--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We will shake and we'll be quiet as mice…" description: "\"We will shake and we'll be quiet as mice while the cat is away.\" — Radiohead" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae1/radiohead-12236_cats_we-will-shake-and-we-ll-be-quiet-as-mice_2256029.jpg" --- # We will shake and we'll be quiet as mice while the cat is… ![“We will shake and we'll be quiet as mice while the cat is away.” quote by Radiohead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae1/radiohead-12236_cats_we-will-shake-and-we-ll-be-quiet-as-mice_2256029.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae1/radiohead-12236_cats_we-will-shake-and-we-ll-be-quiet-as-mice_2256029.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae1/radiohead-12236_cats_we-will-shake-and-we-ll-be-quiet-as-mice_2256029.jpg) > “We will shake and we'll be quiet as mice while the cat is away.” [Radiohead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/radiohead/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. We become silent and hidden when authority is absent. **In simple terms:** People hide when no one watches. Key Takeaway Stay visible and speak up. Themes power conformity silence Mood reflective critical Type musical lypective When to use this quote - workplace - political movements - family gatherings - online communities Key Concepts social dynamics psychology Questions to Reflect On - When do you choose to stay quiet? - How does absence of authority affect behavior? A Different Perspective Silence can also be a form of resistance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cats/) ## Related quotes > [“Do people ever wonder about why it has been said that the mice shall play when the cat is away?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amarjyoti-acharya/do-people-ever-wonder-about-why-it-has-been-said-that-the-mice-shall/) [Amarjyoti Acharya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amarjyoti-acharya/) > [After eating a hundred mice, the cat makes a hadj to Mecca.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shauna-singh-baldwin/after-eating-a-hundred-mice-the-cat-makes-a-hadj-to-mecca/) [Shauna Singh Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shauna-singh-baldwin/) > [When the cat's away, chances are he's been run over.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-sanders/when-the-cat-s-away-chances-are-he-s-been-run-over/) Mike Sanders > [“Don’t chirrup so loud, Donald,” Janet said. “When you come to cheer an ill person up you don’t cheer him up at the top…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-hodgson-burnett/don-t-chirrup-so-loud-donald-janet-said-when-you-come-to-cheer-an-ill/) [Frances Hodgson Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-hodgson-burnett/) > [While the cat's away, the mice will play.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-arthur-ray/while-the-cat-s-away-the-mice-will-play/) [James Arthur Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-arthur-ray/) > [“The expression 'quiet as mice' is a puzzling one, because mice can often be very noisy, so people who are being quite as mice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lemony-snicket/the-expression-quiet-as-mice-is-a-puzzling-one-because-mice-can-often/) [Lemony Snicket](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lemony-snicket/) > [Now listen, we need to be quiet as mice. 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