Thanks to The Tortoise and the Hare, the turtle is also seen by many as a symbol of intelligence and wisdom. Look at any older turtle and try not to see the wisdom in its eyes. Obviously, intelligence and wisdom are traits that most people want to have, so it could be one of the many reasons why they would get a turtle tattoo. You can even use this meaning with a cartoony turtle by making it look intelligent, perhaps with glasses or by having it reading.

Thanks to their hard shells, turtle tattoos can also be seen as a symbol of strength. Turtles have to carry those shells around on their backs for their entire lives, so yeah, they are pretty strong. People who get their turtle tattoos for this reason either want to be seen as strong individuals or they want to use the tattoo to encourage them to be strong. You could make that meaning more obvious in your design by having the turtle carry something heavy on its back, such as Earth itself (this could add in the meaning that you feel you do have the strength to carry your world and everything in it).

That shell they have is also a great symbol of protection. Without that shell, turtles would have absolutely no chance of survival out in the wild, and they know perfectly well how to use that protection. In most cases this turtle tattoo meaning shows that the owners are the type of people who take pride in taking care of their family and friends. It can also mean that they want to be protected from things that could derail their lives. Either way, the turtle is one of the best tattoos to get if you wanted to use the “protection” meaning.

They may be slower than most other reptiles and animals, but no one can deny that turtles have an incredible amount of stamina. They have to almost constantly be on the move not only to avoid predators but also to seek out food for survival. They can walk and swim for a much longer period of time than most people realize. This is a rarer turtle tattoo meaning, but people who want to have the stamina to make it through all of the tough times might get this tattoo for that reason alone.