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Bowing Quotes

The gesture behind the word.

From trees bending in a storm to formal Japanese greetings, bowing carries meaning far beyond posture. This collection pairs well with our Church quotes for readers drawn to ritual and reverence.

I'm aiming to do what I need to do for acting and nothing more. I'm bowing down to acting.

Quotes by Abbey Lee Kershaw

Some hypocrites and seeming mortified men, that held down their heads, were like the little images that they place in the very bowing of the vaults of churches, that look as if they held up the church, but are but...

Quotes by William Laud

I actually think that one of the most dangerous phenomena is the bowing to expertise, whether it's in international relations or how to use technologies.

Quotes by Wes Boyd

I like America anyway. In Japan we are much more formal. If two friends are separated for a long time and they meet they bow and bow and bow. They keep bowing without exchanging a word. Here they slap each...

Quotes by Sessue Hayakawa

Acting Quotes

Growing up in Britain, Michael Caine has always been such an icon. Chatting with him, I know I came across as the biggest doofus. Literally, I was, like, bowing to him.

Quotes by Rose Leslie

Sometimes I look at Helen Mirren on stage and think, 'You really are the Queen.' You see people bowing to her at the stage door!

Quotes by Richard McCabe

To give pleasure to a single heart by a single act is better than a thousand heads bowing in prayer.

Mahatma Gandhi

We considered the Dear Leader our god. That's huge. He's more than our parents. I thought all of the world respected Kim Il Sung. That's why we were bowing to their pictures.

Quotes by Lee Hyeon-seo

Start with God - the first step in learning is bowing down to God; only fools thumb their noses at such wisdom and learning.

Quotes by King Solomon

Always Quotes

A few minutes ago every tree was excited, bowing to the roaring storm, waving, swirling, tossing their branches in glorious enthusiasm like worship. But though to the outer ear these trees are now silent, their songs never cease.

Quotes by John Muir

'Salaryitis' is when you become so accustomed to that salary that you no longer have the gumption to pull out of the rut and strike out on your own. It destroys the nerve of ambitious, imaginative men, and bowing to...

Quotes by E. Joseph Cossman

When you put an individual on the cover of a big picture magazine, like 'Life of Look', their career skyrocketed. As a photographer, you were very empowered; people came to you, bowing to you and what you represented.

Quotes by Douglas Kirkland

Frequently Asked Questions

What themes come up most in bowing quotes?
Respect, ritual, and restraint dominate this set, ranging from trees bowing to a storm to formal Japanese greetings exchanged without a word.
Do any bowing quotes take a critical view of the gesture?
Yes, one quote calls bowing to expertise a dangerous phenomenon, suggesting that deference isn't always a virtue, especially in fields like international relations or technology.
Is bowing always literal in these quotes?
Not always. Some quotes describe physical bowing during greetings or storms, while others use it more figuratively to describe submission or hypocrisy, as with the churchgoers described bowing their heads.
How does culture shape the meaning of bowing?
Cultural context matters a great deal, illustrated by the contrast between formal, repeated bowing in Japan and the more casual greetings common elsewhere.
What other topics pair well with bowing quotes?
Readers often continue with Church quotes for themes of reverence, or Acting quotes for more on performance and formality.

There's a fine line between genuine respect and bowing to expertise without question, and these lines explore both. See also Acting quotes and Better quotes for related themes.