Looking for some inspirational quotes about being manly? We have rounded up the best collection of manly quotes, sayings, messages, and captions, (with images and pictures) to inspire you to draw strength in the face of adversity.
What it means to be a man has been a very debatable topic worldwide, and this question is hard to answer. Being a man means having qualities like power, courage, strength, love, purposefulness, decisiveness, and breaking toxic notions of masculinity.
Also See: Strong Man Quotes
A manly man likes to stay fit but being manly is not just about lifting weights, there is a lot more. Real men don’t run away from challenges, or shrug their responsibilities. Infact, they take pride in being responsible and like to be reliable.
Lot of people aspire manliness, but few achieve it. Manliness is not a skill that you can practice but it is a variety of traits that should be developed over a lifetime.
By sharpening your manly traits, you are making the most of your physical, emotional, and mental potential. Being manly is not easy and it shouldn’t be also because real men relish challenges.
Also See: Real Man Quotes
There is a misconception that manly people have no emotions other than anger. This is not true. They experience a range of emotions – happiness, sadness, contentment, regrets, and every shade in between. These short manly quotes, or manly quotes about life, will inspire you to maintain your manliness.
These inspirational lines about being manly will help you to think about the courage and masculine power needed to be manly. If you like these cool manly quotes, also check out our posts on classy quotes for men and alpha male quotes to inspire you to live your dreams and be successful in life.
Powerful Manly Quotes
- “If Boys don’t learn, men won’t know.” – Douglas Wilson
- “A man is responsible for his ignorance.” – Milan Kundera
- “Judge a man by his questions rather than by his answers.” – Voltaire
- “You have to be a man before you can be a gentleman.” – John Wayne
- “Man is nothing else but what he makes of himself.” – Jean Paul Sartre
- “A man must stand erect, not be kept erect by others.” – Marcus Aurelius
- “No man stands so tall as when he stoops to help a child.” – Abraham Lincoln
- “A man’s got to have a code, a creed to live by, no matter his job.” – John Wayne
- “One can not always be a hero, but one can always choose to be a man.” – Mozart
manly quotes
- “Waste no more time arguing what a good man should be. Be one.” – Marcus Aurelius
- “A man should be able to hear, and to bear, the worst that could be said of him.” – Saul Bellows
- “Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value.” – Albert Einstein
- “Manliness is the character of a man as he ought to be, as he was meant to be.” – James Freeman Clarke
being a man quotes
- “There never was yet a truly great man, that was not at the same time truly virtuous.” – Benjamin Franklin
- “I mean to make myself a man, and if I succeed in that, I shall succeed in everything else.” – James A. Garfield
- “It is not the situation which makes the man, but the man who makes the situation.” – Frederick William Robertson
- “Man is given by Nature, a gift, and that gift is the privilege of labor. Through labor he learns all things.” – Manly P. Hall
- “It is not what he has, or even what he does which expresses the worth of a man, but what he is.” – Henri-Frédéric Amiel
- “Man is never so manly as when he feels deeply, acts boldly, and expresses himself with frankness and with fervor.” – Benjamin Disraeli
- “Contemporaries appreciate the man rather than the merit; but posterity will regard the merit rather than the man.” – Charles Caleb Colton
- “The way of a superior man is three-fold: virtuous, he is free from anxieties; wise, he is free from perplexities; bold, he is free from fear.” – Confucius
- “When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me.” – The Bible
- “A man does what he must – in spite of personal consequences, in spite of obstacles and dangers and pressures – and that is the basis of all human morality.” – Winston Churchil
- “He understood well enough how a man with a choice between pride and responsibility will almost always choose pride — if responsibility robs him of his manhood.” – Stephen King
- “A man’s ledger does not tell what he is, or what he is worth. Count what is in man, not what is on him, if you would know what he is worth — whether rich or poor.” – Henry Ward Beecher
- “Who — only let him be a man and intent upon honor — is not eager for the honorable ordeal and prompt to assume perilous duties? To what energetic man is not idleness a punishment?” – Seneca
- “A good man is a manly man. I don’t just mean a strong man, I mean a man who acts like a man when he should, a man who’s manliness naturally comes to the surface when you want him to be a man.”
- “The sea – this truth must be confessed – has no generosity. No display of manly qualities – courage, hardihood, endurance, faithfulness – has ever been known to touch its irresponsible consciousness of power.” – Joseph Conrad
- “Private and public life are subject to the same rules — truth and manliness are two qualities that will carry you through this world much better than policy or tact of expediency or other words that were devised to conceal a deviation from a straight line.” – Robert E. Lee
- “We do not admire the man of timid peace. We admire the man who embodies victorious effort; the man who never wrongs his neighbor, who is prompt to help a friend, but who has those virile qualities necessary to win in the stern strife of actual life.” – Theodore Roosevelt
Quotes On Men And Manhood
Manly men treat everyone with respect. They respect the opinion of others, even if they disagree with them. Manly people treat everyone equally, regardless of gender. The most important aspect of being manly is to try and be the best man you can be in every aspect of your life.
If you like these inspirational quotes for men and manly movies quotes, then also check our posts on finish strong quotes and powerful quotes about being strong to motivate you to pursue your goals and be successful.
- “Duty is the essence of manhood.” – General George Patton
- “Manhood is the defeat of childhood narcissism.” – David Gilmore
- “Manhood and Christlikeness are synonymous.” – Edwin Louis Cole
- “Manhood coerced into sensitivity is no manhood at all.” – Camille Paglia
- “You may want the alpha, but the alpha has his pick.” – Donna Lynn Hope
- “A man of quality is never threatened by a woman of equality.” – Jill Briscoe
powerful manly quotes
- “I know you can fight, but it’s our wits that make us men.” – Malcolm Wallace
- “I was raised to treat the janitor with the same respect as the CEO.” – Unknown
- “Men are made to take risks and live passionately on behalf of others.” – John Eldredge
- “You seek the heights of manhood when you seek the depths of God.” – Edwin Louis Cole
- “A man’s manhood is reflected in the way, he treats all the women in his life!” – Unknown
Manhood Quotes
- “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is those good men do nothing.” – Edmund Burke
- “The natural man will probably be manly. The affected man cannot be so.” – Anthony Trollope
- “The chief constituents of what we call manhood, are moral rather than intellectual.” – J. S. Kieffer
- “If unwilling to rise in the morning, say to thyself, ‘I awake to do the work of a man.’” – Marcus Aurelius
- “Strength, Courage, Mastery, and Honor are the alpha virtues of men all over the world.” – Jack Donovan
- “A man once told me. The most important thing every man should know is what he would die for.” – Unknown
- “A man who wants to make a relationship work will move mountains to keep the woman he leaves.” – Unknown
- “He who seeks to do the amiable always can only be successful at the frequent expense of his manhood.” – W.G. Simms
- “Genius is the power of carrying the feelings of manhood into the powers of manhood.” – Samuel Taylor Coleridge
- “Being male is a matter of birth. Being a man is a matter of age, but being a gentleman is a matter of choice.” – Unknown
- “The search after the great men is the dream of youth and the most serious occupation of manhood.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
- “Here is the manliness of manhood, that a man has a good reason for what he does, and has a will in doing it.” – Alexander MacLaren
- “No reimagined manhood of convenience can hold its head high so long as the earth remains the tomb of our ancestors.” – Jack Donovan
- “Stand true to your calling to be a man. Real women will always be relieved and grateful when men are willing to be men.” – Elisabeth Elliott
- “Personally, I hold that a man, who deliberately and intelligently takes a pledge and then breaks it, forfeits his manhood.” – Mahatma Gandhi
-
“The men whose manhood you have broken will loathe you, and will always be brooding and scheming to strike a fresh blow.” – James Larkin
- “This is the test of your manhood: How much is there left in you after you have lost everything outside of yourself?” – Orison Swett Marden
- “Men of ideas and men of action have much to learn from each other, and the truly great are men of both action and abstraction.” – Jack Donovan
- “In the modern techno-industrial culture, it is possible to proceed from infancy into senility without ever knowing manhood.” – Edward Abbey
- “I learned that he that will be a hero will barely be a man; that he that will be nothing but a doer of his work is sure of his manhood.” – George MacDonald
- “The man who acquires the ability to take full possession of his own mind may take possession of anything else to which he is justly entitled.” – Andrew Carnegie
- “Do what thy manhood bids thee do, from none but self expect applause; He noblest lives and noblest dies who makes and keeps his self-made laws.” – Richard Francis Burton
- “The combination of active and contemplative virtues is one of the most enduring themes in three thousand years of experience of what it means to be a man.” – Waller Newell
- “Manliness means perfect manhood, as womanliness implies perfect womanhood. Manliness is the character of a man as he ought to be, as he was meant to be.” – James Freeman Clarke
- “Adversity toughens manhood, and the characteristic of the good or the great man is not that he has been exempt from the evils of life, but that he has surmounted them.” – Patrick Henry
- “It is a grand mistake to think of being great without goodness; and I pronounce it as certain, that there never was yet a truly great man, that was not at the same time truly virtuous.” – Benjamin Franklin
- “Man is a rope stretched between the animal and the Superman–a rope over an abyss. A dangerous crossing, a dangerous wayfaring, a dangerous looking-back, a dangerous trembling and halting.” – Nietzsche
- “Men want a battle to fight, an adventure to live, and a beauty to rescue. That is what is written in their hearts. That is what little boys play at. That is what men’s movies are about. You just see it. It is undeniable.” – John Eldredge
- “For the man who makes everything that leads to happiness, or near to it, to depend upon himself, and not upon other men . . . has adopted the very best plan for living happily. This is the man of moderation; this is the man of manly character and of wisdom.” – Plato
Powerful Being A Man Quotes
Being a man can mean a lot of things. It can mean to work hard to get something you want, opening about your emotions, having a right attitude towards life and relationships, to persist without help or to stand tall.
When asked a lot of women are of opinion that “being a man” does not only have a physical connotation. Being manly is also about being humble, honorable, and respectful with others while taking a stand for the right. Hence we see apart from physical attributes “being manly” has a lot to do with emotions and principles too.
Also See: Courage Quotes
In a relationship being manly means being the dominant one. He respects and treats his partner with equality and love. One who protects the significant other and is fearless in his approach.
If you are a woman, then read these quotes for him – the special man in your life. If you like these deep manly man quotes or manly tattoo quotes, then also check our post on strength quotes.
- “Every man dies. But not every man lives.” – William Wallace
- “To be a man is, precisely, to be responsible.” – Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
- “Be alert, stand firm in the faith, act like a man, be strong.” – Paul the Apostle
- “You can tell the greatness of a man by what makes him angry.” – Abraham Lincoln
- “First find the man in yourself if you will inspire manliness in others.” – Thomas Alcott
- “Being a male is a matter of birth. Being a man is a matter of choice.” – Edwin Louis Cole
masculinity quotes
- “I see you shaved. I’m sorry the weight of being a man was too much for you.” – Unknown
- “There is a difference between being a good man and being good at being a man.” – Jack Donovan
- “To be a man requires that you accept everything life has to give you, beginning with your name.” – Burl Ives
- “The test of every religious, political, or educational system is the man which it forms.” – Henri-Frédéric Amiel
- “The strength of a man’s virtue should not be measured by his special exertions but by his habitual acts.” – Blaise Pascal
- “Man should not ask what the meaning of his life is, but rather must recognize that it is he who is asked.” -Viktor Frankl
- “But as for you, O man of God, flee evil. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness.” – Paul the Apostle
- “There is nothing noble being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self.” – Winston Churchill
- “To be a man was to forge ever upward toward the peak of manhood, there to die amid the white snows of that peak.” – Yukio Mishima
- “The man who is deserving the name is the one whose thoughts and exertions are for others rather than for himself.” – Walter Scott
- “A male was transformed into a man by the willful expenditure of energy. Above all, a man willed himself to be expendable.” – Carlin A. Barton
- “I hope I shall possess firmness and virtue enough to maintain what I consider the most enviable of all titles, the character of an honest man.” – George Washington
- “What a man knows should find its expression in what he does. The value of superior knowledge is chiefly in that it leads to a performing manhood.” – Christian Nestell Bovee
- “And a man, a man provides. And he does it even when he’s not appreciated, or respected, or even loved. He simply bears up and he does it. Because he’s a man.” -‘Breaking Bad’
- “It was men who stopped slavery. It was men who ran up the stairs in the Twin Towers to rescue people. It was men who gave up their seats on the lifeboats of the Titanic.” – John Eldredge
- “What a piece of work is a man! How noble in reason! How infinite in faculties! In form and moving, how express and admirable! In action, how like an angel! In apprehension, how like a God.” – Shakespeare
- “To have done no man a wrong . . . to walk and live, unseduced, within arm’s length of what is not your own, with nothing between your desire and its gratification but the invisible law of rectitude — this is to be a man.” – Horace Mann
- “A man is one whose body has been trained to be the ready servant of his mind; whose passions are trained to be the servants of his will; who enjoys the beautiful, loves truth, hates wrong, loves to do good, and respects others as himself.” – John Ruskin
Motivational Quotes On Masculinity
- “A sound mind in a manly body.” – Homer
- “A gentleman believes that her heart is a sacred treasure.”
- “The stronger a man is, the more gentle he can afford to be.”
-
“Man is the only creature who refuses to be what he is.” – Albert Camus
-
“Men and women have strengths that complement each other.” – Edwin Louis Cole
-
“Growing a beard is a habit most natural, scriptural, manly, and beneficial.” – C.H. Spurgeon
-
“He was so manly in his gentle ways towards women. No wonder “The” gentleman!!” – Vidya Sampath
-
“The courage we desire and prize is not the courage to die decently, but to live manfully.” – Thomas Carlyle
-
“In the meanest are all the materials of manhood, only they are not rightly disposed.” – Henry David Thoreau
-
“Man should not ask what the meaning of his life is, but rather must recognize that it is he who is asked.” – Viktor Frankl
-
“Nobody can give you freedom. Nobody can give you equality or justice or anything. If you’re a man, you take it.” – Malcolm X
-
“Give a man a fish and feed him for a day. Don’t teach a man to fish…and feed yourself. He’s a grown man. And fishing’s not that hard.” – Ron Swanson
-
“No man has ever risen to the stature of spiritual manhood until he has found that it is finer to serve somebody else than it is to serve himself.” – Woodrow Wilson
-
“A man tries to make his mark. A gentlemen strives to leave his mark. A man accepts a favor. A gentleman returns the favor. A man gives orders. A gentleman inspires.”
-
“A woman simply is, but a man must become. Masculinity is risky and elusive. It is achieved by a revolt from woman, and it confirmed only by other men.” – Camille Paglia
-
“There are two questions a man must ask himself: The first is ‘Where am I going?’ and the second is ‘Who will go with me?’ If you ever get these questions in the wrong order you are in trouble.” – Sam Keen
-
“A real man loves his wife and places his family as the most important thing in life. Nothing has brought me more peace and content in life than simply being a good husband and father.” – Frank Abagnale
-
“The amiable is a duty most certainly, but must not be exercised at the expense of any of the virtues. He who seeks to do the amiable always, can only be successful at the frequent expense of his manhood.” – W.G. Simms
-
“No man should go through life without once experiencing healthy, even bored solitude in the wilderness, finding himself, depending solely on himself and thereby learning his true and hidden strength” – Jack Kerouac
-
“Relieved of moral pretense and stripped of folk costumes, the raw masculinity that all men know in their gut has to do with being good at being a man within a small, embattled gang of men struggling to survive.” – Jack Donovan
-
“History is strewn with the wrecks of nations which have gained a little progressiveness at the cost of a great deal of hard manliness, and have thus prepared themselves for destruction as soon as the movements of the world have a chance for it.” – Walter Bagehot
-
“Men have discovered their distinctive virtues and vices through grappling with the perennial dilemmas and demands of love, courage, pride, family, and country — the five paths whose proper ordering gives us the key to the secret of happiness for a man.” – Waller Newell
-
“It is of dangerous consequence to represent to man how near he is to the level of beasts, without showing him at the same time his greatness. It is likewise dangerous to let him see his greatness without his meanness. It is more dangerous yet to leave him ignorant of either; but very beneficial that he should be made sensible of both.” – Blaise Pascal
-
“When someone tells a man to be a man, they mean that there is a way to be a man. A man is not just a thing to be — it is also a way to be, a path to follow and a way to walk. Some try to make manhood mean everything. Others believe that it means nothing at all. Being good at being a man can’t mean everything, and it has always meant something.” – Jack Donovan
-
“When men evaluate each other as men, they still look for the same virtues that they’d need to keep the perimeter. Men respond to and admire the qualities that would make men useful and dependable in an emergency. Men have always had a role apart, and they still judge one another according to the demands of that role as a guardian in a gang struggling for survival against encroaching doom. Everything that is specifically about being a man — not merely a person — has to do with that role.” – Jack Donovan
Studies say gender stereotype theory often suggests that men are generally perceived as more masculine than women. These manly quotes also cover manly attitude quotes, manly quotes for women, manly quotes about strength, gentlemen quotes, manly captions, funny manly quotes, overly manly men quotes, and manly quotes about love.
If you like these simple yet unique quotes about manliness, then also check our posts on bravery quotes and fearless quotes to inspire you to be brave and lead a courageous life.
If you have some of your favorite quotes which are not included in the above list, please share them in the comments section below and we will love to add them to the list.
Feel free to share with friends and family on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp, and more to inspire positive change in their life.
