--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Pity those who seek for shepherds…" description: "\"Pity those who seek for shepherds, instead of longing for freedom!\" — Paulo Coelho" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f0d/paulo-coelho-10_freedom_pity-those-who-seek-for-shepherds-instea_3214519.jpg" --- # Pity those who seek for shepherds, instead of longing for… ![“Pity those who seek for shepherds, instead of longing for freedom!” quote by Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f0d/paulo-coelho-10_freedom_pity-those-who-seek-for-shepherds-instea_3214519.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f0d/paulo-coelho-10_freedom_pity-those-who-seek-for-shepherds-instea_3214519.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f0d/paulo-coelho-10_freedom_pity-those-who-seek-for-shepherds-instea_3214519.jpg) > “Pity those who seek for shepherds, instead of longing for freedom!” [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) ## 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 contrasts seeking external guidance with the desire for personal freedom, urging self‑reliance. **In simple terms:** Prefer freedom over depending on others for direction. Key Takeaway Prioritize personal liberty over reliance on others. Themes freedom self‑reliance guidance Mood reflective inspirational Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - career decisions - travel planning - creative projects - spiritual practice Key Concepts existentialism personal growth Questions to Reflect On - What does true freedom mean to you? - When is seeking guidance beneficial? A Different Perspective Freedom can lead to isolation without community support. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Independence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/independence/) [Longing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/longing/) [Pity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pity/) [Shepherds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shepherds/) ## Related quotes > [The state of your heart dictates whether you harbor a grudge or give grace, seek self-pity or seek Christ, drink human misery or taste…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-lucado/the-state-of-your-heart-dictates-whether-you-harbor-a-grudge-or-give/) [Max Lucado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-lucado/) > [Freedom is but the possibility of a various and indefinite activity; while government, or the exercise of dominion, is a single, yet real activity.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/freedom-is-but-the-possibility-of-a-various-and-indefinite-activity/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I believed that as long as I followed my training, nothing could go wrong. But some things are stronger than years of lessons. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-coulthurst/i-believed-that-as-long-as-i-followed-my-training-nothing-could-go/) [Audrey Coulthurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-coulthurst/) > [The nonconformist here may be "beat down" by life but still has a beauty in his or her longing for freedom and for an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/the-nonconformist-here-may-be-beat-down-by-life-but-still-has-a/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [The Occupy Wall Street project feels like a burning ember that might light the torch of justice and inflame our longing for freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-forbes/the-occupy-wall-street-project-feels-like-a-burning-ember-that-might/) [James A. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-forbes/) > [The old shepherd was right: The only solution was to forget a part of uncertainty and create a new history for oneself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/the-old-shepherd-was-right-the-only-solution-was-to-forget-a-part-of/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“It doesn't matter," he said to his sheep. "I know other girls in other places." But in his heart he knew that it did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/it-doesn-t-matter-he-said-to-his-sheep-i-know-other-girls-in-other/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Every second of the search is an encounter with God. When I have been truly searching for my treasure, every day has been luminous...I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/every-second-of-the-search-is-an-encounter-with-god-when-i-have-been/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [It was shepherds who were the first to recognize a king that the rest of the world refused to acknowledge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/it-was-shepherds-who-were-the-first-to-recognize-a-king-that-the-rest/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“In the long run, what people think about shepherds and bakers becomes more important for them than their own Personal Legends.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/in-the-long-run-what-people-think-about-shepherds-and-bakers-becomes-2/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [An angel, legend has it, took pity on a little shepherd girl who had nothing to give to the Infant Jesus in his manger.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-lacy/an-angel-legend-has-it-took-pity-on-a-little-shepherd-girl-who-had/) [Allen Lacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-lacy/) > [When I gaze into the stars, they look down upon me with pity from their serene and silent spaces, like eyes glistening with tears…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-carlyle/when-i-gaze-into-the-stars-they-look-down-upon-me-with-pity-from/) [Thomas Carlyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-carlyle/) > [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/) > [No shepherd and one herd! Everybody wants the same, everybody is the same: whoever feels different goes voluntarily into a madhouse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/no-shepherd-and-one-herd-everybody-wants-the-same-everybody-is-the/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [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 Paulo Coelho > [I have inside me the winds, the deserts, the oceans, the stars, and everything created in the universe. We were all made by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/i-have-inside-me-the-winds-the-deserts-the-oceans-the-stars-and/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Love will never separate a man from his personal legend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/love-will-never-separate-a-man-from-his-personal-legend/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [The world has a soul and whoever understands that soul can also understand the language of many things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/the-world-has-a-soul-and-whoever-understands-that-soul-can-also/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [You dont choose your life; it chooses you. 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And walk when it is time to walk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/eat-when-it-is-time-to-eat-and-walk-when-it-is-time-to-walk/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [People are reading more and writing more because of the internet. So the virtual world is a way for me to listen to my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/people-are-reading-more-and-writing-more-because-of-the-internet-so/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“Joy is like sex – it begins and ends. I want pleasure. I want to be contended, but happiness? I no longer fall into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/joy-is-like-sex-it-begins-and-ends-i-want-pleasure-i-want-to-be/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“Trudi se da zivis, sjecanja su za starije ljude.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/trudi-se-da-zivis-sjecanja-su-za-starije-ljude/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [I've always been a very restless person. I work hard, spend too much time looking after my son, I dance like a mad thing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/i-ve-always-been-a-very-restless-person-i-work-hard-spend-too-much/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [When someone leaves, it's because someone else is about to arrive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/when-someone-leaves-it-s-because-someone-else-is-about-to-arrive/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [The past and the future become unimportant. 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