Imitate the ass in his love to his master.
—St. John Chrysostom, c. 388Quotes
Man is the only animal that laughs and weeps, for he is the only animal that is struck with the difference between what things are and what they ought to be.
—William Hazlitt, 1819Weaseling out of things is important to learn. It’s what separates us from the animals—except the weasel.
—The Simpsons, 1993The righteous know the needs of their animals, but the mercy of the wicked is cruel.
—Book of Proverbs, c. 500 BCWhen the eagles are silent, the parrots begin to jabber.
—Winston Churchill, 1945How like to us is that filthy beast the ape.
—Cicero, 45 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, 1947Men, my dear, are very queer animals—a mixture of horse nervousness, ass stubbornness, and camel malice.
—T. H. Huxley, 1895It is remarkable that only small birds properly sing.
—Charles Darwin, 1871Man is merely a more perfect animal than the rest. He reasons better.
—Napoleon Bonaparte, 1816Man is a noble animal, splendid in ashes and pompous in the grave.
—Thomas Browne, 1658Every creature in the world is like a book and a picture, to us, and a mirror.
—Alain de Lille, c. 1200Man is no man, but a wolf, to a stranger.
—Plautus, c. 200 BC