Zodiac rankings · Stubbornness
The most stubborn zodiac sign is Taurus, and Aquarius is closer than you think
The four fixed signs fill the top of this list. What separates them is earth, Saturn and pride. Here is every sign ranked, with the reasons on show.
Urania's Mirror, London 1824 · Library of Congress
At a glance
Taurus is the most stubborn zodiac sign on our scoring of 8 traditional rules, with 6 of 13 points, followed by Aquarius (5) and Scorpio (4). Scorpio, Leo and Capricorn tie on points behind them.
- Most stubborn
- Taurus6 of 13 points
- Runners-up
- Aquarius, Scorpio5 and 4 points
- Least stubborn
- Gemini, Libra and Pisces0 points each
- Taurus season
- Apr 20 to May 21, 2026then Apr 20 to May 21, 2027
- How common is Taurus?
- 8.29% of US births6th most common of 12 (SSA, 2000 to 2014)
Find your Sun signFor this trait astrologers read your Sun before your Sun. Free, no sign-up.
The answer
Why Taurus is the immovable object
Try this today
- Turn off the Earth rule in the dials. Aquarius takes first place.
- If you are a Taurus, try changing one small routine this week on purpose. Notice the resistance. That is the fixed sign.
- If you are arguing with a Taurus, give them time. Fixed signs rarely change their minds on the spot.
If you know a Taurus, you already guessed. The bull is the zodiac's emblem of stubbornness, and our scoring backs it up with a clear win.
The biggest driver is modality. The four fixed signs, Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius, fall in the middle of each season, when the weather has settled in. Astrology reads them as persistent, loyal and resistant to change. Every one of them starts with the maximum points on that rule.
Taurus pulls ahead because it adds two more things. It is an earth sign, the heaviest and slowest element in the old physics astrology borrowed from. And the Moon is exalted in Taurus, which tradition reads as loving comfort and the familiar. Fixed plus earth plus comfort: that is the Taurus of every astrology book, calm, patient, grounded and very hard to move.
The good news, if you love a Taurus, is that the same rules make it the most dependable sign on the wheel. Stubbornness and loyalty are the same trait facing different directions.
The sky behind it
The modalities follow the seasons: cardinal signs begin at an equinox or solstice, fixed signs are the middle month, mutable signs close the season. In 2026 Taurus season runs from April 20 to May 21 (UTC).
Second place
Aquarius: stubborn about ideas
Try this today
- Switch off Saturn in the dials if you use only modern rulers. Aquarius falls into the pack.
- If you are an Aquarius, list three opinions you have never changed. Then ask whether you would want to.
Second place surprises people. Aquarius has a reputation as the rebel and the free thinker, not the stick-in-the-mud.
But look at the rules. Aquarius is a fixed sign, and its traditional ruler is Saturn, the planet of rules, limits and time. Modern astrologers add Uranus, the planet of rebellion, which sounds like the opposite. Put them together and you get the classic Aquarius paradox: unconventional opinions, held with the grip of a fixed sign.
Astrologers describe Aquarius as stubborn about principles and ideas rather than habits. It will happily change its haircut, its city or its job. Try to change its mind about a cause it believes in and you will find out what fixed air means.
The three-way tie
Scorpio, Leo and Capricorn: pride, will and rules
Try this today
- Double the Saturn rule and watch Capricorn rise.
- Next time you dig in, ask which kind it is: pride, will or method.
Third place is a three-way tie, and each sign is stubborn for a different reason.
Scorpio is fixed water with Mars as its traditional ruler. Astrologers describe its stubbornness as quiet and complete. It decides, and then the decision is simply true.
Leo is fixed fire ruled by the Sun. Its stubbornness is pride. A Leo can absolutely change its mind; it just prefers you not to watch.
Capricorn is not fixed at all, it is cardinal, but it scores high on earth and Saturn. Its stubbornness is about method: doing it properly, the way it has always worked, the way it was planned.
Our rule order puts Scorpio first among the three because it also gets a point for Mars. If you think rules are the stickiest kind of stubborn, raise the Saturn dial.
The flexible signs
The least stubborn signs: Gemini, Libra and Pisces
Try this today
- Write down one thing you will not compromise on this month.
- If you are a mutable sign, notice who you adapt to most. Is it a choice?
At the bottom, three signs share last place with zero points. Gemini and Pisces are mutable signs, the ones that close each season, and astrology reads them as adaptable, changeable and quick to see another point of view.
Libra is cardinal, but its rulers and element point toward balance and compromise. Its usual problem is the opposite of stubbornness: it can take so long weighing both sides that someone else decides.
If you have these signs strongly in your chart, astrology's advice is to choose a few things that are non-negotiable and hold them. Flexibility is a gift when you also know where your line is.
Your turn
Set the dials, then count your fixed placements
Eight dials: fixed modality, earth, Saturn, Mars, comfort, pride, the crab's grip and beliefs. Set them your way and watch the ranking reorder. Then enter your Sun, Moon, rising and Mars.
The rules: set each dial
Fixed modality
Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius are the fixed signs, the middle of each season, read as resisting change.
Earth: slow to change
Earth is the heaviest, slowest element in the old physics astrology borrowed from.
Saturn: rules and limits
Saturn rules Capricorn and, traditionally, Aquarius.
Mars rules it: will not back down
Mars rules Aries and Scorpio.
Moon exalted: guards its comfort
The Moon is exalted in Taurus, read as loving what is familiar.
Sun rules it: pride
Leo is the Sun's sign. Pride makes backing down harder.
The crab's grip
Cancer is a cardinal water sign, read as holding on to people and the past.
Jupiter: stubborn about beliefs
Sagittarius, ruled by Jupiter, is read as flexible in plans but firm in principles.
Taurus is the most stubborn sign.
- 1Taurus6 / 13
- 2Aquarius5 / 13
- 3Scorpio4 / 13
- 4Leo4 / 13
- 5Capricorn4 / 13
- 6Aries2 / 13
- 7Virgo1 / 13
- 8Cancer1 / 13
- 9Sagittarius1 / 13
- =10Gemini0 / 13
- =10Libra0 / 13
- =10Pisces0 / 13
Ties on points are ordered by the first rule where the signs differ, top rule first. An = sign means the two are equal on every rule.
Your own chart
Astrologers read this trait through more than your Sun sign. Pick the signs you know, or fill the planets from your birthday.
The rising sign needs your birth time and place. Find it with the rising sign calculator.
Pick at least one placement to see your score.
More to read
Shorter reads. Each opens in place.
Your chart
Stubbornness lives in the Sun, Moon and rising together
A Gemini with the Moon in Taurus and Scorpio rising can be very stubborn indeed. The checker above weights Sun, Moon and rising equally and adds Mars, because astrologers look at how many of your personal points fall in fixed signs.
Continue readingShow less
The other side
Stubborn and loyal are the same trait
The fixed signs top both this list and most loyalty lists, for the same reason: they hold on. Our journal goes deeper in which zodiac signs are the most loyal.
Continue readingShow less
Every sign, ranked by how stubborn astrology calls it
Points come from the rules in the second table. The Sun-season dates are computed, not copied.
| Rank | Sign | Points | Strongest rule | Why it lands here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Taurus | 6 | Fixed modality | Fixed earth, Venus-ruled, Moon exalted. Taurus is the immovable object: calm, comfortable and not changing its mind today. |
| 2 | Aquarius | 5 | Fixed modality | Fixed air with Saturn as its old ruler. Aquarius will defend an unusual opinion forever, especially if you push back. |
| 3 | Scorpio | 4 | Fixed modality | Fixed water with Mars as its old ruler. Scorpio's stubbornness is quiet and total: once decided, done. |
| 4 | Leo | 4 | Fixed modality | Fixed fire and Sun-ruled. Leo's stubbornness is pride. It can change its mind, as long as nobody saw it happen. |
| 5 | Capricorn | 4 | Earth: slow to change | Earth and Saturn. Capricorn is stubborn about rules, plans and doing things properly. |
| 6 | Aries | 2 | Mars rules it: will not back down | Mars rules it, so Aries will not back down in the moment. Give it ten minutes and it has moved on to the next fight. |
| 7 | Virgo | 1 | Earth: slow to change | Mutable earth. Virgo will change its mind, but only after you show it the evidence, with sources. |
| 8 | Cancer | 1 | The crab's grip | The crab's grip: Cancer holds on to people, places and the past, even when it says it is fine. |
| 9 | Sagittarius | 1 | Jupiter: stubborn about beliefs | Mutable fire with flexible plans and firm principles. Sagittarius will change the route, never the destination. |
| =10 | Gemini | 0 | none | Mutable air. Gemini changes its mind so often that stubbornness never gets a chance to set. |
| =10 | Libra | 0 | none | Cardinal air, Venus-ruled. Libra's struggle is deciding, not refusing. It will see your point. And the other one. |
| =10 | Pisces | 0 | none | Mutable water, Neptune-ruled. Pisces goes with the flow, sometimes to a fault. |
| Rule | Points by sign | Why this rule |
|---|---|---|
| Fixed modality | Taurus 3, Leo 3, Scorpio 3, Aquarius 3 | Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius are the fixed signs, the middle of each season, read as resisting change. |
| Earth: slow to change | Taurus 2, Virgo 1, Capricorn 2 | Earth is the heaviest, slowest element in the old physics astrology borrowed from. |
| Saturn: rules and limits | Capricorn 2, Aquarius 2 | Saturn rules Capricorn and, traditionally, Aquarius. |
| Mars rules it: will not back down | Aries 2, Scorpio 1 | Mars rules Aries and Scorpio. |
| Moon exalted: guards its comfort | Taurus 1 | The Moon is exalted in Taurus, read as loving what is familiar. |
| Sun rules it: pride | Leo 1 | Leo is the Sun's sign. Pride makes backing down harder. |
| The crab's grip | Cancer 1 | Cancer is a cardinal water sign, read as holding on to people and the past. |
| Jupiter: stubborn about beliefs | Sagittarius 1 | Sagittarius, ruled by Jupiter, is read as flexible in plans but firm in principles. |
| Sign | 2026 | 2027 | Days |
|---|---|---|---|
| Taurus | Apr 20 to May 21 | Apr 20 to May 21 | 31.0 |
| Aquarius | Jan 20 to Feb 18 | Jan 20 to Feb 18 | 29.6 |
| Scorpio | Oct 23 to Nov 22 | Oct 23 to Nov 22 | 29.9 |
All times are UTC. In the Americas the local date can be a day earlier; in Asia and Australia a day later.
Quick answers
Which zodiac sign is the most stubborn?
Taurus, on our scoring. It is a fixed earth sign and the Moon is exalted there, which tradition reads as loving comfort and the familiar. Aquarius is second, then Scorpio, Leo and Capricorn tied.
What are the most stubborn zodiac signs ranked?
Taurus, Aquarius, Scorpio, Leo, Capricorn, Aries, then Virgo, Cancer and Sagittarius, with Gemini, Libra and Pisces sharing last place.
What is the least stubborn zodiac sign?
Gemini, Libra and Pisces share last place on our rules. Gemini and Pisces are mutable signs, read as adaptable; Libra is read as weighing every side.
Why are fixed signs stubborn?
The fixed signs, Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius, fall in the middle month of each season, when the weather has settled. Astrology reads them as persistent and resistant to change.
Is Taurus or Scorpio more stubborn?
Taurus, on our scoring, because it adds earth and the Moon's exaltation to its fixed modality. Scorpio's stubbornness is quieter and tied to Mars.
Is Aquarius stubborn?
Yes, by astrology's description. It is a fixed sign with Saturn as its traditional ruler, so it holds its opinions tightly, especially unconventional ones. It ranks second here.
How do you deal with a stubborn zodiac sign?
Astrologers suggest giving fixed signs time and evidence instead of pressure. Arguments rarely win; patience and a clear reason often do.
