--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You must not think, sir, to catch old…" description: "\"You must not think, sir, to catch old birds with chaff.\" — Miguel de Cervantes" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38c/miguel-de-cervantes-715_advice_you-must-not-think-sir-to-catch-old-bird_1478262.png" --- # You must not think, sir, to catch old birds with chaff. ![“You must not think, sir, to catch old birds with chaff.” quote by Miguel de Cervantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38c/miguel-de-cervantes-715_advice_you-must-not-think-sir-to-catch-old-bird_1478262.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38c/miguel-de-cervantes-715_advice_you-must-not-think-sir-to-catch-old-bird_1478262.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38c/miguel-de-cervantes-715_advice_you-must-not-think-sir-to-catch-old-bird_1478262.png) > “You must not think, sir, to catch old birds with chaff.” [Miguel de Cervantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-cervantes/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Do not use cheap tricks (chaff) to catch old birds; avoid deceitful methods. **In simple terms:** Avoid deceitful tactics to achieve goals. Key Takeaway Seek honest, effective strategies. Themes ethics strategy integrity Mood cautious thoughtful Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - business - politics - personal goals Key Concepts deception resourcefulness problem solving Questions to Reflect On - When have you faced temptation to use a shortcut? - How can integrity be maintained under pressure? A Different Perspective Shortcuts may yield temporary gain but damage trust. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Advice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/advice/) [Bird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bird/) [Birds Chaff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/birds-chaff-5381664/) [Catch Old](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/catch-old-4919665/) [Chaff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chaff-311076/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Old Birds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-birds-4323739/) [Sir Catch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sir-catch-5381665/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [“Our hands meet for an instant and she withdraws quickly, frightened she might catch something. Old age perhaps.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-morton/our-hands-meet-for-an-instant-and-she-withdraws-quickly-frightened/) [Kate Morton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-morton/) > [“Not many noticed the passing of the friendly old birds. There was so much else to look forward to.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/not-many-noticed-the-passing-of-the-friendly-old-birds-there-was-so/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [“Old birds like Orlovius are wonderfully easy to lead by the beak, because a combination of decency and sentimentality is exactly equal to being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/old-birds-like-orlovius-are-wonderfully-easy-to-lead-by-the-beak/) [Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-nabokov/) > [In God's mill even chaff becomes flour.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-bashevis-singer/in-god-s-mill-even-chaff-becomes-flour/) [Isaac Bashevis Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-bashevis-singer/) > [“I recommend you don't attend the wheat and chaff bonfire.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-j-mcguire/i-recommend-you-don-t-attend-the-wheat-and-chaff-bonfire/) [M.J. McGuire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-j-mcguire/) > [“With relentless selectivity, the Communist machine has winnowed out the grain and retained only the chaff of Western culture.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-crossman/with-relentless-selectivity-the-communist-machine-has-winnowed-out/) [Richard Crossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-crossman/) > [We must never throw away a bushel of truth because it happens to contain a few grains of chaff.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-must-never-throw-away-a-bushel-of-truth-because-it-happens-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [All those who are not racially pure are mere chaff.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/all-those-who-are-not-racially-pure-are-mere-chaff/) [Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/) > [“What is this chaff we chew in our sleep if it is not the remembrance of fang-whorl and star cluster.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/what-is-this-chaff-we-chew-in-our-sleep-if-it-is-not-the-remembrance/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [Can you imagine any better example of divine creative accomplishment that the consummate flying machine that is a bird? The skeleton, very flexible and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-murchie/can-you-imagine-any-better-example-of-divine-creative-accomplishment/) [Guy Murchie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-murchie/) > [I would rather learn from one bird how to sing than to teach 10,000 stars how not to dance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-e-cummings/i-would-rather-learn-from-one-bird-how-to-sing-than-to-teach-10-000/) [e. e. cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-e-cummings/) > [“He unfixes the metal notch and slips his hand around the body of the bird. Feels its heat, its small heart beating. He stares…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-schuyler/he-unfixes-the-metal-notch-and-slips-his-hand-around-the-body-of-the/) [Nina Schuyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-schuyler/) > [Set the bird's wings with gold and it will never again soar in thesky.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/set-the-bird-s-wings-with-gold-and-it-will-never-again-soar-in-thesky/) [Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/) > [Some minds corrode and grow inactive under the loss of personal liberty; others grow morbid and irritable; but it is the nature of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/some-minds-corrode-and-grow-inactive-under-the-loss-of-personal/) [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) > [And I have been very blessed, having coached some of the greatest that have ever played the game. But if I had to start…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/red-auerbach/and-i-have-been-very-blessed-having-coached-some-of-the-greatest-that/) [Red Auerbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/red-auerbach/) ## More by Miguel de Cervantes > [Beware, gentle knight - the greatest monster of them all is reason.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-cervantes/beware-gentle-knight-the-greatest-monster-of-them-all-is-reason/) [Miguel de Cervantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-cervantes/) > [He had a face like a blessing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-cervantes/he-had-a-face-like-a-blessing/) [Miguel de Cervantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-cervantes/) > [It is one thing to praise discipline, and another to submit to it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-cervantes/it-is-one-thing-to-praise-discipline-and-another-to-submit-to-it/) [Miguel de Cervantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-cervantes/) > [Those who'll play with cats must expect to be scratched.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-cervantes/those-who-ll-play-with-cats-must-expect-to-be-scratched/) [Miguel de Cervantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-cervantes/) > [“So it appears to me, for when he could and should have wielded his pen to praise the virtues of so good a knight,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-cervantes/so-it-appears-to-me-for-when-he-could-and-should-have-wielded-his-pen/) [Miguel de Cervantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-cervantes/) > [“Too much sanity may be madness — and maddest of all: to see life as it is, and not as it should be!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-cervantes/too-much-sanity-may-be-madness-and-maddest-of-all-to-see-life-as-it/) [Miguel de Cervantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-cervantes/) > [Old, that's an affront no woman can well bear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-cervantes/old-that-s-an-affront-no-woman-can-well-bear/) [Miguel de Cervantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-cervantes/) > [One should not talk of hatters in the house of the hanged.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-cervantes/one-should-not-talk-of-hatters-in-the-house-of-the-hanged/) [Miguel de Cervantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-cervantes/) > [It is courage that vanquishes in war, and not good weapons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-cervantes/it-is-courage-that-vanquishes-in-war-and-not-good-weapons/) [Miguel de Cervantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-cervantes/) > [Alas! all music jars when the soul's out of tune.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-cervantes/alas-all-music-jars-when-the-soul-s-out-of-tune/) [Miguel de Cervantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-cervantes/) > [I follow a more easy, and, in my opinion, a wiser course, namely--to inveigh against the levity of the female sex, their fickleness, their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-cervantes/i-follow-a-more-easy-and-in-my-opinion-a-wiser-course-namely-to/) [Miguel de Cervantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-cervantes/) > [Every man is as heaven made him, and sometimes a great deal worse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-cervantes/every-man-is-as-heaven-made-him-and-sometimes-a-great-deal-worse/) [Miguel de Cervantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-cervantes/) > [Great people create great acts of kindness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-cervantes/great-people-create-great-acts-of-kindness/) [Miguel de Cervantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-cervantes/) > [One day, in the San Francisco walk, he came upon some badly painted figures and observed that good painters imitate nature but bad ones…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-cervantes/one-day-in-the-san-francisco-walk-he-came-upon-some-badly-painted/) [Miguel de Cervantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-cervantes/) > [Drink moderately, for drunkeness neither keeps a secret, nor observes a promise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-cervantes/drink-moderately-for-drunkeness-neither-keeps-a-secret-nor-observes-a/) [Miguel de Cervantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-cervantes/) [Explore all 386 Miguel de Cervantes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-cervantes/) ## More Advice quotes > [The sensible person is always serious about sensible advice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/the-sensible-person-is-always-serious-about-sensible-advice/) [Mak\_786](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mak-786/) > [I ask for tips, for advice. What I have also learnt is that I need to do things that are good for me. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthijs-de-ligt/i-ask-for-tips-for-advice-what-i-have-also-learnt-is-that-i-need-to/) [Matthijs de Ligt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthijs-de-ligt/) > [Don't get too attached to someone you know you can't be together with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/don-t-get-too-attached-to-someone-you-know-you-can-t-be-together-with/) [Anurag Prakash Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-prakash-ray/) > [A low-minded person should not be given good advice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chanakya/a-low-minded-person-should-not-be-given-good-advice/) [Chanakya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chanakya/) > [The worst advice? 'Don't listen to the critics.' I think that you really ought to listen to the critics, because sometimes they're telling you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-worst-advice-don-t-listen-to-the-critics-i-think-that-you-really/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [When I was in my twenties and just so sexually prolific, the first time I went to Machu Picchu, this guy, a spiritual teacher,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-harrelson/when-i-was-in-my-twenties-and-just-so-sexually-prolific-the-first/) [Woody Harrelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-harrelson/) > [The best way to succeed in this world is to act on the advice you give to others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/the-best-way-to-succeed-in-this-world-is-to-act-on-the-advice-you/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [Time is priceless. You have it, but you don't own it. You spend it, but you can't keep it. And once it's gone, there's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/time-is-priceless-you-have-it-but-you-don-t-own-it-you-spend-it-but/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You don't need to take a persons advice to make him feel good, just ask him for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-j-peter/you-don-t-need-to-take-a-persons-advice-to-make-him-feel-good-just/) [Laurence J. Peter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-j-peter/) > [Some of the things that we hold onto the most, are the things that we need to let go of.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryaj-ablando-catayas/some-of-the-things-that-we-hold-onto-the-most-are-the-things-that-we/) [Ryaj Ablando Catayas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryaj-ablando-catayas/) > [“If your clothes are enough to drive would-be friends away, they're not the kind of friends you want." Typical mother advice. Sweet, honest, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aprilynne-pike/if-your-clothes-are-enough-to-drive-would-be-friends-away-they-re-not/) [Aprilynne Pike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aprilynne-pike/) > [“My kingdom not for a horse, but for a good piece of advice!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/my-kingdom-not-for-a-horse-but-for-a-good-piece-of-advice/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [I always advise people not to act upon the advice that I give them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/i-always-advise-people-not-to-act-upon-the-advice-that-i-give-them/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [ \[A\]s you partake of the world's bill of fare, that's darned good advice to follow. 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He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kingsley-coman/my-relationship-with-ibrahimovic-was-completely-neutral-he-is-not-the/) [Kingsley Coman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kingsley-coman/) [Browse all 8,535 Advice quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/advice/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "You must not think, sir, to catch old birds with chaff.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Miguel de Cervantes" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-cervantes/you-must-not-think-sir-to-catch-old-birds-with-chaff/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Advice" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-cervantes/you-must-not-think-sir-to-catch-old-birds-with-chaff/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38c/miguel-de-cervantes-715_advice_you-must-not-think-sir-to-catch-old-bird_1478262.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38c/miguel-de-cervantes-715_advice_you-must-not-think-sir-to-catch-old-bird_1478262.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38c/miguel-de-cervantes-715_advice_you-must-not-think-sir-to-catch-old-bird_1478262.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“You must not think, sir, to catch old birds with chaff.” — Miguel de Cervantes", "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": "Miguel de Cervantes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-cervantes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "You must not think, sir, to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-cervantes/you-must-not-think-sir-to-catch-old-birds-with-chaff/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-cervantes/you-must-not-think-sir-to-catch-old-birds-with-chaff/#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 } } ] } ```