Going back to Ferdinand, he was laid back, easy going and resistant to being cajoled or pushed in a direction he did not wish to go. That's Taurus. They will not allow themselves to be pushed into doing anything. (So if your Taurus gets into trouble, you know it was a Taurus choice.) Laid back is definitely a Taurus description, even if she is not, she will appear that way.
Surprising a Taurus with something great will not elicit a whoop of joy or a shriek of surprise, often a slow grin and a thanks is all you get. Nonplussed for sure. All is calm and rarely any visible show of excitement. Want to get them excited? Wear red around them, paint your walls red, paint your nails red, and then you will see constant irritation. For the bulls, red is the colour to wear when they are low on energy. The colour red is what drove Ferdinand to become more aggressive than all the other bulls. Once a Taurus blows his cool, get out of town! This happens a couple of times a year, so be grateful.
With every sign, there are positive and negative traits. We have the choice to be positive or negative. That is certainly a Taurus choice. Getting used to being listened to or even obeyed, it can be hard to give up getting one's own way. A Taurus can easily be a leader and there's a ton of sex appeal, even if there's no public affection (please no overt displays!). However, behind closed doors is definitely another story. You ask yourself, can this be the same person who wouldn't even hold my hand on the street?
It's easy to see how a Taurus tyrant could be in power, like Saddam Hussein. Oh he certainly was a Taurus with his sexual excesses and dictatorial power. It had to be wrestled from him. A Taurus will never give up!
I have the birthdays of two Tauruses. They are born a year apart and have more than their Sun signs in common, astrologically that is. The first, the (now ex) Prime Minister of Canada, Stephen Harper is a Taurus who is famous for controlling his party, muzzling them, and pushing through his own agenda. Based on his date, he could be a great humanitarian, concerned about equality and fairness for all humans.
The second is George Clooney, the actor and human rights activist. Now he's very concerned about people and goes about using his power as a celebrity to make the world aware of trampled human rights. George even went to the United Nations to plead for those less fortunate.
Did I mention that Tauruses have a sense of humour? Something along the lines of the Three Stooges, but still fun. Since Taurus is an earth sign, this means logic is everything. You must be logical if you ever hope to sway a Taurus (and no emotion, please). That's not to say that your average Taurus will not try to sway you with emotion, she will. However, you better not try. Once you are in tight with a Taurus, he will be a loyal friend. You must do something terrible for him to cut you loose. He will expect the same loyalty from you.
All you mothers out there, a Taurus child will often have a soft spot for you, good to know when the same child is driving you nuts as a teenager with his own agenda.
Oh, one more thing, Taurus can be lazy, and if she can get someone else to do something, she will.
I've noticed so many Tauruses have had past lives as warriors, soldiers etc. No wonder they are so determined to do their own thing.