as-they-breathe-in-order-to-survive/) [Carlos Ruiz Zafon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/) > [“Darwin was a dreamer, I can assure you. No evolution or anything of the sort. For every one who can reason, I have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/darwin-was-a-dreamer-i-can-assure-you-no-evolution-or-anything-of-the/) [Carlos Ruiz Zafón](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/) [Explore all 785 Carlos Ruiz Zafon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/) ## More Herd quotes > [The herd seek out the great, not for their sake but for their influence; and the great welcome them out of vanity or need.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/the-herd-seek-out-the-great-not-for-their-sake-but-for-their/) [Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/) > [“...for a man is a Herdentier - an animal that always follows the herd, a gregarious animal - and quickly follow's its neighbour example.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikl-s-b-nffy/for-a-man-is-a-herdentier-an-animal-that-always-follows-the-herd-a/) [Miklós Bánffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikl-s-b-nffy/) > [How would she find her herd? How would she find you?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-christopher/how-would-she-find-her-herd-how-would-she-find-you/) [Lucy Christopher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-christopher/) > [Of what use is it to please the herd? They are simply coarse animals - for all that is admirable in man is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-p-lovecraft/of-what-use-is-it-to-please-the-herd-they-are-simply-coarse-animals/) [H. P. Lovecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-lovecraft/) > [Cultural institutions by and large share one primary objective: herd control. Even when ostensibly benign, their propensity for manipulation, compartmentalization, standardization and suppression of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/cultural-institutions-by-and-large-share-one-primary-objective-herd/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [“...the presence of others has become even more intolerable to me, their conversation most of all. Oh, how it all annoys and exasperates me:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-lorrain/the-presence-of-others-has-become-even-more-intolerable-to-me-their/) [Jean Lorrain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-lorrain/) > [“A pride of the herd attracts one in a million of top of the crop.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anyaele-sam-chiyson/a-pride-of-the-herd-attracts-one-in-a-million-of-top-of-the-crop/) Anyaele Sam Chiyson > [“Humans are herd animals and we tend to do what everyone else does.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-palmer/humans-are-herd-animals-and-we-tend-to-do-what-everyone-else-does/) [Gabrielle Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-palmer/) > [“People would rather live in a community with unreasonable claims, than face loneliness with their truth”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bangambiki-habyarimana/people-would-rather-live-in-a-community-with-unreasonable-claims-than/) [Bangambiki Habyarimana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bangambiki-habyarimana/) > [“Riding in the herd, the sound like one constant, endless sigh; some frantic and others calm, some remembering some wrong done to them while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-coplin/riding-in-the-herd-the-sound-like-one-constant-endless-sigh-some/) [Amanda Coplin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-coplin/) > [I don't live by a lot of society's rules; I can't pattern myself after the herd.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-basinger/i-don-t-live-by-a-lot-of-society-s-rules-i-can-t-pattern-myself-after/) [Kim Basinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-basinger/) > [Some people are little more than herd animals, flocking together whenever the world becomes uncomfortable … I am not one of those people. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-naggum/some-people-are-little-more-than-herd-animals-flocking-together/) [Erik Naggum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-naggum/) > [“Since the earliest days of our youth, we have been conditioned to accept that the direction of the herd, and authority anywhere — is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-kassem/since-the-earliest-days-of-our-youth-we-have-been-conditioned-to/) [Suzy Kassem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-kassem/) > [The job of every president is to ride herd over Congress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-conard/the-job-of-every-president-is-to-ride-herd-over-congress/) [Edward Conard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-conard/) > [Following the herd is fine, until they all run off the side of a cliff together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-beck/following-the-herd-is-fine-until-they-all-run-off-the-side-of-a-cliff/) [Glenn Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-beck/) Browse all 118 Herd quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I've always thought that anyone who needs to join a herd so badly must be a bit of a sheep himself.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Carlos Ruiz Zafon" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/i-ve-always-thought-that-anyone-who-needs-to-join-a-herd-so-badly/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Herd" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/i-ve-always-thought-that-anyone-who-needs-to-join-a-herd-so-badly/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b8/carlos-ruiz-zafon-126_herd_i-ve-always-thought-that-anyone-who-need_616967.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b8/carlos-ruiz-zafon-126_herd_i-ve-always-thought-that-anyone-who-need_616967.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b8/carlos-ruiz-zafon-126_herd_i-ve-always-thought-that-anyone-who-need_616967.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I've always thought that anyone who needs to join a herd so badly must be a bit of a sheep himself.” — Carlos Ruiz Zafon", "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": "Carlos Ruiz Zafon", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I've always thought that anyone who...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/i-ve-always-thought-that-anyone-who-needs-to-join-a-herd-so-badly/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/i-ve-always-thought-that-anyone-who-needs-to-join-a-herd-so-badly/#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 } } ] } ```