--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He who takes a tiger by the tail dare not…" description: "\"“He who takes a tiger by the tail dare not let go.” A”\" — Stephen King" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/20c/stephen-king-13_lion_he-who-takes-a-tiger-by-the-tail-dare-no_2467670.jpg" --- # He who takes a tiger by the tail dare not let go.” A ![“He who takes a tiger by the tail dare not let go.” A” quote by Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/20c/stephen-king-13_lion_he-who-takes-a-tiger-by-the-tail-dare-no_2467670.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/20c/stephen-king-13_lion_he-who-takes-a-tiger-by-the-tail-dare-no_2467670.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/20c/stephen-king-13_lion_he-who-takes-a-tiger-by-the-tail-dare-no_2467670.jpg) > ““He who takes a tiger by the tail dare not let go.” A”” [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Grasping a dangerous power requires resolve; once you hold it, you cannot easily release it. **In simple terms:** Powerful choices are hard to quit. Key Takeaway Commit fully before taking risky actions. Themes risk power commitment danger Mood cautionary dramatic Type literary inspirational When to use this quote - business ventures - political movements - personal habits Key Concepts decision theory mythology Questions to Reflect On - Are you prepared for the consequences of holding on? - When is letting go the wiser choice? A Different Perspective The metaphor may encourage reckless persistence. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dare Let](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dare-let-725534/) [Lion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lion/) [Tail](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tail/) [Takes Tiger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/takes-tiger-725532/) [Tiger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tiger/) [Tiger Tail](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tiger-tail-725533/) ## Related quotes > [The Bengal tiger always has his tail up, ready to devour the opposition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/navjot-singh-sidhu/the-bengal-tiger-always-has-his-tail-up-ready-to-devour-the-opposition/) [Navjot Singh Sidhu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/navjot-singh-sidhu/) > [“If you catch a tiger by its tail all you have caught is a tail. And nothing else.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angel-propps/if-you-catch-a-tiger-by-its-tail-all-you-have-caught-is-a-tail-and/) [Angel Propps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angel-propps/) > [Don't pull the tail of a tiger!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/don-t-pull-the-tail-of-a-tiger/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Speak of a wolf and you see his tail!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/speak-of-a-wolf-and-you-see-his-tail/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I would rather be the head of a fly than the tail of a lion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/i-would-rather-be-the-head-of-a-fly-than-the-tail-of-a-lion/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [Dare to let your dreams reach beyond you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/dare-to-let-your-dreams-reach-beyond-you/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [I thought about how there are two types of secrets: the kind you want to keep in, and the kind you don't dare to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ally-carter/i-thought-about-how-there-are-two-types-of-secrets-the-kind-you-want/) [Ally Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ally-carter/) > [I didn't dare let my mind wander off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-bush/i-didn-t-dare-let-my-mind-wander-off/) [Kate Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-bush/) > [I dare you to let me be your your one and only. I promise I'm worth it To hold in your arms. So come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adele/i-dare-you-to-let-me-be-your-your-one-and-only-i-promise-i-m-worth-it/) [Adele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adele/) > [I dare you to let me be your one & only.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adele/i-dare-you-to-let-me-be-your-one-only/) [Adele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adele/) > [“Don't you dare let the magnitude of your fears send you back to dry land.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-furtick/don-t-you-dare-let-the-magnitude-of-your-fears-send-you-back-to-dry/) [Steven Furtick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-furtick/) > [See that any time you feel pained or defeated, it is only because you insist on clinging to what doesn't work. Dare to let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-finley/see-that-any-time-you-feel-pained-or-defeated-it-is-only-because-you/) [Guy Finley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-finley/) > [The river delights to lift us free, if only we dare let go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/the-river-delights-to-lift-us-free-if-only-we-dare-let-go/) [Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/) > [Fear is only a verb if you let it be. Don't you dare let go of my hand!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-gibson/fear-is-only-a-verb-if-you-let-it-be-don-t-you-dare-let-go-of-my-hand/) [Andrea Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-gibson/) > [I DARE you! Let me be you one & only. I could make you happier than anyone else if only you'd give me a chance...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-dare-you-let-me-be-you-one-only-i-could-make-you-happier-than/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Stephen King > [Shall there be truth between us, as two men? Not as friends, but as enemies and equals?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/shall-there-be-truth-between-us-as-two-men-not-as-friends-but-as/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [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/) > [“October 3, 2017 The clown, Hagarty said, looked like a cross between Ronald McDonald and that old TV clown, Bozo—or so he thought at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/october-3-2017-the-clown-hagarty-said-looked-like-a-cross-between/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“Eddie saw great things and near misses. Albert Einstein as a child, not quite struck by a run-away milk-wagon as he crossed a street.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/eddie-saw-great-things-and-near-misses-albert-einstein-as-a-child-not/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [It hurt, of course, but more often than not the best things do, I've found.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/it-hurt-of-course-but-more-often-than-not-the-best-things-do-i-ve/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“The idea that creative endeavor and mind-altering substances are entwined is one of the great pop-intellectual myths of our time... Creative people probably do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-idea-that-creative-endeavor-and-mind-altering-substances-are/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“The sun had burned through and the day had gone from dull to dazzling, yet in the west blask-satin thunderheads continued to stack up.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-sun-had-burned-through-and-the-day-had-gone-from-dull-to-dazzling/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“God, you had enough time to have been through it three times. You've been through my stuff. I bet you over and let one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/god-you-had-enough-time-to-have-been-through-it-three-times-you-ve/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“Flakes of snow swirled and danced across the porch. The Overlook faced it as it had for nearly three-quarters of a century, its darkened…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/flakes-of-snow-swirled-and-danced-across-the-porch-the-overlook-faced/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“In that instant it all seemed to come clear to him- it came in a grisly flash of light, and he realized that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/in-that-instant-it-all-seemed-to-come-clear-to-him-it-came-in-a/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [Who gets to be best-liked in any community? Who is the most trusted? Why, the man who does the dirty job, of course, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/who-gets-to-be-best-liked-in-any-community-who-is-the-most-trusted/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“¿Lo ves, tonto? Volvió a regañarse. Tú lo inventaste todo, gato asustado. No fue más que tu imaginación, gato asustado, gato asustado... No te…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/lo-ves-tonto-volvi-a-rega-arse-t-lo-inventaste-todo-gato-asustado-no/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“Death . . . but not for you. That was what Walter, clever as Satan even at the end, had said. A lawyer’s answer . . . so close to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/death-but-not-for-you-that-was-what-walter-clever-as-satan-even-at/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [The ghost story movie that scared me the most was The Changeling with George C. Scott. I think that's sometimes overlooked, but it's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-ghost-story-movie-that-scared-me-the-most-was-the-changeling-with/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“Climb aboard, Jonesy. I'm going to send you up where the air is rare and the view is much more than fair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/climb-aboard-jonesy-i-m-going-to-send-you-up-where-the-air-is-rare/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) [Explore all 3,589 Stephen King quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) ## More Lion quotes > [She'd read once that if you ran into a bear in the woods you should avoid eye contact and you shouldn't run away, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-ursu/she-d-read-once-that-if-you-ran-into-a-bear-in-the-woods-you-should/) [Anne Ursu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-ursu/) > [“When a wolf is hungry it befriends sheep.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matshona-dhliwayo/when-a-wolf-is-hungry-it-befriends-sheep/) [Matshona Dhliwayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matshona-dhliwayo/) > [“Flattery looks like friendship, just like a wolf looks like a dog.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-auliq-ice/flattery-looks-like-friendship-just-like-a-wolf-looks-like-a-dog/) [Oscar Auliq-Ice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-auliq-ice/) > [“(Quoting her friend Tom Black on an amateur hunter's injury:) "Lion, rifles -- and stupidity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beryl-markham/quoting-her-friend-tom-black-on-an-amateur-hunter-s-injury-lion/) [Beryl Markham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beryl-markham/) > [My first name was inspired by the character of Aslan, the lion in C.S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aselin-debison/my-first-name-was-inspired-by-the-character-of-aslan-the-lion-in-c-s/) [Aselin Debison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aselin-debison/) > [I'm in 'Madagascar 2.' I'm Testy the Lion. The franchise moves to Africa, and Bernie Mac is also in the film. I loved working…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lister-jr/i-m-in-madagascar-2-i-m-testy-the-lion-the-franchise-moves-to-africa/) [Tom Lister, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lister-jr/) > [Throw me to the wolfs and I will return leading the pack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/any/throw-me-to-the-wolfs-and-i-will-return-leading-the-pack/) [Any](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/any/) > [“Just like a kitten pretending to be a lion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiki-hamilton/just-like-a-kitten-pretending-to-be-a-lion/) [Kiki Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiki-hamilton/) > [Don't ask who's influenced me. A lion is made up of the lambs he's digested, and I've been reading all my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-de-gaulle/don-t-ask-who-s-influenced-me-a-lion-is-made-up-of-the-lambs-he-s/) [Charles de Gaulle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-de-gaulle/) > [The peasants of the Asturias believe that in every litter of wolves there is one pup that is killed by the mother for fear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/the-peasants-of-the-asturias-believe-that-in-every-litter-of-wolves/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [When a captive lion steps out of his cage, he comes into a wider world than the lion who has known only the wilds.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yukio-mishima/when-a-captive-lion-steps-out-of-his-cage-he-comes-into-a-wider-world/) [Yukio Mishima](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yukio-mishima/) > [“How much does an elephant weigh? ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhonda-patton/how-much-does-an-elephant-weigh/) [Rhonda Patton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhonda-patton/) > [After The Wizard Of Oz I was typecast as a lion, and there aren't all that many parts for lions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bert-lahr/after-the-wizard-of-oz-i-was-typecast-as-a-lion-and-there-aren-t-all/) [Bert Lahr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bert-lahr/) > [Until the lion learns to speak, the tales of hunting will be weak.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-naan/until-the-lion-learns-to-speak-the-tales-of-hunting-will-be-weak/) [K'naan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-naan/) > [“An injured lion wants to know if he can still roar. It's about dignity and self-esteem, which isn't quite the same as vanity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-zaslow/an-injured-lion-wants-to-know-if-he-can-still-roar-it-s-about-dignity/) [Jeffrey Zaslow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-zaslow/) [Browse all 1,875 Lion quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lion/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“He who takes a tiger by the tail dare not let go.” A”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Stephen King" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/he-who-takes-a-tiger-by-the-tail-dare-not-let-go-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Lion" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/he-who-takes-a-tiger-by-the-tail-dare-not-let-go-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/20c/stephen-king-13_lion_he-who-takes-a-tiger-by-the-tail-dare-no_2467670.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/20c/stephen-king-13_lion_he-who-takes-a-tiger-by-the-tail-dare-no_2467670.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/20c/stephen-king-13_lion_he-who-takes-a-tiger-by-the-tail-dare-no_2467670.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“He who takes a tiger by the tail dare not let go.” A” — Stephen King", "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": "Stephen King", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“He who takes a tiger by...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/he-who-takes-a-tiger-by-the-tail-dare-not-let-go-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/he-who-takes-a-tiger-by-the-tail-dare-not-let-go-a/#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 } } ] } ```