--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I may think that hornets do not have an…" description: "\"I may think that hornets do not have an ideal social organization. But I know better than to poke their nest.\" — Fred Reed" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de4/fred-reed-33260_hornets_i-may-think-that-hornets-do-not-have-an_1617972.png" --- # I may think that hornets do not have an ideal social… ![“I may think that hornets do not have an ideal social organization. But I know better than to poke their nest.” quote by Fred Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de4/fred-reed-33260_hornets_i-may-think-that-hornets-do-not-have-an_1617972.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de4/fred-reed-33260_hornets_i-may-think-that-hornets-do-not-have-an_1617972.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de4/fred-reed-33260_hornets_i-may-think-that-hornets-do-not-have-an_1617972.png) > “I may think that hornets do not have an ideal social organization. But I know better than to poke their nest.” [Fred Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-reed/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker acknowledges hornets' complex societies and warns against provoking them. **In simple terms:** Hornets have organized societies; avoid provoking. Key Takeaway Respect natural order. Themes nature social behavior respect Mood cautious educational Type scientific reflective When to use this quote - gardening - pest control - environmental education Key Concepts ethology hierarchy Questions to Reflect On - What can we learn from insect societies? - When is it appropriate to intervene? A Different Perspective Hornets can still be dangerous despite organization. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Hornets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hornets/) [Hornets Ideal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hornets-ideal-6167248/) [Ideals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideals/) [Know Better](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know-better/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [Nests](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nests/) [Organization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/organization/) [Poke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poke/) [Social](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social/) [Social organization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social-organization/) [Think Hornets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-hornets-6167247/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [A big business man was telling Henry Ford about a coach driver of super-expertness with his whip. The driver was telling how he could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/a-big-business-man-was-telling-henry-ford-about-a-coach-driver-of/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [People think of the Charlotte Hornets, and they think of me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kemba-walker/people-think-of-the-charlotte-hornets-and-they-think-of-me/) [Kemba Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kemba-walker/) > [To anger an Aes Sedai is to put your head in a hornets' nest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-jordan/to-anger-an-aes-sedai-is-to-put-your-head-in-a-hornets-nest/) [Robert Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-jordan/) > [Mr. President at this time it is suicide, murder, and will lose us every friend at the North. You will wantonly strike a hornet's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-toombs/mr-president-at-this-time-it-is-suicide-murder-and-will-lose-us-every/) [Robert Toombs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-toombs/) > [From restless thoughts, that, like a deadly swarm Of hornets arm'd, no sooner found alone, But rush upon me thronging.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-milton/from-restless-thoughts-that-like-a-deadly-swarm-of-hornets-arm-d-no/) [John Milton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-milton/) > [The issue of fracking is a stick in the hornet's nest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/titus-welliver/the-issue-of-fracking-is-a-stick-in-the-hornet-s-nest/) [Titus Welliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/titus-welliver/) > [A jealous wife is like a hornets' nest in your mattress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-jordan/a-jealous-wife-is-like-a-hornets-nest-in-your-mattress/) [Robert Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-jordan/) > [Laws catch flies but let hornets go free](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mrthrill/laws-catch-flies-but-let-hornets-go-free/) [Mrthrill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mrthrill/) > [ You will stir up the hornets. \[Lat., Irritabis crabones.\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plautus/you-will-stir-up-the-hornets-lat-irritabis-crabones/) [Plautus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plautus/) > [Since the NBA purchased the New Orleans Hornets, final responsibility for significant management decisions lies with the Commissioner's Office in consultation with team chairman…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-stern/since-the-nba-purchased-the-new-orleans-hornets-final-responsibility/) [David Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-stern/) > [When the hornet hangs in the hollyhock, And the brown bee drones in the rose, And the west is a red-streaked four-o'clock, And summer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madison-cawein/when-the-hornet-hangs-in-the-hollyhock-and-the-brown-bee-drones-in/) [Madison Cawein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madison-cawein/) > [Concerning the generation of animals akin to them, as hornets and wasps, the facts in all cases are similar to a certain extent, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/concerning-the-generation-of-animals-akin-to-them-as-hornets-and/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [It's amazing now the amount of love we get around this city from all the Hornets' fans. Growing up, you really don't understand it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kemba-walker/it-s-amazing-now-the-amount-of-love-we-get-around-this-city-from-all/) [Kemba Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kemba-walker/) > [The wing structure of the hornet, in relation to its weight, is not suitable for flight, but he does not know this and flies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/the-wing-structure-of-the-hornet-in-relation-to-its-weight-is-not/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [In my mind, I would always be a Celtic. I was very thankful and humbled that the Hornets saw fit to allow me to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-parish/in-my-mind-i-would-always-be-a-celtic-i-was-very-thankful-and-humbled/) [Robert Parish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-parish/) ## More by Fred Reed > [Voting in particular is an embarrassment, being a public display of weak character and low intelligence. Let us face the truth: Democracy, like spitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-reed/voting-in-particular-is-an-embarrassment-being-a-public-display-of/) [Fred Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-reed/) > [“A burro is an ass. A burrow is a hole in the ground. A reporter should know the difference.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-reed/a-burro-is-an-ass-a-burrow-is-a-hole-in-the-ground-a-reporter-should/) [Fred Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-reed/) > [The US no longer does decisions. It can neither stop the drug traffic nor legalize it. It can neither win wars nor abandon them,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-reed/the-us-no-longer-does-decisions-it-can-neither-stop-the-drug-traffic/) [Fred Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-reed/) > [Those who wash regularly should not stoop to democracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-reed/those-who-wash-regularly-should-not-stoop-to-democracy/) [Fred Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-reed/) > [Without men, civilization would last until the oil needed changing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-reed/without-men-civilization-would-last-until-the-oil-needed-changing/) [Fred Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-reed/) > [In fact, the gravest obstacle to the restoration of civilization in North America is universal suffrage. Letting everybody vote makes no sense. Obviously they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-reed/in-fact-the-gravest-obstacle-to-the-restoration-of-civilization-in/) [Fred Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-reed/) > [Evolution writ large is the belief that a cloud of hydrogen will spontaneously invent extreme-ultraviolet lithography, perform Swan Lake, and write all the books…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-reed/evolution-writ-large-is-the-belief-that-a-cloud-of-hydrogen-will/) [Fred Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-reed/) > [“I don’t think you lose anything by hallucinating. It’s cheaper than airfare, the destinations more interesting, and I’d rather have a mutant squid on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-reed/i-don-t-think-you-lose-anything-by-hallucinating-it-s-cheaper-than/) [Fred Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-reed/) > [Wars are the hobbies of half-informed children who have somehow come into possession of the levers of power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-reed/wars-are-the-hobbies-of-half-informed-children-who-have-somehow-come/) [Fred Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-reed/) > [Though the Floundering Fathers didn't intend it, we now see that representative government quickly turns into the dictatorship of the proletariat. If you doubt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-reed/though-the-floundering-fathers-didn-t-intend-it-we-now-see-that/) [Fred Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-reed/) > [Kids esteem themselves when they have accomplished something worth esteeming.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-reed/kids-esteem-themselves-when-they-have-accomplished-something-worth/) [Fred Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-reed/) > [When someone tells me that 'the Almighty told me to do this', I want to see the transcript.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-reed/when-someone-tells-me-that-the-almighty-told-me-to-do-this-i-want-to/) [Fred Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-reed/) > [Congress, 535 commoditized temple monkeys pawing through the ruins of America in search of bribes. The bicameral whorehouse on Capitol Hill works like a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-reed/congress-535-commoditized-temple-monkeys-pawing-through-the-ruins-of/) [Fred Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-reed/) > [The proper response toward what we occasionally imagine to be democracy, methinks, is to retain one's self-respect by not participating in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-reed/the-proper-response-toward-what-we-occasionally-imagine-to-be/) [Fred Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-reed/) [Explore all 15 Fred Reed quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-reed/) ## More Hornets quotes > [A big business man was telling Henry Ford about a coach driver of super-expertness with his whip. The driver was telling how he could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/a-big-business-man-was-telling-henry-ford-about-a-coach-driver-of/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [The wing structure of the hornet, in relation to its weight, is not suitable for flight, but he does not know this and flies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/the-wing-structure-of-the-hornet-in-relation-to-its-weight-is-not/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [It's amazing now the amount of love we get around this city from all the Hornets' fans. Growing up, you really don't understand it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kemba-walker/it-s-amazing-now-the-amount-of-love-we-get-around-this-city-from-all/) [Kemba Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kemba-walker/) > [Concerning the generation of animals akin to them, as hornets and wasps, the facts in all cases are similar to a certain extent, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/concerning-the-generation-of-animals-akin-to-them-as-hornets-and/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [When the hornet hangs in the hollyhock, And the brown bee drones in the rose, And the west is a red-streaked four-o'clock, And summer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madison-cawein/when-the-hornet-hangs-in-the-hollyhock-and-the-brown-bee-drones-in/) [Madison Cawein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madison-cawein/) > [Since the NBA purchased the New Orleans Hornets, final responsibility for significant management decisions lies with the Commissioner's Office in consultation with team chairman…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-stern/since-the-nba-purchased-the-new-orleans-hornets-final-responsibility/) [David Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-stern/) > [ You will stir up the hornets. \[Lat., Irritabis crabones.\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plautus/you-will-stir-up-the-hornets-lat-irritabis-crabones/) [Plautus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plautus/) > [Laws catch flies but let hornets go free](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mrthrill/laws-catch-flies-but-let-hornets-go-free/) [Mrthrill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mrthrill/) > [A jealous wife is like a hornets' nest in your mattress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-jordan/a-jealous-wife-is-like-a-hornets-nest-in-your-mattress/) [Robert Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-jordan/) > [The issue of fracking is a stick in the hornet's nest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/titus-welliver/the-issue-of-fracking-is-a-stick-in-the-hornet-s-nest/) [Titus Welliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/titus-welliver/) > [From restless thoughts, that, like a deadly swarm Of hornets arm'd, no sooner found alone, But rush upon me thronging.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-milton/from-restless-thoughts-that-like-a-deadly-swarm-of-hornets-arm-d-no/) [John Milton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-milton/) > [Mr. President at this time it is suicide, murder, and will lose us every friend at the North. You will wantonly strike a hornet's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-toombs/mr-president-at-this-time-it-is-suicide-murder-and-will-lose-us-every/) [Robert Toombs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-toombs/) > [To anger an Aes Sedai is to put your head in a hornets' nest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-jordan/to-anger-an-aes-sedai-is-to-put-your-head-in-a-hornets-nest/) [Robert Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-jordan/) > [People think of the Charlotte Hornets, and they think of me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kemba-walker/people-think-of-the-charlotte-hornets-and-they-think-of-me/) [Kemba Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kemba-walker/) > [In my mind, I would always be a Celtic. I was very thankful and humbled that the Hornets saw fit to allow me to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-parish/in-my-mind-i-would-always-be-a-celtic-i-was-very-thankful-and-humbled/) [Robert Parish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-parish/) [Browse all 42 Hornets quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hornets/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I may think that hornets do not have an ideal social organization. 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