---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I would rather be beaten and be a man…"
description: "\"I would rather be beaten and be a man than to be elected and be a little puppy dog. I have always supported measures and principles and not men. I have..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c1/davy-crockett-12646_be-a-man_i-would-rather-be-beaten-and-be-a-man-th_2810662.jpg"
---

#  I would rather be beaten and be a man than to be elected…

![“I would rather be beaten and be a man than to be elected and be a little puppy dog. I have always supported measures and principles and not men. I have acted fearless&#91;ly&#93; and independent and I never will regret my course. I would rather be politically buried than to be hypocritically immortalized.” quote by Davy Crockett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c1/davy-crockett-12646_be-a-man_i-would-rather-be-beaten-and-be-a-man-th_2810662.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c1/davy-crockett-12646_be-a-man_i-would-rather-be-beaten-and-be-a-man-th_2810662.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c1/davy-crockett-12646_be-a-man_i-would-rather-be-beaten-and-be-a-man-th_2810662.jpg)

> “I would rather be beaten and be a man than to be elected and be a little puppy dog. I have always supported measures and principles and not men. I have acted fearless\[ly\] and independent and I never will regret my course. I would rather be politically buried than to be hypocritically immortalized.”

[Davy Crockett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/davy-crockett/)

## About This Quote

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

Prefer authentic struggle over hollow fame; value personal integrity over political survival.

**In simple terms:** Choose real struggle over fame.

Key Takeaway

Prioritize integrity over popularity.

Themes

integrity authenticity politics

Mood

defiant principled

Type

historical philosophical

When to use this quote

- political activism
- leadership
- personal ethics

Key Concepts

personal sacrifice principled action independence

Questions to Reflect On

- What does authenticity mean to you?
- How can you stay true amid pressure?

A Different Perspective

It may romanticize hardship.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Be a man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/be-a-man/) [Beaten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beaten/) [Buried](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buried/) [Buried Hypocritically](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buried-hypocritically-3517202/) [Courage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/courage/) [Courses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/courses/) [Dog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dog/) [Elected](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elected/) [Fearless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fearless/) [Independent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/independent/) [Littles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/littles/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Politically](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politically/) [Politically Buried](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politically-buried-3517201/) [Principles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/principles/) [Principles Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/principles-men-271296/) [Puppy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/puppy/) [Puppy dog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/puppy-dog/) [Regret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/regret/)

## Related quotes

> [I would rather be beaten, and be a man, than to be elected and be a little puppy dog.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/davy-crockett/i-would-rather-be-beaten-and-be-a-man-than-to-be-elected-and-be-a/)

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> [One of the greatest of all principles is that men can do what they think they can do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/one-of-the-greatest-of-all-principles-is-that-men-can-do-what-they/)

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> [“We need in this generation, as we have had them in the past, men of conscience, driven, even against their wills, certainly against their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sir-james-darling/we-need-in-this-generation-as-we-have-had-them-in-the-past-men-of/)

[Sir James Darling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sir-james-darling/)

> [I want to die a slave to principles. Not to men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emiliano-zapata/i-want-to-die-a-slave-to-principles-not-to-men/)

[Emiliano Zapata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emiliano-zapata/)

> [The principles which men profess on any controverted subject are usually a very incomplete exponent of the opinions they really hold.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/the-principles-which-men-profess-on-any-controverted-subject-are/)

[John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/)

> [There are two principles on which all men of intellectual integrity and good will can agree, as a 'basic minimum,' as a precondition of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/there-are-two-principles-on-which-all-men-of-intellectual-integrity/)

[Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/)

> [Revolutionary men with principles were not really different from the rest. They used their cleverness to get, in return for principles, what other men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nawal-el-saadawi/revolutionary-men-with-principles-were-not-really-different-from-the/)

[Nawal El Saadawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nawal-el-saadawi/)

> [“God sees the minds (ruling principles) of all men bared of the material vesture and rind and impurities. For with his intellectual part alone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-aurelius/god-sees-the-minds-ruling-principles-of-all-men-bared-of-the-material-2/)

[Marcus Aurelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-aurelius/)

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[Marcus Aurelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-aurelius/)

> [Now there cannot be first principles for men, unless the Divinity has revealed them; all the rest--beginning, middle, and end--isnothing but dreams and smoke.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/now-there-cannot-be-first-principles-for-men-unless-the-divinity-has/)

[Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/)

> [Be wise; let prudence dictate all your counsels; preserve peace with all men, if possible; stand by the Constitution of your country; observe its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-smith-jr/be-wise-let-prudence-dictate-all-your-counsels-preserve-peace-with/)

[Joseph Smith, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-smith-jr/)

> [I will admit no bond that holds me to a party a day longer than I agree to its principles. When men meet together…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jefferson-davis/i-will-admit-no-bond-that-holds-me-to-a-party-a-day-longer-than-i/)

[Jefferson Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jefferson-davis/)

## More by Davy Crockett

> [You may all go to Hell, and I will go to Texas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/davy-crockett/you-may-all-go-to-hell-and-i-will-go-to-texas/)

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> [No man who has not tried it can imagine what dreadful hard work it is to listen. Splitting gum logs in the dog days…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/davy-crockett/no-man-who-has-not-tried-it-can-imagine-what-dreadful-hard-work-it-is/)

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[Davy Crockett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/davy-crockett/)

> [You can all go to heck; I will go to Texas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/davy-crockett/you-can-all-go-to-heck-i-will-go-to-texas/)

[Davy Crockett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/davy-crockett/)

> [Sorrow, it is said, will make even an oyster feel poetical. I never tried my hand at that sort of writing but on this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/davy-crockett/sorrow-it-is-said-will-make-even-an-oyster-feel-poetical-i-never/)

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> [I would rather be politically dead than hypocritically immortalized.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/davy-crockett/i-would-rather-be-politically-dead-than-hypocritically-immortalized/)

[Davy Crockett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/davy-crockett/)

> [You can go to hell -- I'm going to Texas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/davy-crockett/you-can-go-to-hell-i-m-going-to-texas/)

[Davy Crockett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/davy-crockett/)

> [“Know your right, then go ahead.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/davy-crockett/know-your-right-then-go-ahead/)

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[Davy Crockett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/davy-crockett/)

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[Davy Crockett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/davy-crockett/)

[Explore all 54 Davy Crockett quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/davy-crockett/)

## More Be a man quotes

> [But if you will recall the history of our civil troubles, you will see half the nation bathe itself, out of piety, in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-diderot/but-if-you-will-recall-the-history-of-our-civil-troubles-you-will-see/)

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> [Men will cease to be fools only when they cease to be men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/democritus/men-will-cease-to-be-fools-only-when-they-cease-to-be-men/)

[Democritus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/democritus/)

> [My friends, let us try to follow the Saviour's steps; let us remember all day long what it is to be men; that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-kingsley/my-friends-let-us-try-to-follow-the-saviour-s-steps-let-us-remember/)

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> [I don't think anyone can teach you how to be a man but a woman. You only learn by learning what they need.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-gosling/i-don-t-think-anyone-can-teach-you-how-to-be-a-man-but-a-woman-you/)

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