"We learned to be patient observers like the owl. We learned cleverness from the crow, and courage from the jay, who will attack an owl ten times its size to drive it off its territory. But above all of them ranked the chickadee because of its indomitable spirit"
About this Quote
The subtext is a corrective to modern competence theater. We tend to fetishize the big traits - dominance, fearlessness, genius - the animal equivalents of the apex predator. Brown sidesteps that by crowning the chickadee, a small, unglamorous bird, for “indomitable spirit.” That word choice matters: indomitable isn’t bravado; it’s the refusal to be reduced by circumstance. In a survival narrative, that’s the trait that actually cashes out when the weather turns, the plan fails, and nobody is coming.
There’s also a cultural sleight of hand: he borrows Indigenous-adjacent language of learning from animals, but translates it into an American motivational hierarchy. The lesson isn’t “be like nature”; it’s “take what works.” Patience, cleverness, courage - then the punchline: endurance beats excellence. The smallest bird becomes the standard, a quiet rebuke to size worship, masculinity-as-force, and the idea that toughness must look tough.
Quote Details
| Topic | Perseverance |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Jr., Tom Brown,. (2026, January 16). We learned to be patient observers like the owl. We learned cleverness from the crow, and courage from the jay, who will attack an owl ten times its size to drive it off its territory. But above all of them ranked the chickadee because of its indomitable spirit. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/we-learned-to-be-patient-observers-like-the-owl-126840/
Chicago Style
Jr., Tom Brown,. "We learned to be patient observers like the owl. We learned cleverness from the crow, and courage from the jay, who will attack an owl ten times its size to drive it off its territory. But above all of them ranked the chickadee because of its indomitable spirit." FixQuotes. January 16, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/we-learned-to-be-patient-observers-like-the-owl-126840/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"We learned to be patient observers like the owl. We learned cleverness from the crow, and courage from the jay, who will attack an owl ten times its size to drive it off its territory. But above all of them ranked the chickadee because of its indomitable spirit." FixQuotes, 16 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/we-learned-to-be-patient-observers-like-the-owl-126840/. Accessed 6 Feb. 2026.
