"As a good horse is not very apt to jump over a bank, if left to guide himself, I let mine pick his own way"
About this Quote
The intent is practical, but the subtext is reputational. Cody is quietly reassuring you that the West isn’t conquered by cinematic guts; it’s navigated by attention, patience, and respect for what you can’t fully see. “I let mine pick his own way” is also a philosophy of leadership in miniature: trust the competent partner, don’t micromanage, don’t force the dramatic route just to look decisive.
Context matters because Buffalo Bill’s celebrity was built in the age of the Wild West show, when audiences paid for stylized peril and moral certainty. This sentence reads like backstage talk, the moment the performer admits the trick is knowing when not to perform. It’s a frontier antidote to the myth of total control: the most reliable guide isn’t the man with the story, but the horse with the nerves.
Quote Details
| Topic | Horse |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Bill, Buffalo. (2026, January 18). As a good horse is not very apt to jump over a bank, if left to guide himself, I let mine pick his own way. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/as-a-good-horse-is-not-very-apt-to-jump-over-a-2630/
Chicago Style
Bill, Buffalo. "As a good horse is not very apt to jump over a bank, if left to guide himself, I let mine pick his own way." FixQuotes. January 18, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/as-a-good-horse-is-not-very-apt-to-jump-over-a-2630/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"As a good horse is not very apt to jump over a bank, if left to guide himself, I let mine pick his own way." FixQuotes, 18 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/as-a-good-horse-is-not-very-apt-to-jump-over-a-2630/. Accessed 9 Feb. 2026.







