---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A curst Cow hath short hornes. [A curst…"
description: "\"A curst Cow hath short hornes. [A curst cow has short horns.]\" — George Herbert"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c8b/george-herbert-107_animal_a-curst-cow-hath-short-hornes-a-curst-co_3120616.jpg"
---

#  A curst Cow hath short hornes. \[A curst cow has short…

![“A curst Cow hath short hornes. &#91;A curst cow has short horns.&#93;” quote by George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c8b/george-herbert-107_animal_a-curst-cow-hath-short-hornes-a-curst-co_3120616.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c8b/george-herbert-107_animal_a-curst-cow-hath-short-hornes-a-curst-co_3120616.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c8b/george-herbert-107_animal_a-curst-cow-hath-short-hornes-a-curst-co_3120616.jpg)

> “A curst Cow hath short hornes. \[A curst cow has short horns.\]”

[George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/)

## About This Quote

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

The poem uses a cursed cow with short horns as a metaphor for misfortune or defect, suggesting that some beings are doomed by nature.

**In simple terms:** A cursed cow with short horns symbolizes inherent misfortune.

Key Takeaway

Recognize inherent limitations in situations.

Themes

fate imperfection symbolism poetry

Mood

reflective somber

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

- agricultural hardship
- personal adversity
- literary analysis

Key Concepts

metaphor cursed natural defect

Questions to Reflect On

- What does the cursed cow represent in your life?
- Can flaws be overcome?

A Different Perspective

May imply fatalism over agency.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Animal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) [Horns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/horns/)

## Related quotes

> [God sends a curst cow short horns.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/god-sends-a-curst-cow-short-horns/)

[George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/)

> [Buffon, who, with all his theoretical ingenuity and extraordinary eloquence, I suspect had little actual information in the science on which he wrote so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-boswell/buffon-who-with-all-his-theoretical-ingenuity-and-extraordinary/)

[James Boswell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-boswell/)

> [An Oxe is taken by the horns, and a Man by the tongue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/an-oxe-is-taken-by-the-horns-and-a-man-by-the-tongue/)

[George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/)

> [Who will sell the Cow, must say the word.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/who-will-sell-the-cow-must-say-the-word/)

[George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/)

> [Most calves used by the dairy industry have their horns BURNED or GOUGED out of their heads.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/casey-affleck/most-calves-used-by-the-dairy-industry-have-their-horns-burned-or/)

[Casey Affleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/casey-affleck/)

> [That's the thing that we said about the horn before: it's a focus issue. It's like a singer versus a drummer. If a drummer's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-hunter/that-s-the-thing-that-we-said-about-the-horn-before-it-s-a-focus/)

[Charlie Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-hunter/)

> [Hey, angel, your horns are sticking up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-peterson/hey-angel-your-horns-are-sticking-up/)

[Andrew Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-peterson/)

> [I smiled,"Deoch, my heart is made of stronger stuff than glass. When she strikes she'll find it strong as iron-bound brass, or gold and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/i-smiled-deoch-my-heart-is-made-of-stronger-stuff-than-glass-when-she/)

[Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/)

> [Suddenly the full long wail of a ship's horn surged through the open window and flooded the dim room - a cry of boundless,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yukio-mishima/suddenly-the-full-long-wail-of-a-ship-s-horn-surged-through-the-open/)

[Yukio Mishima](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yukio-mishima/)

> [My first job was in a Bohemian polka band, the Rejcek family polka band in Abbott. The old man in the band had another…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-nelson/my-first-job-was-in-a-bohemian-polka-band-the-rejcek-family-polka/)

[Willie Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-nelson/)

> [The Brick House was one of the toughest joints I ever played in ... Guys would drink and fight one another like circle saws.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-armstrong/the-brick-house-was-one-of-the-toughest-joints-i-ever-played-in-guys/)

[Louis Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-armstrong/)

> [And for me the only way to live life is to grab the bull by the horns and call up recording studios and set…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-frusciante/and-for-me-the-only-way-to-live-life-is-to-grab-the-bull-by-the-horns/)

[John Frusciante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-frusciante/)

> [The hollow horn plays wasted words, proves to warn that he not busy being born is busy dying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/the-hollow-horn-plays-wasted-words-proves-to-warn-that-he-not-busy/)

[Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/)

> [We're not very dangerous animals; we don't have a horn like a rhino or quills like a porcupine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-fisher/we-re-not-very-dangerous-animals-we-don-t-have-a-horn-like-a-rhino-or/)

[Helen Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-fisher/)

> [Black music has always known, and not been afraid to acknowledge just how high the stakes of Black thought are. To summarize the final…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-b-wilderson-iii/black-music-has-always-known-and-not-been-afraid-to-acknowledge-just/)

Frank B. Wilderson III

## More by George Herbert

> [Sum up at night what thou hast done by day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/sum-up-at-night-what-thou-hast-done-by-day/)

[George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/)

> [Beare with evill, and expect good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/beare-with-evill-and-expect-good/)

[George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/)

> [ In the house of a Fidler, all fiddle. \[In the house of the fiddler all fiddle.\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/in-the-house-of-a-fidler-all-fiddle-in-the-house-of-the-fiddler-all/)

[George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/)

> [By all means use some time to be alone, salute thyself, see what thy soul doth wear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/by-all-means-use-some-time-to-be-alone-salute-thyself-see-what-thy/)

[George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/)

> [Every one is weary, the poore in seeking, the rich in keeping, the good in learning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/every-one-is-weary-the-poore-in-seeking-the-rich-in-keeping-the-good/)

[George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/)

> [He is a great Necromancer, for he asks counsel counsell of the Dead (i.e. books).](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/he-is-a-great-necromancer-for-he-asks-counsel-counsell-of-the-dead-i/)

[George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/)

> [If all fooles had babies, wee should want fuell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/if-all-fooles-had-babies-wee-should-want-fuell/)

[George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/)

> [Weight justly and sell dearely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/weight-justly-and-sell-dearely/)

[George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/)

> [Could have recovered greenness?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/could-have-recovered-greenness/)

[George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/)

> [In every country dogges bite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/in-every-country-dogges-bite/)

[George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/)

> [The back-doore robs the house.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/the-back-doore-robs-the-house/)

[George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/)

> [In cloths cheap handsomeness, doth bear the bell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/in-cloths-cheap-handsomeness-doth-bear-the-bell/)

[George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/)

> [Foolish tongues talke by the dozen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/foolish-tongues-talke-by-the-dozen/)

[George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/)

> [ Spectacles are deaths Harquebuze. \[Spectacles are death's arquebuse.\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/spectacles-are-deaths-harquebuze-spectacles-are-death-s-arquebuse/)

[George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/)

> [None saies his Garner is full.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/none-saies-his-garner-is-full/)

[George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/)

[Explore all 1,285 George Herbert quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/)

## More Animal quotes

> [I was 3-years-old - to this day it is a vivid memory. My family and I were on a boat, catching fish. As one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joaquin-phoenix/i-was-3-years-old-to-this-day-it-is-a-vivid-memory-my-family-and-i/)

[Joaquin Phoenix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joaquin-phoenix/)

> [Animals know nothing of themselves, and they also know nothing of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/animals-know-nothing-of-themselves-and-they-also-know-nothing-of-the/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [Humans are animals too, but some do not like to work from expectations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/humans-are-animals-too-but-some-do-not-like-to-work-from-expectations/)

Mak\_786

> [When grubbing for necessities man is still an animal. He becomes uniquely human when he reaches out for the superfluous and extravagant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/when-grubbing-for-necessities-man-is-still-an-animal-he-becomes/)

[Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/)

> [I'm 38 and I'm single, and I'm having my most intense and gratifying relationship with a dog. But we all learn about love in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-knapp/i-m-38-and-i-m-single-and-i-m-having-my-most-intense-and-gratifying/)

[Caroline Knapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-knapp/)

> [Practically all animals which move fast in a homogeneous medium have found means of giving their body a streamlined shape, thereby reducing friction to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/practically-all-animals-which-move-fast-in-a-homogeneous-medium-have/)

[Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/)

> [A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/a-horse-a-horse-my-kingdom-for-a-horse/)

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

> [“it is a federal system of sadistic torture, vivisection, and animal genocide, which has been carried on for decades under the fraudulent guise of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-tobias/it-is-a-federal-system-of-sadistic-torture-vivisection-and-animal/)

[Michael Tobias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-tobias/)

> [“What does it mean to be a self-conscious animal? The idea is ludicrous, if it is not monstrous. It means to know that one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-becker/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-self-conscious-animal-the-idea-is-ludicrous/)

[Ernest Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-becker/)

> [We must love animals in such a powerful way that we should reject to eat them!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/we-must-love-animals-in-such-a-powerful-way-that-we-should-reject-to/)

[Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/)

> [“The universe contains any amount of horrible ways to be woken up, such as the noise of the mob breaking down the front door,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/the-universe-contains-any-amount-of-horrible-ways-to-be-woken-up-such/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [This brings me back to the image of Kafka standing before a fish in the Berlin aquarium, a fish on which his gaze fell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/this-brings-me-back-to-the-image-of-kafka-standing-before-a-fish-in/)

[Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/)

> [That dog, I say that dog is lower than a snake full of buckshot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/foghorn-leghorn/that-dog-i-say-that-dog-is-lower-than-a-snake-full-of-buckshot/)

[Foghorn Leghorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/foghorn-leghorn/)

> [I bet plants go like 'Weeeeeeeee!' whenever they're swallowed by a giraffe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-bet-plants-go-like-weeeeeeeee-whenever-they-re-swallowed-by-a/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Animal rights without veganism is like human rights with slavery. It makes no sense. None whatsoever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-l-francione/animal-rights-without-veganism-is-like-human-rights-with-slavery-it/)

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

[Browse all 13,456 Animal quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "A curst Cow hath short hornes. [A curst cow has short horns.]",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "George Herbert"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/a-curst-cow-hath-short-hornes-a-curst-cow-has-short-horns/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Animal"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/a-curst-cow-hath-short-hornes-a-curst-cow-has-short-horns/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c8b/george-herbert-107_animal_a-curst-cow-hath-short-hornes-a-curst-co_3120616.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c8b/george-herbert-107_animal_a-curst-cow-hath-short-hornes-a-curst-co_3120616.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c8b/george-herbert-107_animal_a-curst-cow-hath-short-hornes-a-curst-co_3120616.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“A curst Cow hath short hornes. [A curst cow has short horns.]” — George Herbert",
                "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": "George Herbert",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "A curst Cow hath short hornes....",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/a-curst-cow-hath-short-hornes-a-curst-cow-has-short-horns/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/a-curst-cow-hath-short-hornes-a-curst-cow-has-short-horns/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
