--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The old shepherd had died, or got drunk…" description: "\"The old shepherd had died, or got drunk, or got rats, or got the sack, or a legacy, or got sane, or chucked it, or got lost, or found, or a wife, or ha..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/76b/henry-lawson-27245_cutting_the-old-shepherd-had-died-or-got-drunk-o_1405840.jpg" --- # The old shepherd had died, or got drunk, or got rats, or… ![“The old shepherd had died, or got drunk, or got rats, or got the sack, or a legacy, or got sane, or chucked it, or got lost, or found, or a wife, or had cut his throat, or hanged himself, or got into Parliament or the peerage anyway, anything had happened to him that can happen to an old shepherd…” quote by Henry Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/76b/henry-lawson-27245_cutting_the-old-shepherd-had-died-or-got-drunk-o_1405840.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/76b/henry-lawson-27245_cutting_the-old-shepherd-had-died-or-got-drunk-o_1405840.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/76b/henry-lawson-27245_cutting_the-old-shepherd-had-died-or-got-drunk-o_1405840.jpg) > “The old shepherd had died, or got drunk, or got rats, or got the sack, or a legacy, or got sane, or chucked it, or got lost, or found, or a wife, or had cut his throat, or hanged himself, or got into Parliament or the peerage anyway, anything had happened to him that can happen to an old shepherd or any other man in the bush, and he wasn't there.” [Henry Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-lawson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote lists countless possible fates for a shepherd, emphasizing that any event can happen to anyone, and yet the shepherd is absent, highlighting the unpredictability and anonymity of life. **In simple terms:** Many things can happen to a person, but the person may be missing. Key Takeaway Recognize life's unpredictability and the importance of presence. Themes mortality uncertainty absence humanity Mood melancholic reflective Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - rural life - storytelling - philosophical reflection - personal loss Key Concepts existentialism randomness identity Questions to Reflect On - How does anonymity affect our sense of purpose? - What does presence mean in an unpredictable world? A Different Perspective Life's randomness can render individual stories invisible. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Drunk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drunk/) [Legacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/legacy/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Parliament](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parliament/) [Shepherd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shepherd/) [Shepherds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shepherds/) [Wife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wife/) ## Related quotes > [I think I already died before you got here, but I woke up when I heard your voice. <3](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patience/i-think-i-already-died-before-you-got-here-but-i-woke-up-when-i-heard/) Patience > [What happen to our old love? It was so beautiful and we were happy right?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-happen-to-our-old-love-it-was-so-beautiful-and-we-were-happy/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Two things happen when you get to be old. One, you gather experience and knowledge. You learn from your mistakes, and thereby offer wisdom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camron-wright/two-things-happen-when-you-get-to-be-old-one-you-gather-experience/) [Camron Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camron-wright/) > [This is what I miss, Cordelia: not something that’s gone, but something that will never happen. Two old women giggling over their tea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/this-is-what-i-miss-cordelia-not-something-that-s-gone-but-something/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [I am an old man, I just happen to be an old man that can fight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-hopkins/i-am-an-old-man-i-just-happen-to-be-an-old-man-that-can-fight/) [Bernard Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-hopkins/) > [...a capital patient, as she never died and never got well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/a-capital-patient-as-she-never-died-and-never-got-well/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [Michael Brown and Eric Garner died because they got into a confrontation that could have been easily avoided. That's what made their deaths so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-rowe/michael-brown-and-eric-garner-died-because-they-got-into-a/) [Mike Rowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-rowe/) > [If he even survives." She shivered, and Amon put his arm around her, drawing her into his steady warmth. "It's that bad?" Raisa nodded.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cinda-williams-chima/if-he-even-survives-she-shivered-and-amon-put-his-arm-around-her/) [Cinda Williams Chima](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cinda-williams-chima/) > [If so many Americans are looking for the government to save them, then it is hard to have a dignified search for a shepherd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-bovard/if-so-many-americans-are-looking-for-the-government-to-save-them-then/) [James Bovard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-bovard/) > [What can I give Him, Poor as I am? If I were a shepherd I would bring a lamb. If I were a Wise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-rossetti/what-can-i-give-him-poor-as-i-am-if-i-were-a-shepherd-i-would-bring-a/) [Christina Rossetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-rossetti/) > [Do exactly the opposite of what the sheep are doing in order to become the Shepherd.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-sylver/do-exactly-the-opposite-of-what-the-sheep-are-doing-in-order-to/) [Marshall Sylver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-sylver/) > [To be a good shepherd is to shear the flock, not skin it!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiberius/to-be-a-good-shepherd-is-to-shear-the-flock-not-skin-it/) [Tiberius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiberius/) > [“The emerald life of shepherds always reminds us the romantic and humble life we have lost due to living in the cities!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/the-emerald-life-of-shepherds-always-reminds-us-the-romantic-and/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david/the-lord-is-my-shepherd-i-shall-not-want-he-maketh-me-to-lie-down-in/) [David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david/) > [It is a fool of a shepherd who culls his dogs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jefferson-smith/it-is-a-fool-of-a-shepherd-who-culls-his-dogs/) [Jefferson Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jefferson-smith/) ## More by Henry Lawson > [It is a matter of public shame that while we have now commemorated our hundredth anniversary, not one in every ten children attending Public…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-lawson/it-is-a-matter-of-public-shame-that-while-we-have-now-commemorated/) [Henry Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-lawson/) > [“Do you think now and then, now or then, in the whirl Of the city, while London is new, Of the hut in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-lawson/do-you-think-now-and-then-now-or-then-in-the-whirl-of-the-city-while/) [Henry Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-lawson/) > [On the same line of reasoning, if Australians were to be Australians, or rather if Australians were as separate from any other nation as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-lawson/on-the-same-line-of-reasoning-if-australians-were-to-be-australians/) [Henry Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-lawson/) > [We shall never be understood or respected by the English until we carry our individuality to extremes, and by asserting our independence, become of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-lawson/we-shall-never-be-understood-or-respected-by-the-english-until-we/) [Henry Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-lawson/) > [It is the same with revolution; so long as the proper spirit is spreading amongst our young men, we are satisfied that it spreads…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-lawson/it-is-the-same-with-revolution-so-long-as-the-proper-spirit-is/) [Henry Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-lawson/) > [“Ah! The world is a new and a wide one to you, But the world to your sweetheart is shut, For a change never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-lawson/ah-the-world-is-a-new-and-a-wide-one-to-you-but-the-world-to-your/) [Henry Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-lawson/) > [“We fight it down, and we live it down, or we bear it bravely well, But the best men die of a broken heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-lawson/we-fight-it-down-and-we-live-it-down-or-we-bear-it-bravely-well-but/) [Henry Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-lawson/) > [Oh, my ways are strange ways and new ways and old ways, And deep ways and steep ways and high ways and low, I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-lawson/oh-my-ways-are-strange-ways-and-new-ways-and-old-ways-and-deep-ways/) [Henry Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-lawson/) > [Who says Australia offers not a home for every poor Englishman, or any other countryman that finds his way to our shores? And what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-lawson/who-says-australia-offers-not-a-home-for-every-poor-englishman-or-any/) [Henry Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-lawson/) > [“The fields are fair in autumn yet, and the sun's still shining there, but we bow our heads and we brood and fret, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-lawson/the-fields-are-fair-in-autumn-yet-and-the-sun-s-still-shining-there/) [Henry Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-lawson/) > [It is quite time that our children were taught a little more about their country, for shame's sake.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-lawson/it-is-quite-time-that-our-children-were-taught-a-little-more-about/) [Henry Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-lawson/) > [“here is nothing to see, however, and not a soul to meet. You might walk for twenty miles along this track without being able…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-lawson/here-is-nothing-to-see-however-and-not-a-soul-to-meet-you-might-walk/) [Henry Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-lawson/) > [And opposite the bench, the dock, divided by a partition, with the women to the left and the men to the right, as it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-lawson/and-opposite-the-bench-the-dock-divided-by-a-partition-with-the-women/) [Henry Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-lawson/) > [I’ve never seen anyone rehabilitated by punishment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-lawson/i-ve-never-seen-anyone-rehabilitated-by-punishment/) [Henry Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-lawson/) > [Beer makes you feel the way you ought to feel without beer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-lawson/beer-makes-you-feel-the-way-you-ought-to-feel-without-beer/) [Henry Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-lawson/) [Explore all 21 Henry Lawson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-lawson/) ## More Cutting quotes > [“I locked the door and turned on the water to fill the tub. I made it so hot that I had to get in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-crandall/i-locked-the-door-and-turned-on-the-water-to-fill-the-tub-i-made-it/) [Susan Crandall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-crandall/) > [If my campaign is not in the debate, we will not be talking about how we really fix this problem of endless and expanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/if-my-campaign-is-not-in-the-debate-we-will-not-be-talking-about-how/) [Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/) > [Since I worked with Danny Boyle before on Slumdog Millionaire, we have great success and everything. So, when I first got the script and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-r-rahman/since-i-worked-with-danny-boyle-before-on-slumdog-millionaire-we-have/) [A. R. Rahman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-r-rahman/) > [A man has a right to use a saw, an axe, a plane, separately; may he not combine their uses on the same piece…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/a-man-has-a-right-to-use-a-saw-an-axe-a-plane-separately-may-he-not/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [I didn't understand Southland Tales script at all! Is there a single word to describe it? Cacophony? It's celebrity meets pornography meets politics -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-grant/i-didn-t-understand-southland-tales-script-at-all-is-there-a-single/) [Beth Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-grant/) > [Confidence comes from cutting yourself some slack.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-daly/confidence-comes-from-cutting-yourself-some-slack/) [Tess Daly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-daly/) > [The nineteenth century lynching mob cuts off ears, toes, and fingers, strips off flesh, and distributes portions of the body as souvenirs among the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ida-b-wells/the-nineteenth-century-lynching-mob-cuts-off-ears-toes-and-fingers/) [Ida B. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ida-b-wells/) > [There ain't no such thing as black Muslims. That's how they tried to cut off all my brothers in the rest of the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-ali/there-ain-t-no-such-thing-as-black-muslims-that-s-how-they-tried-to/) [Muhammad Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-ali/) > [ We have no clear ideas of the agency of \[demonic\] spirits, nor is it necessary. The Scripture says little to satisfy our curiosity; but… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-newton/we-have-no-clear-ideas-of-the-agency-of-demonic-spirits-nor-is-it/) [John Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-newton/) > [The child who ran weeping to you with a cut finger is now brought home, smiling gamely, with a broken collarbone and incredible contusions-…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pam-brown/the-child-who-ran-weeping-to-you-with-a-cut-finger-is-now-brought/) [Pam Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pam-brown/) > [Somewhere somebody must have some sense. Men must see that force begets force, hate begets hate, toughness begets toughness. And it is all a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/somewhere-somebody-must-have-some-sense-men-must-see-that-force/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [“I hate the way you talk to me And the way you cut your hair I hate the way you drive my car I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/i-hate-the-way-you-talk-to-me-and-the-way-you-cut-your-hair-i-hate/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [God holds each of us by a string. When we sin, we cut the string. But God ties it up again, making a knot.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meister-eckhart/god-holds-each-of-us-by-a-string-when-we-sin-we-cut-the-string-but/) [Meister Eckhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meister-eckhart/) > [What's the difference between obsolete and cutting edge? Obsolete works.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-negroponte/what-s-the-difference-between-obsolete-and-cutting-edge-obsolete-works/) [Nicholas Negroponte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-negroponte/) > [Geometry, which should only obey Physics, when united with it sometimes commands it. If it happens that the question which we wish to examine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-le-rond-d-alembert/geometry-which-should-only-obey-physics-when-united-with-it-sometimes/) [Jean le Rond d'Alembert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-le-rond-d-alembert/) Browse all 6,010 Cutting quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The old shepherd had died, or got drunk, or got rats, or got the sack, or a legacy, or got sane, or chucked it, or got lost, or found, or a wife, or had cut his throat, or hanged himself, or got into Parliament or the peerage anyway, anything had happened to him that can happen to an old shepherd or any other man in the bush, and he wasn't there.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Henry Lawson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-lawson/the-old-shepherd-had-died-or-got-drunk-or-got-rats-or-got-the-sack-or/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cutting" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-lawson/the-old-shepherd-had-died-or-got-drunk-or-got-rats-or-got-the-sack-or/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/76b/henry-lawson-27245_cutting_the-old-shepherd-had-died-or-got-drunk-o_1405840.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/76b/henry-lawson-27245_cutting_the-old-shepherd-had-died-or-got-drunk-o_1405840.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/76b/henry-lawson-27245_cutting_the-old-shepherd-had-died-or-got-drunk-o_1405840.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The old shepherd had died, or got drunk, or got rats, or got the sack, or a legacy, or got sane, or chucked…” — Henry Lawson", "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": "Henry Lawson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-lawson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The old shepherd had died, or...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-lawson/the-old-shepherd-had-died-or-got-drunk-or-got-rats-or-got-the-sack-or/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-lawson/the-old-shepherd-had-died-or-got-drunk-or-got-rats-or-got-the-sack-or/#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 } } ] } ```