Annie Oakley, born Phoebe Ann Mosey on August 13, 1860, was an iconic American sharpshooter and entertainer, most recognized for her association with Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show.
Despite early hardships such as her father’s death and time spent in a poor house, she honed her hunting and shooting skills to support her family.
At fifteen, she won a shooting contest against traveling sharpshooter Frank Butler, marking the start of her fame and their subsequent marriage.
Known for performing incredible tricks, she could split a playing card at the edge or extinguish burning candles with a shot.
Her skill earned her global recognition, with performances in Europe for dignitaries like Queen Victoria and Kaiser Wilhelm II.
Post-retirement, she remained active in the entertainment industry.
Annie passed away on November 3, 1926, but her legacy as an unrivaled sharpshooter persists.
Here are some of the top quotes by Annie Oakley.
Best Annie Oakley Quotes
Aim at a high mark and you will hit it. ~ Annie Oakley.
Families are nothing other than the idolatry of duty. ~ Annie Oakley.
I ain’t afraid to love a man … ~ Annie Oakley.
For me, sitting still is harder than any kind of work. ~ Annie Oakley.
Housework is work directly opposed to the possibility of human self-actualization. ~ Annie Oakley.
I ain’t afraid to love a man. I ain’t afraid to shoot him either. ~ Annie Oakley.
Clearly, society has a tremendous stake in insisting on a woman’s natural fitness for the career of mother: the alternatives are all too expensive. ~ Annie Oakley.
I was eight years old when I made my first shot, and I still consider it one of the best shots I ever made. ~ Annie Oakley.
My mother…was perfectly horrified when I began shooting and tried to keep me in school, but I would run away and go quail shooting in the woods or trim my dresses with wreaths of wildflowers. ~ Annie Oakley.
Being a good mother does not call for the same qualities as being a good housewife; a dedication to keeping children clean and tidy may override an interest in their separate development as individuals. ~ Annie Oakley.
Famous Annie Oakley Quotes
I am, indeed, very grateful for your many kind words in my obituary. How such a report started, I do not know. ~ Annie Oakley.
After traveling through fourteen foreign countries and appearing before all the royalty and nobility I have only one wish today. That is that when my eyes are closed in death that they will bury me back in that quiet little farm land where I was born. ~ Annie Oakley.
A crowned queen was never treated with more reverence than I was by those whole-souled western boys…And for seventeen long years I was just their little sister, sharing both their news of joy and sorrow from home.
You want to see my gun permit? – Sure: A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. ~ Annie Oakley.
Any woman who does not thoroughly enjoy tramping across the country on a clear frosty morning with a good gun and a pair of dogs does not know how to enjoy life. ~ Annie Oakley.
I aim to misbehave. ~ Annie Oakley.
[On Sitting Bull:] The contents of his pockets were often emptied into the hands of small, ragged little boys, nor could he understand how so much wealth should go brushing by, unmindful of the poor. ~ Annie Oakley.
Top Annie Oakley Quotes
Aim at a high mark and you’ll hit it. No, not the first time, nor the second time. Maybe not the third. But keep on aiming and keep on shooting for only practice will make you perfect. ~ Annie Oakley.
Why I have been told three different times by various doctors that I would never get on a horse again! But I always did. ~ Annie Oakley.
I went all to pieces under the care of a home. ~ Annie Oakley.
When a man hits a target they call him a marksman. When I hit a target they call it a trick. Never did like that much. ~ Annie Oakley.
Even in the best and most peacefully civilized countries many occasions arise when a woman versed in the knowledge and use of firearms may find that information and skill of great importance. ~ Annie Oakley.
God intended women to be outside as well as men, and they do not know what they are missing when they stay cooped up in the house. ~ Annie Oakley.
If love means that one person absorbs the other, then no real relationship exists any more. Love evaporates; there is nothing left to love. The integrity of self is gone. ~ Annie Oakley.
Popular Annie Oakley Quotes
Aim for the high mark and you will hit it. No, not the first time, not the second time and maybe not the third. But keep on aiming and keep on shooting for only practice will make you perfect. Finally you’ll hit the bull’s-eye of success. ~ Annie Oakley.
Find what you want, hunt it down and kill it. ~ Annie Oakley.
I would like to see every woman know how to handle guns as naturally as they know how to handle babies. ~ Annie Oakley.
My mother and sisters thought my prowess with the gun was just a little tomboyish. ~ Annie Oakley.
There are always women who will take men on their own terms. If I were a man I wouldn’t bother to change while there are women like that around. ~ Annie Oakley.
So these were the 28 top Annie Oakley quotes and sayings about shooting.
If you like these quotes and sayings, then you can also read my other posts on Craig Sager quotes and Carl Paladino quotes.
