44 Arrow Quotes to Keep Your Eye on the Prize

Let's admit it; bows and arrows are still cool, and many of us would pay to be part of an action sequence on film, using our advanced archery skills. Unfortunately, that won't happen, but we can read through the 43 quotes below to get closer to the idea.

While we have much more effective weapons in our modern world, there is something about the bow and arrow that remains enticing. The weapon is used in fictional shows such as "The Hunger Games" by Katniss Everdeen, Disney's "Brave," and other fantasy shows such as "The Lord of the Rings."

We even use it in competitions, going by the name archery, a sport that is played in the Olympics. To find out more about arrows, what they symbolize, how they're used, and more, read the 43 quotes below.

Sylvia Plath’s quote: “What a man is an arrow into the future, and what a woman is the place the arrow shoots off from." | Image: AmoDays

Metaphorical Arrow Quotes

"Oh, time is short, and the days are sweet, and passion rules the arrow that flies." — Bob Dylan

"One can only be silent and sit peacefully when one hath arrow and bow; otherwise, one pretty and quarrelleth. Let your peace be a victory!" — Friedrich Nietzsche

"The past is no more, and the future is not yet. The only right person is one who lives moment to moment, whose arrow is directed to the moment, who is always here and now; wherever he is, his whole consciousness, his whole being, is involved in the reality of here and in the reality of now." — Rajneesh

"The way to write is to throw your body at the mark when your arrows are spent." — Ralph Waldo Emerson

"What a man is an arrow into the future, and what a woman is is the place the arrow shoots off from." — Sylvia Plath

Khalil Gibran’s quote: “You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth.” | Image: AmoDays

"Positive psychology is not remotely intended to replace therapy or pharmacology. So when depressed, anxious, or in panic or post-traumatic stress disorder, I am all for therapies that will work. Positive psychology is another arrow in the quiver of public policy and psychology through which we can raise wellbeing above zero." — Martin Seligman

"Life continuously shoots arrows at you; to survive, be flexible and be on the move because rigid and fixed targets are the easiest targets!"― Mehmet Murat ildan

"Not even a mighty warrior can break a frail arrow when it is multiplied and supported by its fellows. As long as you brothers support one another and render assistance to one another, your enemies can never gain the victory over you. But if you fall away from each other, your enemy can brake you like frail arrows, one at a time." ― Genghis Khan

"Whatever you focus on, you become. That is the key line, you know. Meditation is the bow, and concentration is the arrow." ― Frederick Lenz

"When you lead change, sometimes you get arrows in your back. I mean, that's just the way the real world is." ― Carly Fiorina

Ashim Shanker’s quote: “The arrow of time obscures memory of both past and future circumstance with innumerable fallacies, the least trivial of which is perception.” | Image: AmoDays

"Smile is the arch of an arrowed heart. Tears are waters to make pain's life start" ― Munia Khan

"No one else can take risks for us, or face our losses on our behalf, or give us self-esteem. No one can spare us from life's slings and arrows, and when death comes, we meet it alone." ― Martha Beck

"Ideas are great arrows, but there has to be a bow." ― Bill Moyers

"You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth." — Khalil Gibran

"Each arrow you shoot off carries its own target into the decidedly secret tangle." ― Paul Celan

Leigh Bardugo’s quote: "The heart is an arrow. It demands aim to land true." | Image: AmoDays

"Life is an arrow; therefore, you must know What mark to aim at, how to use the bow―Then draw it to the head and let it go!" ― Henry Van Dyke

"The arrow of time doesn't move forward forever. There's a phase in the history of the universe where you go from low entropy to high entropy. But then, once you reach the locally maximum entropy you can get to, there's no more arrow of time." — Sean M. Carroll

"The arrow of time obscures memory of both past and future circumstance with innumerable fallacies, the least trivial of which is perception." ― Ashim Shanker

"Death is like an arrow that is already in flight, and your life lasts only until it reaches you." — Georg Hermes

"The heart is an arrow. It demands aim to land true." ― Leigh Bardugo

Suzy Kassem’s quote: "Truth is as straight as an arrow, while a lie swivels like a snake." | Image: AmoDays

"Always grow flowers, as that will make your way full of flowers. Never grow thorns, as that will make your way thorny. Never want to target someone on an arrow. You may become the target of that arrow. Never make a well in the way of someone. As you may pass by that way sometime." ― Rahman Baba

"Truth is as straight as an arrow, while a lie swivels like a snake." ― Suzy Kassem

Quotes about Real-World Archery

"I do love archery in my day-to-day life because I find it very therapeutic, and I've trained every season with the bow and arrow." — Rose Leslie

"I got to dress up in funny clothes and run around New Zealand with a bow and arrow for 18 months; how bad could that be?" — Orlando Bloom

"You have to relax when you're shooting an arrow. You can't be tense." — Stephen Amell

Rose Leslie’s quote: "I do love archery in my day-to-day life because I find it very therapeutic, and I've trained every season with the bow and arrow." | Image: AmoDays

"I did archery when I was in high school. In our gym class, we had two weeks of archery, and I remember taking the bow and arrow and firing it up and across the street into a car parking lot." — John Barrowman

"A longbow takes a massive draw for the arrow to go anywhere." — Luke Evans

"Let your bending in the Archer's hand be for gladness, for even as he loves the arrow that flies, so he loves also the bow that is stable." — Khalil Gibran

"The haft of the arrow had been feathered with one of the eagle's own Lures. We often give our enemies the means of our own destruction." — Aesop

"I have been practicing archery for a long time; a bow and arrow helps me to unwind." — Paulo Coelho

John Barrowman’s quote: "I did archery when I was in high school. In our gym class, we had two weeks of archery, and I remember taking the bow and arrow and firing it up and across the street into a car parking lot." | Image: AmoDays

"As irrigators lead water where they want, as archers make their arrows straight, as carpenters carve wood, the wise shape their minds." — Gautama Buddha

"I pull an arrow, whip the notch into place, and am about to let it fly when I'm stopped by the sight of Finnick kissing Peeta. And it's so bizarre, even for Finnick." — Suzanne Collins

Archery Quotes That Hit the Bull's Eye

"While my friend was my friend, he flattered me, and I never heard the truth from him. When he became my enemy, he shot it to me on a poisoned arrow." — Henry David Thoreau

"I was just 20 years old when I wrote Broken Arrow." — Neil Young

"Oh yeah, I mean, it wasn't a very good guitar, most good guitars have got thrust rods in the necks that you can adjust, or that'll keep them in shape, you know, keep them straight. This one just, well, it turned into a bow and arrow after a couple of months." — Eric Clapton

Suzanne Collins’s quote: “I pull an arrow, whip the notch into place, and am about to let it fly when I'm stopped by the sight of Finnick kissing Peeta. And it's so bizarre, even for Finnick." | Image: AmoDays

"My scar is beautiful. It looks like an arrow." — Carly Simon

"Next to the day when I was almost shot by that arrow, the worst day of my life was when I was almost eaten." ― Jennifer Frick-Ruppert

"She was like a bird for speed, an arrow for directness." ― Virginia Woolf

"I'm actually a pretty decent human being, and when I'm home I'm straight as an arrow." — Kid Rock

Henry David Thoreau’s quote: "While my friend was my friend, he flattered me, and I never heard the truth from him. When he became my enemy, he shot it to me on a poisoned arrow." | Image: AmoDays

"I'm about as straight an arrow as you'll find out there." — Deborah Norville

"I would be so happy to be back on 'Arrow' or on 'Legends of Tomorrow,' in whatever capacity." — Colin Donnell

"Every aspect of human technology has a dark side, including the bow and arrow." — Margaret Atwood

"My dad was a very straight arrow, prayed-at-every-meal kind of guy." — Chris Stapleton

Deborah Norville’s quote: “I'm about as straight an arrow as you'll find out there.” | Image: AmoDays

As we can all see, there is much more to a bow and arrow than its function. Many have used these hunting tools as metaphors for morality, existentialism, and self-development, among other topics. It is human nature to prescribe everyday objects with meaning.

It is, after all, difficult for many of us to find meaning in this world, especially if we are facing a dark period. If you are going through an experience like this, you must read these 49 cactus quotes to bloom in the midst of hardship.