--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Every man can tell how many goats or…" description: "\"Every man can tell how many goats or sheep he possesses, but not how many friends.\" — Marcus Tullius Cicero" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/775/marcus-tullius-cicero-157_every-man_every-man-can-tell-how-many-goats-or-she_137692.jpg" --- # Every man can tell how many goats or sheep he possesses… ![“Every man can tell how many goats or sheep he possesses, but not how many friends.” quote by Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/775/marcus-tullius-cicero-157_every-man_every-man-can-tell-how-many-goats-or-she_137692.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/775/marcus-tullius-cicero-157_every-man_every-man-can-tell-how-many-goats-or-she_137692.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/775/marcus-tullius-cicero-157_every-man_every-man-can-tell-how-many-goats-or-she_137692.jpg) > “Every man can tell how many goats or sheep he possesses, but not how many friends.” [Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. We can count livestock precisely, but the number of true friends is unknowable and subjective. **In simple terms:** Friends are harder to count than animals. Key Takeaway Value quality over quantity in friendships. Themes friendship uncertainty valuation Mood thoughtful contemplative Type philosophical ethical When to use this quote - business networking - personal relationships - community building Key Concepts social bonds trust intimacy Questions to Reflect On - What defines a true friend for you? - How do you assess the depth of a relationship? A Different Perspective Friendship can be quantified through social media metrics. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Friends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friends/) ## Related quotes > [I feed horses and goats and sheep all day and, once in a while, come and talk about movies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-zahn/i-feed-horses-and-goats-and-sheep-all-day-and-once-in-a-while-come/) [Steve Zahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-zahn/) > [What are men better than sheep or goats That nourish a blind life within the brain, If knowing God, they lift not hands of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-lord-tennyson/what-are-men-better-than-sheep-or-goats-that-nourish-a-blind-life/) [Alfred Lord Tennyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-lord-tennyson/) > [You Liberals think that goats are just sheep from broken homes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-bradbury/you-liberals-think-that-goats-are-just-sheep-from-broken-homes/) [Malcolm Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-bradbury/) > [It is written that there shall be a separation, and the sheep shall be separated from the goats. 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