Sagittarius Personality

Sagittarius Traits: Generous, clever, sincere, self-righteous, visionary, restless, insensitive, sociable, optimistic, confident, energetic, tactless, irresponsible, careless, courageous, opinionated, easy-going

Gregarious, upbeat and confident, Sagittarians usually have many friends, but their impulsiveness can throw more security-loving types off kilter. Most Sagittarians are brave and generous, and they usually have a desire to help humanity in some way.

Cheerful Risk Takers

Sagittarians are extroverted, cheerful and optimistic. They believe that things will turn out well, and they trust much to luck. Not much gets them down and they usually rebound quickly from depression, illness or stressful life events. Most enjoy robust health and when they do experience medical problems, it is often the result of over-indulging and risk taking.

Sagittarians are not prone to anxiety or worry unless the ascendant falls in a more anxiety-prone sign, which makes them natural risk takers. They are inclined to do things that are damaging to their health, or even take physical risks that can endanger their lives. Sagittarians leap before looking and land themselves in various scrapes. However, they have a last-minute luck that often saves them in the end, and they’ll turn around and do it all over again.

Addictive and Sensation Seeking

Sagittarians seek the next challenge and the next big adrenaline rush, and in some cases this sensation seeking can lead to substance abuse. Additionally, although they are energetic, physically strong, muscular and naturally athletic, many become fat or even obese through overeating and drinking. Alcoholism is a common Sagittarian ailment, as Sagittarians don’t know when to stop and don’t listen to the signals their bodies send them.

Generous and Careless with Money

Sagittarians are altruistic and will sacrifice time, energy and money to help others. They’re generous to a fault and will give their last dollar to someone in need or spend it all on drinks for everyone in the room.

Many Sagittarians have big, impractical plans for making money, as well as a penchant for gambling. They win more often than most, but when they lose, they lose big.

Love of Travel

Sagittarians love to travel and often believe that it is a better educator than school. They like to meet people in foreign lands and learn foreign languages. When traveling, they’d rather camp out with the locals than set up in a fancy hotel. Most Sagittarians also like outdoor pursuits such as hiking, camping or kayaking.

Suited to Nontraditional Employment

Sagittarians often have trouble with traditional 9-5 careers. They will not follow the rules if they don’t believe that the rules are right and just. They have the courage to speak up for their convictions and fight for what they believe in, which can lead to clashes with authority.

Sagittarians are also very physical and have trouble with staying put in an office chair for hours on end. They have a constant need for movement and novelty, and these requirements should be taken into account when planning a career.

Opinionated and Open-Minded

A Sagittarian quirk is to be open-minded on most subjects but fiercely opinionated on a few pet topics. Some Sagittarians can be tyrannical and bullying, insisting that others conform to their beliefs. This sign is known to have a self-righteous streak. However, most are open-minded and easy going, not worrying much about the things other people say.

Exaggerated Need for Freedom

Sagittarians value freedom far above security. As a result, unless the ascendant falls in the sign of Cancer or one of the fixed signs, many don’t settle down in a relationship too easily. They find the majority of partners too clingy or restrictive, and even those Sagittarians who do settle down will look to the horizon with longing from time to time. 

Sagittarius is not a domestic sign. When Sagittarians do stay put, they tend to be messy around the house and most are not particularly good cooks unless they have ascendants that are inclined toward culinary skills (such as Leo, Cancer or Taurus).

Tactless and Insensitive

Although Sagittarians are good at creating fun times and cheering people up, their bluntness can sometimes have the opposite effect. Sagittarians can be honest to the point of cruelty, and will upset more sensitive individuals with their often accurate but not very diplomatic statements.

Most Sagittarians can take the truth about themselves, at least more of the truth than others can, and so they seek to impose truths on others even when sensitivity is called for. This is the source of much strife in Sagittarian relationships. Additionally, some Sagittarians have a tendency to exaggerate and brag, which can put others off.

Friendly and Philosophical

Sagittarians are good judges of character, but they’ll hang around with almost anyone, even someone they think is not a very nice person, if they find that person interesting.

Deep, profound and expansive subjects are favoured by Sagittarians. They like philosophizing on important ideas and don’t care for small talk. Thus, although they'll converse with almost anyone on nearly any subject, they'll soon lose interest if the other person has nothing profound to offer.

Spiritually Minded

Sagittarians usually enhance their minds with a lot of reading, particularly books about travel and other cultures, philosophy or spiritual topics. Many feed their mystical sides with books that tackle the big questions in life as they seek their personal connection to a higher power or things beyond human understanding. Once Sagittarians do settle on a religion or a lifestyle, they can become very preachy, much to the annoyance of those around them.

Extroverted and Transient

Sagittarians are friendly people who need a wide variety of acquaintances to spend time with. They don’t like to sit around the house and usually prefer large, exuberant gatherings to small, cozy nights at home with one other person.

Many Sagittarians move from city to city and job to job, always in search of a new challenge or new social interactions. They have trouble finishing what they start, but they cope well with change, adversity and diversity, and their sunny personalities ensure that they make plenty of friends along the way.

Famous Sagittarians

Jim Morrison, Frank Sinatra, Walt Disney, Winston Churchill, Mark Twain, Dick Van Dyke, Patty Duke, Pope John XXIII, John Osborne, Jane Fonda, Sammy Davis Jr., Robert Vaughn, Joe DiMaggio, Charles de Gaulle, Caroline Kennedy, John F. Kennedy Jr., Ludwig Van Beethoven, Brad Pitt, Kenneth Branagh, Beau Bridges, Margaret Mead, Louisa May Alcott, Woody Allen, Jane Austin, William Blake, William F. Buckley, Maria Callas, Thomas Carlyle, Dale Carnegie, Joseph Conrad, Noel Coward, Emily Dickinson, Benjamin Disraeli, Kirk Douglas, George Elliot, Chris Evert Lloyd, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Boris Karloff, Billie Jean King, John Malkovich, Mary Martin, Harpo Marx, Bette Midler, John Milton, Edith Piaf, Edward G. Robinson, George Santayana, Charles Schulz, Frank Sinatra, Margaret Chase Smith, Rex Stout, Jonathon Swift, James Thurber, Liv Ullman, Rebecca West, Eli Whitney, Flip Wilson, Steven Spielberg, Jeff Bridges, Billy Idol, Tina Turner, Bruce Lee, Jimi Hendrix, Phil Donahue, Ozzy Osbourne, Andy Williams, Christina Aguilera, Billy Bragg, Benjamin Bratt, Harry Chapin, Dick Clark, Walt Disney, Brendan Frasier, Sinead O'Connor, Britney Spears, Ben Stiller, Marisa Tomei

Further Reading

To read profiles of other sun signs, visit the Main Astrology Page.

References:

• Bugler, Ashford, Chubb, & Zapp. (1992).The Complete Handbook of Astrology.
• Fenton, S. (1989). Rising Signs.
• Woolfolk, J.M. (1992). The Only Astrology Book You’ll Ever Need.

Back to Top

Get a Full Astrology Chart Learn about your rising sign, moon sign, aspects, compatibility with other signs, career aptitudes, and much more!