What is Inside You There Are Two Wolves?

It is a catchphrase template based on a Cherokee grandfather proverb, in which online posters replace the proverb's moral with absurd punchlines about depression, sexuality, or pop culture.

Where did Inside You There Are Two Wolves come from?

The underlying proverb is attributed to the Cherokee and to a 1978 Billy Graham book, and the parody format began spreading on November 14, 2018 through a Facebook post by user Scorty Pippin.

What does Inside You There Are Two Wolves mean?

The setup pits two opposites inside a person, then the "you are" line collapses the pair into a single absurd or self-deprecating verdict, like unclefather's December 2018 Tumblr edit that concluded "You have depression".

How do you use Inside You There Are Two Wolves?

Write "There are two wolves inside you," describe two contrasting things, and finish with a "you are" punchline, optionally attaching the 2012 DeviantArt composite of a white and black wolf under a moon.

Is Inside You There Are Two Wolves still popular?

The format was most active through 2019, with a notable resurgence around the June 2019 reveal of Pokémon Zacian and Zamazenta, and it is now treated as a classic Reddit and Tumblr catchphrase.

Inside You There Are Two Wolves

2018catchphraseclassic

Published November 4, 2026

"Inside You There Are Two Wolves" is a catchphrase parodying a Cherokee proverb in which a grandfather describes a good wolf and an evil wolf fighting within him. Parodies gained traction in late 2018 when Facebook and Reddit users swapped the moral lesson for absurd punchlines, and the format saw renewed attention in June 2019 after Pokémon Sword and Shield revealed two legendary wolf Pokémon.

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Overview

Posts following this template almost always strip the proverb of its moral and swap in an absurd punchline about mental illness, sexuality, or pop culture. A typical caption reads "There are two wolves inside you. One is X. The other is Y. You are Z," with the final line undercutting the setup through self-deprecation or a non sequitur1.

The image attached is usually a 2012 DeviantArt composite by user MachiavelliCro that shows a white wolf and a black wolf facing each other below a full moon2. Some posts skip the picture entirely and run the joke as pure text, while others lean into object labeling, tagging each wolf with a specific noun so the setup reads as a diagram3.

Gallery

Origin & Background

Platform

Facebook / Reddit (viral spread)

Date

2018

Online parodies draw on a Cherokee grandfather proverb about good and evil wolves fighting within a person, a story also attributed to evangelist Billy Graham in a 1978 book1. The wolf composite most often attached to the meme was uploaded to DeviantArt by user MachiavelliCro on October 29, 2012, stitched together from a white German Shepherd photo by user Lakela posted in June 2012 and a black wolf shot by user Chocomix-Stock posted in July 20122.

Parody text riffs on the proverb began gaining traction in late 2018. On November 14, 2018, Facebook user Scorty Pippin posted an early example to the group "Useless, Unsuccessful, and/or Unpopular Memes"7. The next day, Reddit user BreadCheese reposted a version to r/comedyheaven titled "the duality of man," which earned more than 42,000 upvotes4.

How It Spread

Momentum carried onto Tumblr the next month. On December 16, 2018, user unclefather posted an object labeling edit with the punchline "You have depression," which gained more than 121,000 notes3. That depression variant became one of the stickier templates, and later posts leaned heavily into mental health jokes and self-deprecating diagnoses5.

Posts in the format appeared across Reddit into 2019, including a March 22 submission to r/SuddenlyGay by user avib101 that collected around 480 upvotes5. A bigger resurgence arrived after Nintendo's June 5, 2019 Direct, which revealed Zacian and Zamazenta as the two legendary wolf Pokémon for Sword and Shield. Twitter user @FizzyDog_ remixed an earlier "you are gay" edit using the new Pokémon designs, and the post earned more than 450 retweets and 800 likes6.

Timeline

2012-10-29

DeviantArt user MachiavelliCro uploads the black-and-white wolf composite that later becomes the meme's default image[2].

2018-11-14

Facebook user Scorty Pippin posts an early parody to the group Useless, Unsuccessful, and/or Unpopular Memes[7].

2018-11-15

Reddit user BreadCheese reposts a parody to r/comedyheaven, earning over 42,000 upvotes[4].

2018-12-16

Tumblr user unclefather posts an object labeling version with the punchline "You have depression," gaining 121,000-plus notes[3].

2019-03-22

Reddit user avib101 posts a version to r/SuddenlyGay that collects around 480 upvotes[5].

2019-06-05

Nintendo Direct reveals legendary wolf Pokémon Zacian and Zamazenta, kicking off a wave of two wolves edits[5].

2019-06-06

Twitter user @FizzyDog_ posts a Pokémon take on the "you are gay" edit, earning over 450 retweets and 800 likes[6].

How to Use This Meme

Writers typically open with "There are two wolves inside you," list two contrasting items, and finish on a "you are" line that collapses the opposition into an absurd verdict. Some creators attach the black-and-white wolf composite for visual reinforcement, and a common variation tags each wolf with an object label so the punchline reads as a captioned diagram.