Cowboy Ethics Quotes

“For them, the Golden Rule was not something learned in Sunday school. The principle of “do unto others what you would have them do unto you” was nothing more and nothing less than a key to survival.”
― James P. Owen, Cowboy Ethics: What It Takes to Win at Life

“Cowboys of the Old West were workers, not gunslingers, and they did not go looking for trouble. But when trouble found them, the rules were unequivocal. If someone was killed in a fair fight, that was not murder, it was an incident. On the other hand, shooting an unarmed or fleeing man ~ even if he was a sworn enemy ~ was strictly forbidden, and transgressors were quickly brought to frontier justice.”
― James P. Owen, Cowboy Ethics: What It Takes to Win at Life

“I won’t be wronged, I won’t be insulted, and I won’t be laid a hand on. I don’t do these things to other people and I require the same from them.” JOHN WAYNE in his last film, The Shootist (1976)”
― James P. Owen, Cowboy Ethics: What It Takes to Win at Life

“The heroism of the working cowboy isn’t a joke . . . it isn’t something that has been cooked up by an advertising agency, and it isn’t something that cheap minds will ever understand. Cowboys are heroic because they exercise human courage on a daily basis. They live with danger. They take chances. They sweat, they bleed, they burn in the summer and freeze in the winter. They find out how much a mere human can do, and then they do a little more. They reach beyond themselves.”
― James P. Owen, Cowboy Ethics: What It Takes to Win at Life

“I think more everyday heroes are just what America needs ~ especially right now. Collectively, they could be a powerful antidote to the cynicism, self-absorption, and greed that are weakening our nation. At the same time, whenever someone chooses to do the right thing, to tackle the tough job, or to stand up for what he or she truly believes in, that person quietly becomes a force for good, as well as a role model for others.”
― James P. Owen, Cowboy Ethics: What It Takes to Win at Life

“Third on my list of must-haves is GRIT, which cowboys call “Try.” It’s that quality of steely resolve ~ that mental toughness ~ that keeps you pushing toward your goal in spite of the struggles and setbacks. Although the word “grit” was long out of vogue, social scientists have recently brought it into today’s lexicon. Studies have discovered that grit is more essential to long-term success than talent or I.Q. What’s more, that’s been found to be as true for children in school as it is for adults in the workplace. People with grit are better able to handle trials and disappointments of all kinds. They realize there is an upside to failure, in that it can motivate you to redouble your efforts or try a different approach. Beyond that, learning how to cope with life’s inevitable upheavals is how you develop grit in the first place.”
― James P. Owen, Cowboy Ethics: What It Takes to Win at Life

“I’ve often been asked, “What’s the payoff for having integrity?” My answer is simple. If you live with integrity, I promise you’ll be a happier person and live a more satisfying life. You will have a level of clarity, resolve, and confidence that sets you apart from the crowd.”
― James P. Owen, Cowboy Ethics: What It Takes to Win at Life

“Ask any good teacher or any business executive who’s been in the trenches. They will tell you that attitude trumps ability every time.”
― James P. Owen, Cowboy Ethics: What It Takes to Win at Life

“So, what does it take to win at life? We generally think of success in terms of tangible accomplishments. We want to win the prize, whether it’s reaching the mountaintop, meeting career benchmarks, or providing financial security for our loved ones. But if you think in terms of winning at life, success isn’t only defined by what you achieve. Even more important are the how and the why. Think about it: if someone has to cheat to win, or is motivated mainly by negative emotions like anger or jealousy, that achievement will be hollow.”
― James P. Owen, Cowboy Ethics: What It Takes to Win at Life

“For one thing, it raises the question of what success really means. We live in a culture shaped by an unspoken, yet very powerful, assumption that success means money and all the things it can buy. So many of us unquestioningly devote most of our energies to striving for material success. It’s easy to get caught up in the cycle of constantly pursuing the bigger job, the nicer house, the more luxurious car. But once you embrace the idea of living by a code, it becomes clear that individual character ~ not your job title, your lifestyle, or your bank account ~ is the true measure of who you are.”
― James P. Owen, Cowboy Ethics: What It Takes to Win at Life

“We all need a solid belief system, a moral compass, to guide us when temptations crop up or peer pressure goes against what we know in our hearts is right.”
― James P. Owen, Cowboy Ethics: What It Takes to Win at Life

“To the cowboy, true integrity means listening to that inner voice that tells you the difference between right and wrong, so that your actions line up with your beliefs. And isn’t that as good a definition of integrity as you can find?”
― James P. Owen, Cowboy Ethics: What It Takes to Win at Life

“Be kind to everyone you meet, because we’re all battling something.”
― James P. Owen, Cowboy Ethics: What It Takes to Win at Life

“There is more to courage than jumping into a river to save someone’s life. It is also being willing to speak up and say that something isn’t right ~ even if that means going up against what others may believe.”
― James P. Owen, Cowboy Ethics: What It Takes to Win at Life