I did but prompt the age to quit their clogs By the known rules of ancient liberty, When straight a barbarous noise environs me Of owls and cuckoos, asses, apes and dogs.
Do you think I was born in a wood to be afraid of an owl?
I was born a jackdaw; why should I try to be an owl?
I have learned that one of the most important rules in politics is poise - which means looking like an owl after you have behaved like a jackass.