A dog starved at his master’s gate / Predicts the ruin of the state.
—William Blake, 1807Quotes
We call them dumb animals, and so they are, for they cannot tell us how they feel, but they do not suffer less because they have no words.
—Anna Sewell, 1877The righteous know the needs of their animals, but the mercy of the wicked is cruel.
—Book of Proverbs, c. 500 BCMan is the only animal for whom his own existence is a problem which he has to solve and from which he cannot escape.
—Erich Fromm, 1947Every ass thinks himself worthy to stand with the king’s horses.
—Gnomologia, 1732Be a good animal, true to your animal instincts.
—D.H. Lawrence, 1911Man is a troublesome animal and therefore is not very manageable.
—Plato, c. 349 BCIf you are a dog and your owner suggests that you wear a sweater, suggest that he wear a tail.
—Fran Lebowitz, 1981Man is no man, but a wolf, to a stranger.
—Plautus, c. 200 BCMan is the only animal that can remain on friendly terms with the victims he intends to eat until he eats them.
—Samuel Butler, c. 1890In every man is a wild beast; most of them don’t know how to hold it back, and the majority give it full rein when they are not restrained by terror of law.
—Frederick the Great, 1759Imitate the ass in his love to his master.
—St. John Chrysostom, c. 388Cows are among the gentlest of breathing creatures; none show more passionate tenderness to their young when deprived of them—and, in short, I am not ashamed to profess a deep love for these quiet creatures.
—Thomas De Quincey, 1821