--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For that matter, Odysseus himself might…" description: "\"“For that matter, Odysseus himself might have borrowed a trick or two from the rabbit hero, for he is very old and was never at a loss for a trick to d..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b18/richard-adams-4326_odysseus_for-that-matter-odysseus-himself-might-h_2283434.jpg" --- # For that matter, Odysseus himself might have borrowed a… ![“For that matter, Odysseus himself might have borrowed a trick or two from the rabbit hero, for he is very old and was never at a loss for a trick to deceive his enemies.” quote by Richard Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b18/richard-adams-4326_odysseus_for-that-matter-odysseus-himself-might-h_2283434.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b18/richard-adams-4326_odysseus_for-that-matter-odysseus-himself-might-h_2283434.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b18/richard-adams-4326_odysseus_for-that-matter-odysseus-himself-might-h_2283434.jpg) > ““For that matter, Odysseus himself might have borrowed a trick or two from the rabbit hero, for he is very old and was never at a loss for a trick to deceive his enemies.”” [Richard Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-adams/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Odysseus may have learned cunning from the rabbit hero, highlighting the value of wit across cultures. **In simple terms:** Cunning can be shared across stories and heroes. Key Takeaway Learn from diverse sources of wisdom. Themes mythology literature strategy cross‑cultural Mood reflective inquisitive Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - storytelling - leadership - problem solving - creative thinking Key Concepts heroic archetype adaptation Questions to Reflect On - What modern lessons can we draw from ancient tricks? - How does cultural exchange affect meaning? A Different Perspective Cultural borrowing can dilute original contexts. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Hero Old](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hero-old-4131234/) [Matter Odysseus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/matter-odysseus-5338692/) [Odysseus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/odysseus/) [Odysseus Borrowed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/odysseus-borrowed-5338691/) [Rabbit Hero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rabbit-hero-5338693/) ## Related quotes > [“Then, like a great hero of old, I crawled into my hole.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/then-like-a-great-hero-of-old-i-crawled-into-my-hole/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [“It was written all in O, or nearly so, and all the O's are gone," said Andrea. "When coat is cat, and boat is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-thurber/it-was-written-all-in-o-or-nearly-so-and-all-the-o-s-are-gone-said/) [James Thurber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-thurber/) > [“This was their way of honoring the dead. The story over, the demands of their own hard, rough lives began to re-assert themselves in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-adams/this-was-their-way-of-honoring-the-dead-the-story-over-the-demands-of/) [Richard Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-adams/) > [“Odysseus...sleeps sound beside Calypso and when he wakes thinks only of Penelope.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-adams/odysseus-sleeps-sound-beside-calypso-and-when-he-wakes-thinks-only-of/) [Richard Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-adams/) > [“Odysseus is the statesman of the Iliad, the man in the middle, keeping what balance he can among the parties. He shows himself at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eva-brann/odysseus-is-the-statesman-of-the-iliad-the-man-in-the-middle-keeping/) [Eva Brann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eva-brann/) > [As I look back, I feel a touch of pride at my younger self's dedication to literature, which gave him the strength of mind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/as-i-look-back-i-feel-a-touch-of-pride-at-my-younger-self-s/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [“What could you possibly write at Gates of Hades?” Cadmus asked. “Keep your spirits up.” Lycon sheathed the dagger he’d used to chisel the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sulari-gentill/what-could-you-possibly-write-at-gates-of-hades-cadmus-asked-keep/) [Sulari Gentill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sulari-gentill/) > [It's the quintessential Greek sport: harmonious, competitive, agonizing, nautical, and above all, intelligent. It combines Odysseus's brains and brawn and love of the sea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-s-strauss/it-s-the-quintessential-greek-sport-harmonious-competitive-agonizing/) [Barry S. Strauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-s-strauss/) > [But you, Achilles,/ There is not a man in the world more blest than you--/ There never has been, never will be one./ Time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-you-achilles-there-is-not-a-man-in-the-world-more-blest-than-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“But when Odysseus rose, that man of many devices, fixing his down-cast eyes on the ground he stood: nor his scepter swayed, either this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer/but-when-odysseus-rose-that-man-of-many-devices-fixing-his-down-cast/) [Homer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer/) > [Across the gulf of centuries, the blind smile of Homer is turned upon our age. Along the echoing corridors of time, the roar of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/across-the-gulf-of-centuries-the-blind-smile-of-homer-is-turned-upon/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [To find anything comparable with our forthcoming ventures into space, we must go back far beyond Columbus, far beyond Odysseus-far, indeed, beyond the first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/to-find-anything-comparable-with-our-forthcoming-ventures-into-space/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [“You are like Odysseus, who could go out onto the great sea, lose all his goods and his friends, come to the boundaries of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-bradshaw/you-are-like-odysseus-who-could-go-out-onto-the-great-sea-lose-all/) [Gillian Bradshaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-bradshaw/) > [Odysseus inclines his head. "True. But fame is a strange thing. Some men gain glory after they die, while others fade. What is admired…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeline-miller/odysseus-inclines-his-head-true-but-fame-is-a-strange-thing-some-men/) [Madeline Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeline-miller/) > ['The Odyssey' is a great poem to refugee-dom... Odysseus is not entirely a refugee... he's somebody who's blown off course. The entire book is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-osborne/the-odyssey-is-a-great-poem-to-refugee-dom-odysseus-is-not-entirely-a/) [Lawrence Osborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-osborne/) ## More by Richard Adams > [Men will never rest till they've spoiled the earth and destroyed the animals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-adams/men-will-never-rest-till-they-ve-spoiled-the-earth-and-destroyed-the/) [Richard Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-adams/) > [“Like children in a dark room, like wayfarers passing a graveyard at night, the four men in the canoe filled the surrounding darkness with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-adams/like-children-in-a-dark-room-like-wayfarers-passing-a-graveyard-at/) [Richard Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-adams/) > [“Rabbit underground, rabbit safe and sound.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-adams/rabbit-underground-rabbit-safe-and-sound/) [Richard Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-adams/) > [“There's terrible evil in the world." It comes from men," said Holly. "All other elil do what they have to do and Frith moves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-adams/there-s-terrible-evil-in-the-world-it-comes-from-men-said-holly-all/) [Richard Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-adams/) > [“But I have learned that with creatures one loves, suffering is not the only thing for which one may pity them. A rabbit who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-adams/but-i-have-learned-that-with-creatures-one-loves-suffering-is-not-the/) [Richard Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-adams/) > [People who record birdsong generally do it very early-before six o'clock-if they can. Soon after that, the invasion of distant noise in most woodland…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-adams/people-who-record-birdsong-generally-do-it-very-early-before-six-o/) [Richard Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-adams/) > [“Then El-ahrairah knew that Frith was too clever for him and he was frightened. He thought that the fox and the weasel were coming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-adams/then-el-ahrairah-knew-that-frith-was-too-clever-for-him-and-he-was/) [Richard Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-adams/) > [“Most of them had not understood Blackberry's discovery of the raft and at once forgot it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-adams/most-of-them-had-not-understood-blackberry-s-discovery-of-the-raft/) [Richard Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-adams/) > [“My lord,' replied El-ahrairah, 'I have come to give you my life. My life for my people.' The Black Rabbit drew his claws along…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-adams/my-lord-replied-el-ahrairah-i-have-come-to-give-you-my-life-my-life/) [Richard Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-adams/) > [“Hazel, like nearly all wild animals, was unaccustomed to look up at the sky. What he thought of as the sky was the horizon,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-adams/hazel-like-nearly-all-wild-animals-was-unaccustomed-to-look-up-at-the/) [Richard Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-adams/) > [Be cunning and full of tricks and your people shall never be destroyed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-adams/be-cunning-and-full-of-tricks-and-your-people-shall-never-be-destroyed/) [Richard Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-adams/) > [Who knows why men do anything?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-adams/who-knows-why-men-do-anything/) [Richard Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-adams/) > [“A wild animal that feels that it no longer has any reason to live reaches in the end a point when its remaining energies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-adams/a-wild-animal-that-feels-that-it-no-longer-has-any-reason-to-live/) [Richard Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-adams/) > [“Think yourself lucky,” said Bigwig, bleeding and cursing, “that I don’t kill you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-adams/think-yourself-lucky-said-bigwig-bleeding-and-cursing-that-i-don-t/) [Richard Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-adams/) > [“Black Rabbit: Hazel... Hazel... you know me, don't you? Hazel: I don't know. \[the apparition reveals himself to be the Black Rabbit, and Hazel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-adams/black-rabbit-hazel-hazel-you-know-me-don-t-you-hazel-i-don-t-know-the/) [Richard Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-adams/) [Explore all 109 Richard Adams quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-adams/) ## More Odysseus quotes > ['The Odyssey' is a great poem to refugee-dom... Odysseus is not entirely a refugee... he's somebody who's blown off course. The entire book is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-osborne/the-odyssey-is-a-great-poem-to-refugee-dom-odysseus-is-not-entirely-a/) [Lawrence Osborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-osborne/) > [Odysseus inclines his head. "True. But fame is a strange thing. Some men gain glory after they die, while others fade. What is admired…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeline-miller/odysseus-inclines-his-head-true-but-fame-is-a-strange-thing-some-men/) [Madeline Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeline-miller/) > [“You are like Odysseus, who could go out onto the great sea, lose all his goods and his friends, come to the boundaries of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-bradshaw/you-are-like-odysseus-who-could-go-out-onto-the-great-sea-lose-all/) [Gillian Bradshaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-bradshaw/) > [To find anything comparable with our forthcoming ventures into space, we must go back far beyond Columbus, far beyond Odysseus-far, indeed, beyond the first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/to-find-anything-comparable-with-our-forthcoming-ventures-into-space/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [Across the gulf of centuries, the blind smile of Homer is turned upon our age. Along the echoing corridors of time, the roar of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/across-the-gulf-of-centuries-the-blind-smile-of-homer-is-turned-upon/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [“But when Odysseus rose, that man of many devices, fixing his down-cast eyes on the ground he stood: nor his scepter swayed, either this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer/but-when-odysseus-rose-that-man-of-many-devices-fixing-his-down-cast/) [Homer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer/) > [But you, Achilles,/ There is not a man in the world more blest than you--/ There never has been, never will be one./ Time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-you-achilles-there-is-not-a-man-in-the-world-more-blest-than-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It's the quintessential Greek sport: harmonious, competitive, agonizing, nautical, and above all, intelligent. It combines Odysseus's brains and brawn and love of the sea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-s-strauss/it-s-the-quintessential-greek-sport-harmonious-competitive-agonizing/) [Barry S. Strauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-s-strauss/) > [“What could you possibly write at Gates of Hades?” Cadmus asked. “Keep your spirits up.” Lycon sheathed the dagger he’d used to chisel the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sulari-gentill/what-could-you-possibly-write-at-gates-of-hades-cadmus-asked-keep/) [Sulari Gentill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sulari-gentill/) > [As I look back, I feel a touch of pride at my younger self's dedication to literature, which gave him the strength of mind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/as-i-look-back-i-feel-a-touch-of-pride-at-my-younger-self-s/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [“Odysseus is the statesman of the Iliad, the man in the middle, keeping what balance he can among the parties. He shows himself at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eva-brann/odysseus-is-the-statesman-of-the-iliad-the-man-in-the-middle-keeping/) [Eva Brann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eva-brann/) > [“What is admired in one generation is abhorred in another. We cannot say who will survive the holocaust of memory… We are men only,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeline-miller/what-is-admired-in-one-generation-is-abhorred-in-another-we-cannot/) [Madeline Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeline-miller/) > [SIREN, n. One of several musical prodigies famous for a vain attempt to dissuade Odysseus from a life on the ocean wave. Figuratively, any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/siren-n-one-of-several-musical-prodigies-famous-for-a-vain-attempt-to/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [“Odysseus...sleeps sound beside Calypso and when he wakes thinks only of Penelope.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-adams/odysseus-sleeps-sound-beside-calypso-and-when-he-wakes-thinks-only-of/) [Richard Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-adams/) > [“ODYSSEUS             I cannot recommend a rigid spirit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/odysseus-i-cannot-recommend-a-rigid-spirit/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) [Browse all 54 Odysseus quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/odysseus/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“For that matter, Odysseus himself might have borrowed a trick or two from the rabbit hero, for he is very old and was never at a loss for a trick to deceive his enemies.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Richard Adams" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-adams/for-that-matter-odysseus-himself-might-have-borrowed-a-trick-or-two/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Odysseus" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-adams/for-that-matter-odysseus-himself-might-have-borrowed-a-trick-or-two/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b18/richard-adams-4326_odysseus_for-that-matter-odysseus-himself-might-h_2283434.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b18/richard-adams-4326_odysseus_for-that-matter-odysseus-himself-might-h_2283434.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b18/richard-adams-4326_odysseus_for-that-matter-odysseus-himself-might-h_2283434.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“For that matter, Odysseus himself might have borrowed a trick or two from the rabbit hero, for he is very…” — Richard Adams", "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": "Richard Adams", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-adams/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“For that matter, Odysseus himself might...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-adams/for-that-matter-odysseus-himself-might-have-borrowed-a-trick-or-two/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-adams/for-that-matter-odysseus-himself-might-have-borrowed-a-trick-or-two/#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 } } ] } ```