The reason dogs have so many friends is because they wag their tails and not their tongues.
—Anonymous
If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you. This is the principal difference between a dog and a man.
—Mark Twain (1835–1910) American Humorist
Never look down on anybody unless you’re helping him up.
—Jesse Jackson (b.1941) American Civil Rights Leader, Minister
When a dog runs at you, whistle for him.
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–62) American Philosopher
Be as a bird perched on a frail branch that she feels bending beneath her, still she sings away all the same, knowing she has wings.
—Victor Hugo (1802–85) French Novelist
Animals used to provide a lowlife way to kill and get away with it, as they do still, but, more intriguingly, for some people they are an aperture through which wounds drain. The scapegoat of olden times, driven off for the bystanders sins, has become a tender thing, a running injury. There, running away is me: hurt it and you are hurting me.
—Edward Hoagland (b.1932) American Essayist, Novelist
Your rat tail is all the fashion now. I prefer a bushy plume, carried straight up. You are Siamese and your ancestors lived in trees. Mine lived in palaces. It has been suggested to me that I am a bit of a snob. How true! I prefer to be.
—Raymond Chandler (1888–1959) American Novelist
I shoot the Hippopotamus
With bullets made of platinum,
Because if I use leaden ones
His hide is sure to flatten ’em.
—Hilaire Belloc (1870–1953) British Historian, Poet, Critic
Cows are amongst 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 (1785–1859) English Essayist, Critic
Four legs good, two legs bad.
—George Orwell (1903–50) English Novelist, Journalist
The animals of the world exist for their own reasons. They were not made for humans any more than black people were made for whites or women for men.
—Alice Walker (b.1944) American Novelist, Activist
Each outcry of the hunted hare A fiber from the brain doth tear.
—William Blake (1757–1827) English Poet, Painter, Printmaker
What an ugly beast the ape, and how like us.
—Cicero (106BCE–43BCE) Roman Philosopher, Orator, Politician, Lawyer
Animals are such agreeable friends—they ask no questions; they pass no criticisms.
—George Eliot (Mary Anne Evans) (1819–80) English Novelist
Who can guess how much industry and providence and affection we have caught from the pantomime of brutes?
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–82) American Philosopher
In a few generations more, there will probably be no room at all allowed for animals on the earth: no need of them, no toleration of them. An immense agony will have then ceased, but with it there will also have passed away the last smile of the world’s youth.
—Ouida (Maria Louise Rame) (1839–1908) English Novelist
Presumption is our natural and original malady. When I play with my cat, who knows if I am not a pastime to her more than she is to me.
—Michel de Montaigne (1533–92) French Essayist
The cow is of the bovine ilk;
One end is moo, the other milk.
—Ogden Nash (1902–71) American Writer of Sophisticated Light Verse
No matter how eloquently a dog may bark, he cannot tell you that his parents were poor, but honest.
—Bertrand A. Russell (1872–1970) British Philosopher, Mathematician, Social Critic
Animals, in their generation, are wiser than the sons of men; but their wisdom is confined to a few particulars, and lies in a very narrow compass.
—Joseph Addison (1672–1719) English Essayist, Poet, Playwright, Politician
Man is a clever animal who behaves like an imbecile.
—Albert Schweitzer (1875–1965) French Theologian, Philosopher, Musician, Physician
Before you beat the dog, find out the name of his master.
—Chinese Proverb
Fierce and poisonous animals were created for terrifying man, in order that he might be made aware of the final judgment in hell.
—John Wesley (1703–91) British Methodist Leader, Preacher, Theologian
Never look for the birds of this year in the nests of the last.
—Miguel de Cervantes (1547–1616) Spanish Novelist
Bees aren’t as busy as we think they are: They just can’t buzz any slower.
—Kin Hubbard (1868–1930) American Cartoonist, Humorist
People are not going to care about animal conservation unless they think that animals are worthwhile.
—David Attenborough (b.1926) English Naturalist, Broadcaster
Is it not wonderful that the love of the animal parent should be so violent while it lasts and that it should last no longer than is necessary for the preservation of the young?
—Joseph Addison (1672–1719) English Essayist, Poet, Playwright, Politician
A fence should be horse high, hog tight and bull strong.
—Unknown
We are alone, absolutely alone on this chance planet; and amid all the forms of life that surround us, not one, excepting the dog has made an alliance with us.
—Max De Pree (1924–2017) American Businessman
I said something which gave you to think I hated cats. But gad, sir, I am one of the most fanatical cat lovers in the business. If you hate them, I may learn to hate you. If your allergies hate them, I will tolerate the situation to the best of my ability.
—Raymond Chandler (1888–1959) American Novelist
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