--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Men are sheep. Which is why armies and…" description: "\"“Men are sheep. Which is why armies and wars are possible. They die victims of their stupid docility.”\" — Gabriel Chevallier" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c29/gabriel-chevallier-24347_war_men-are-sheep-which-is-why-armies-and-wa_2000718.jpg" --- # Men are sheep. Which is why armies and wars are possible… ![“Men are sheep. Which is why armies and wars are possible. They die victims of their stupid docility.” quote by Gabriel Chevallier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c29/gabriel-chevallier-24347_war_men-are-sheep-which-is-why-armies-and-wa_2000718.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c29/gabriel-chevallier-24347_war_men-are-sheep-which-is-why-armies-and-wa_2000718.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c29/gabriel-chevallier-24347_war_men-are-sheep-which-is-why-armies-and-wa_2000718.jpg) > ““Men are sheep. Which is why armies and wars are possible. They die victims of their stupid docility.”” [Gabriel Chevallier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-chevallier/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Blind conformity makes societies vulnerable to conflict and tragedy. **In simple terms:** Blind obedience breeds war. Key Takeaway Encourage critical thinking. Themes conformity war human nature Mood serious thoughtful Type political philosophical When to use this quote - military training - group decision making - education - media influence Key Concepts psychology politics ethics Questions to Reflect On - How do you foster dissent? - What protects societies from blind obedience? A Different Perspective Individual agency can resist mass docility. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Armies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/armies/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [A little pure wildness is the one great present want, both of men and sheep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-muir/a-little-pure-wildness-is-the-one-great-present-want-both-of-men-and/) [John Muir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-muir/) > [And the English army, wheeling, started south at a gallop over the hill pass into Ettrick, followed by twenty men and eight hundred sheep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-dunnett/and-the-english-army-wheeling-started-south-at-a-gallop-over-the-hill/) [Dorothy Dunnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-dunnett/) > [“The race of men, while sheep in credulity, are wolves for conformity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-race-of-men-while-sheep-in-credulity-are-wolves-for-conformity/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“We wanted proper outback: a place where men were men and sheep were nervous.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/we-wanted-proper-outback-a-place-where-men-were-men-and-sheep-were/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [Men are sheep. Where one goes, the rest will soon follow. -Lady Whistledown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-quinn/men-are-sheep-where-one-goes-the-rest-will-soon-follow-lady/) [Julia Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-quinn/) > [Not that I wish to give you any ammunition, but the sad fact of it is-most men are sheep. Where one goes, the rest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-quinn/not-that-i-wish-to-give-you-any-ammunition-but-the-sad-fact-of-it-is/) [Julia Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-quinn/) > [Wales! Where the men are men and the sheep are scared!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dougie-poynter/wales-where-the-men-are-men-and-the-sheep-are-scared/) [Dougie Poynter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dougie-poynter/) > [I come from the bush ... where men are men, and the sheep are nervous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-emmanuel/i-come-from-the-bush-where-men-are-men-and-the-sheep-are-nervous/) [Tommy Emmanuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-emmanuel/) > [Countries, not just their armies, win wars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccain/countries-not-just-their-armies-win-wars/) [John McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccain/) > [Rule 1, on page I of the book of war, is: "Do not march on Moscow". Various people have tried it, Napoleon and Hitler,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-law-montgomery/rule-1-on-page-i-of-the-book-of-war-is-do-not-march-on-moscow-various/) [Bernard Law Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-law-montgomery/) > [I sincerely believe... that banking establishments are more dangerous than standing armies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/i-sincerely-believe-that-banking-establishments-are-more-dangerous-2/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [If one is intelligent and applies himself well, what can he not accomplish? Even small bands of people, I have heard, have defeated whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sakya-pandita/if-one-is-intelligent-and-applies-himself-well-what-can-he-not/) Sakya Pandita > [All the armies of Europe, Asia and Africa combined, with all the treasure of the earth (our own excepted) in their military chest; with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/all-the-armies-of-europe-asia-and-africa-combined-with-all-the/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [We are not intimidated by the size of the armies, or the type of hardware the US has brought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saddam-hussein/we-are-not-intimidated-by-the-size-of-the-armies-or-the-type-of/) [Saddam Hussein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saddam-hussein/) > [It's with them that we have constituted a liberation front and brought our logistic support to armies to help their countries come out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmed-ben-bella/it-s-with-them-that-we-have-constituted-a-liberation-front-and/) [Ahmed Ben Bella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmed-ben-bella/) ## More by Gabriel Chevallier > [“What saves doctors' reputations is the fact that many illnesses are benign and that people can go on living with a large number of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-chevallier/what-saves-doctors-reputations-is-the-fact-that-many-illnesses-are/) [Gabriel Chevallier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-chevallier/) > [“The desire for carnal possession quickly cools, whereas the desire to own land never quits the heart of man.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-chevallier/the-desire-for-carnal-possession-quickly-cools-whereas-the-desire-to/) [Gabriel Chevallier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-chevallier/) > [“My county? Another concept to which you attach from a distance a rather vague ideal. You want to know what "my country" really is?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-chevallier/my-county-another-concept-to-which-you-attach-from-a-distance-a/) [Gabriel Chevallier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-chevallier/) > [“Men were snoring, twitching and whimpering, struggling with nightmares less terrible than reality.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-chevallier/men-were-snoring-twitching-and-whimpering-struggling-with-nightmares/) [Gabriel Chevallier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-chevallier/) > [“For the wine of Clochemerle is at once exquisite and treacherous; it charms first the nose, then the palate, finally the entire man. Mark…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-chevallier/for-the-wine-of-clochemerle-is-at-once-exquisite-and-treacherous-it/) [Gabriel Chevallier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-chevallier/) > [“I had been astonished to find myself in the middle of the war yet not be able to find it, unable to accept that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-chevallier/i-had-been-astonished-to-find-myself-in-the-middle-of-the-war-yet-not/) [Gabriel Chevallier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-chevallier/) > [“Women all have the same female pretentions and even the most virtuous among them like to convince themselves that they can tempt a man.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-chevallier/women-all-have-the-same-female-pretentions-and-even-the-most-virtuous/) [Gabriel Chevallier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-chevallier/) > [“The death of the Curé Ponosse occurred in the vintage month, when his beloved Clochemerle was impregnated with the odour of new wine, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-chevallier/the-death-of-the-cur-ponosse-occurred-in-the-vintage-month-when-his/) [Gabriel Chevallier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-chevallier/) > [“They had also brought in a piece of human scrap so monstrous that everyone recoiled at the sight, that it shocked men who were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-chevallier/they-had-also-brought-in-a-piece-of-human-scrap-so-monstrous-that/) [Gabriel Chevallier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-chevallier/) > [“There were, in Clochemerle, a number of lady 'invalids', their conversation one long jeremiad concerning their health, who had worn out their husbands and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-chevallier/there-were-in-clochemerle-a-number-of-lady-invalids-their/) [Gabriel Chevallier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-chevallier/) > [“Men are stupid and ignorant. That is why they suffer. Instead of thinking, they believe all that they are told, all that they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-chevallier/men-are-stupid-and-ignorant-that-is-why-they-suffer-instead-of/) [Gabriel Chevallier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-chevallier/) > [“Once again was it proved that the designs of Providence are impenetrable and that the sinner, climbing out of the pit of his filthiness,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-chevallier/once-again-was-it-proved-that-the-designs-of-providence-are/) [Gabriel Chevallier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-chevallier/) > [ “Frail to the point of invalidism, without family and with nothing to look forward to, she \[Mlle Muguette\] yet contrived to be happy. How… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-chevallier/frail-to-the-point-of-invalidism-without-family-and-with-nothing-to/) [Gabriel Chevallier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-chevallier/) > [“Alas, God's poor ministers are just as much in the dark as we are. You must believe like old women believe, the ones that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-chevallier/alas-god-s-poor-ministers-are-just-as-much-in-the-dark-as-we-are-you/) [Gabriel Chevallier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-chevallier/) > [“The Curé Noive had a sister who acted as his housekeeper, a lady with a moustache, whose piety was astringent, and who fostered a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-chevallier/the-cur-noive-had-a-sister-who-acted-as-his-housekeeper-a-lady-with-a/) [Gabriel Chevallier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-chevallier/) [Explore all 24 Gabriel Chevallier quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-chevallier/) ## More Armies quotes > [It's with them that we have constituted a liberation front and brought our logistic support to armies to help their countries come out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmed-ben-bella/it-s-with-them-that-we-have-constituted-a-liberation-front-and/) [Ahmed Ben Bella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmed-ben-bella/) > [Countries, not just their armies, win wars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccain/countries-not-just-their-armies-win-wars/) [John McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccain/) > [We are not intimidated by the size of the armies, or the type of hardware the US has brought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saddam-hussein/we-are-not-intimidated-by-the-size-of-the-armies-or-the-type-of/) [Saddam Hussein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saddam-hussein/) > [All the armies of Europe, Asia and Africa combined, with all the treasure of the earth (our own excepted) in their military chest; with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/all-the-armies-of-europe-asia-and-africa-combined-with-all-the/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [If one is intelligent and applies himself well, what can he not accomplish? Even small bands of people, I have heard, have defeated whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sakya-pandita/if-one-is-intelligent-and-applies-himself-well-what-can-he-not/) Sakya Pandita > [I sincerely believe... that banking establishments are more dangerous than standing armies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/i-sincerely-believe-that-banking-establishments-are-more-dangerous-2/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [Rule 1, on page I of the book of war, is: "Do not march on Moscow". Various people have tried it, Napoleon and Hitler,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-law-montgomery/rule-1-on-page-i-of-the-book-of-war-is-do-not-march-on-moscow-various/) [Bernard Law Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-law-montgomery/) > [If you're in the middle of a field, surrounded by armies, left right and centre, you can't just say: 'I've had enough now, sorry.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-pardew/if-you-re-in-the-middle-of-a-field-surrounded-by-armies-left-right/) [Alan Pardew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-pardew/) > [My favorite parts about 'The Battle of Five Armies' were the moments where you could clearly see that we were looking at New Zealand.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evangeline-lilly/my-favorite-parts-about-the-battle-of-five-armies-were-the-moments/) [Evangeline Lilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evangeline-lilly/) > [As we've seen, deploying large armies abroad won't always be our best offense. Countries typically don't want foreign soldiers in their cities and towns.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-o-brennan/as-we-ve-seen-deploying-large-armies-abroad-won-t-always-be-our-best/) [John O. Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-o-brennan/) > [Armies are a purely human invention. Most soldiers who go to war nowadays don't even do it because they're inherently aggressive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/armies-are-a-purely-human-invention-most-soldiers-who-go-to-war/) [Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/) > [“How long does it take for two armies to destroy each other when one has an abundance of bodies and the other an abundance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-mazza/how-long-does-it-take-for-two-armies-to-destroy-each-other-when-one/) Sarah Mazza > [Ants are so much like human beings as to be an embarrassment. They farm fungi, raise aphids as livestock, launch armies into war, use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-thomas/ants-are-so-much-like-human-beings-as-to-be-an-embarrassment-they/) [Lewis Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-thomas/) > [History shows that there are no invincible armies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-stalin/history-shows-that-there-are-no-invincible-armies/) [Joseph Stalin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-stalin/) > [Great armies are nothing but a collection of weakness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-queen-of-sweden/great-armies-are-nothing-but-a-collection-of-weakness/) [Christina, Queen of Sweden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-queen-of-sweden/) [Browse all 123 Armies quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/armies/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Men are sheep. Which is why armies and wars are possible. 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