--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Dog - a kind of additional or subsidiary…" description: "\"Dog - a kind of additional or subsidiary Deity designed to catch the overflow and surplus of the world's worship.\" — Ambrose Bierce" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/597/ambrose-bierce-140_dog_dog-a-kind-of-additional-or-subsidiary-d_1769470.jpg" --- # Dog - a kind of additional or subsidiary Deity designed to… ![“Dog - a kind of additional or subsidiary Deity designed to catch the overflow and surplus of the world's worship.” quote by Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/597/ambrose-bierce-140_dog_dog-a-kind-of-additional-or-subsidiary-d_1769470.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/597/ambrose-bierce-140_dog_dog-a-kind-of-additional-or-subsidiary-d_1769470.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/597/ambrose-bierce-140_dog_dog-a-kind-of-additional-or-subsidiary-d_1769470.jpg) > “Dog - a kind of additional or subsidiary Deity designed to catch the overflow and surplus of the world's worship.” [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A deity is portrayed as a catch‑all for excess worship, implying that divine concepts become overloaded. **In simple terms:** Deities serve as overflow for human worship. Key Takeaway Beware of over‑inflating spiritual ideas. Themes religion satire human nature Mood ironic critical Type satirical philosophical When to use this quote - church rituals - political propaganda - consumer culture Key Concepts theology cultural critique Questions to Reflect On - How does excess worship affect belief? - What limits should be set on divine concepts? A Different Perspective Not all worship is surplus; some is essential. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Animal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) [Deity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deity/) [Deity Designed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deity-designed-1764721/) [Dog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dog/) [Dog Kind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dog-kind-1515988/) [Kind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kind/) [Overflow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/overflow/) [Subsidiary Deity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/subsidiary-deity-1764720/) [Surplus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surplus/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [World Worship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-worship-1358431/) [Worship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worship/) ## Related quotes > [ A subsidiary Deity designed to catch the overflow and surplus of the world's worship . . . . \[H\]is master works for the means… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/a-subsidiary-deity-designed-to-catch-the-overflow-and-surplus-of-the/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [DOG, n. A kind of additional or subsidiary Deity designed to catch the overflow and surplus of the world's worship. This Divine Being in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/dog-n-a-kind-of-additional-or-subsidiary-deity-designed-to-catch-the/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [“DOG: A kind of additional or subsidiary Diety designed to catch the overflow or surplus of the world's worship.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/dog-a-kind-of-additional-or-subsidiary-diety-designed-to-catch-the/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [“Can I help it if the world cannot worship what it has not first martyred?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/casper-silk/can-i-help-it-if-the-world-cannot-worship-what-it-has-not-first/) [Casper Silk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/casper-silk/) > [ “Worship without ‘Gnan’ \[True Knowledge\] will give material pleasures in the world and worship accompanied by ‘Gnan’ \[True Knowledge\] is known as ‘Gnan’ \[True… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/worship-without-gnan-true-knowledge-will-give-material-pleasures-in/) [Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/) > [I think that's the great thing about being with, having a dog, is it kind of forces you to be in the present because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-aniston/i-think-that-s-the-great-thing-about-being-with-having-a-dog-is-it/) [Jennifer Aniston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-aniston/) > [“A dog. What was it doing, leaping about like that, racing around this strange guy’s feet? Wagging its tail. Barking. The man started talking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masaji-ishikawa/a-dog-what-was-it-doing-leaping-about-like-that-racing-around-this/) [Masaji Ishikawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masaji-ishikawa/) > [Impiety, n.: Your irreverence toward my deity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/impiety-n-your-irreverence-toward-my-deity/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [Impiety. Your irreverence toward my deity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/impiety-your-irreverence-toward-my-deity/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [When a companion's heart of itself overflows, the best one can do is to do nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/when-a-companion-s-heart-of-itself-overflows-the-best-one-can-do-is/) [Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/) > [An overflow of good converts to bad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/an-overflow-of-good-converts-to-bad/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“Dear Superwoman, Seasons are there for a reason. You may not flourish now, but when it is your season, your cup will overflow.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gift-gugu-mona/dear-superwoman-seasons-are-there-for-a-reason-you-may-not-flourish/) [Gift Gugu Mona](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gift-gugu-mona/) > [“An hour passed and another and then, like a glass of water overfilled - the meniscus inverting, going convex, gravity pulling at the edges,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-doerr/an-hour-passed-and-another-and-then-like-a-glass-of-water-overfilled/) [Anthony Doerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-doerr/) > [Life is a magic vase filled to the brim, so made that you cannot dip from it nor draw from it; but it overflows…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ruskin/life-is-a-magic-vase-filled-to-the-brim-so-made-that-you-cannot-dip/) [John Ruskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ruskin/) > [“Nourish yourself mindfully, Give from the overflow.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-papa/nourish-yourself-mindfully-give-from-the-overflow/) [Lee Papa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-papa/) ## More by Ambrose Bierce > [OBSESSED, p.p. Vexed by an evil spirit, like the Gadarene swine and other critics. Obsession was once more common than it is now. Arasthus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/obsessed-p-p-vexed-by-an-evil-spirit-like-the-gadarene-swine-and/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [DECIDE, v.i. To succumb to the preponderance of one set of influences over another set.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/decide-v-i-to-succumb-to-the-preponderance-of-one-set-of-influences/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [IMMORAL, adj. Inexpedient. Whatever in the long run and with regard to the greater number of instances men find to be generally inexpedient comes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/immoral-adj-inexpedient-whatever-in-the-long-run-and-with-regard-to/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [REVIEW, v.t. To set your wisdom (holding not a doubt of it./ Although in truth there's neither bone nor skin to it)/ At work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/review-v-t-to-set-your-wisdom-holding-not-a-doubt-of-it-although-in/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [CLOCK, n. A machine of great moral value to man, allaying his concern for the future by reminding him what a lot of time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/clock-n-a-machine-of-great-moral-value-to-man-allaying-his-concern/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [RUBBISH, n. Worthless matter, such as the religions, philosophies, literatures, arts and sciences of the tribes infesting the regions lying due south from Boreaplas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/rubbish-n-worthless-matter-such-as-the-religions-philosophies/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [There was never a genius who was not thought a fool until he disclosed himself; whereas he is a fool then only.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/there-was-never-a-genius-who-was-not-thought-a-fool-until-he/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [Telephone, n. An invention of the devil which abrogates some of the advantages of making a disagreeable person keep his distance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/telephone-n-an-invention-of-the-devil-which-abrogates-some-of-the/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [WHANGDEPOOTENAWAH, n. In the Ojibwa tongue, disaster; an unexpected affliction that strikes hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/whangdepootenawah-n-in-the-ojibwa-tongue-disaster-an-unexpected/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [Jealous, adj. Unduly concerned about the preservation of that which can be lost only if not worth keeping.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/jealous-adj-unduly-concerned-about-the-preservation-of-that-which-can/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [RIDICULE, n. Words designed to show that the person of whom they are uttered is devoid of the dignity of character distinguishing him who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/ridicule-n-words-designed-to-show-that-the-person-of-whom-they-are/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [Think twice before you speak to a friend in need](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/think-twice-before-you-speak-to-a-friend-in-need/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [HERMIT, n. A person whose vices and follies are not sociable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/hermit-n-a-person-whose-vices-and-follies-are-not-sociable/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [TARIFF, n. A scale of taxes on imports, designed to protect the domestic producer against the greed of his consumer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/tariff-n-a-scale-of-taxes-on-imports-designed-to-protect-the-domestic/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [A bad marriage is like an electrical thrilling machine: it makes you dance, but you can't let go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/a-bad-marriage-is-like-an-electrical-thrilling-machine-it-makes-you/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) [Explore all 1,157 Ambrose Bierce quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) ## More Animal quotes > [I was 3-years-old - to this day it is a vivid memory. My family and I were on a boat, catching fish. As one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joaquin-phoenix/i-was-3-years-old-to-this-day-it-is-a-vivid-memory-my-family-and-i/) [Joaquin Phoenix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joaquin-phoenix/) > [Animals know nothing of themselves, and they also know nothing of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/animals-know-nothing-of-themselves-and-they-also-know-nothing-of-the/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [Humans are animals too, but some do not like to work from expectations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/humans-are-animals-too-but-some-do-not-like-to-work-from-expectations/) [Mak\_786](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mak-786/) > [When grubbing for necessities man is still an animal. He becomes uniquely human when he reaches out for the superfluous and extravagant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/when-grubbing-for-necessities-man-is-still-an-animal-he-becomes/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [I'm 38 and I'm single, and I'm having my most intense and gratifying relationship with a dog. But we all learn about love in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-knapp/i-m-38-and-i-m-single-and-i-m-having-my-most-intense-and-gratifying/) [Caroline Knapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-knapp/) > [Practically all animals which move fast in a homogeneous medium have found means of giving their body a streamlined shape, thereby reducing friction to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/practically-all-animals-which-move-fast-in-a-homogeneous-medium-have/) [Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/) > [A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/a-horse-a-horse-my-kingdom-for-a-horse/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“it is a federal system of sadistic torture, vivisection, and animal genocide, which has been carried on for decades under the fraudulent guise of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-tobias/it-is-a-federal-system-of-sadistic-torture-vivisection-and-animal/) [Michael Tobias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-tobias/) > [“What does it mean to be a self-conscious animal? The idea is ludicrous, if it is not monstrous. It means to know that one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-becker/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-self-conscious-animal-the-idea-is-ludicrous/) [Ernest Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-becker/) > [We must love animals in such a powerful way that we should reject to eat them!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/we-must-love-animals-in-such-a-powerful-way-that-we-should-reject-to/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [“The universe contains any amount of horrible ways to be woken up, such as the noise of the mob breaking down the front door,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/the-universe-contains-any-amount-of-horrible-ways-to-be-woken-up-such/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [This brings me back to the image of Kafka standing before a fish in the Berlin aquarium, a fish on which his gaze fell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/this-brings-me-back-to-the-image-of-kafka-standing-before-a-fish-in/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [That dog, I say that dog is lower than a snake full of buckshot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/foghorn-leghorn/that-dog-i-say-that-dog-is-lower-than-a-snake-full-of-buckshot/) [Foghorn Leghorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/foghorn-leghorn/) > [I bet plants go like 'Weeeeeeeee!' whenever they're swallowed by a giraffe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-bet-plants-go-like-weeeeeeeee-whenever-they-re-swallowed-by-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Animal rights without veganism is like human rights with slavery. It makes no sense. None whatsoever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-l-francione/animal-rights-without-veganism-is-like-human-rights-with-slavery-it/) [Gary L. Francione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-l-francione/) [Browse all 13,456 Animal quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Dog - a kind of additional or subsidiary Deity designed to catch the overflow and surplus of the world's worship.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ambrose Bierce" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/dog-a-kind-of-additional-or-subsidiary-deity-designed-to-catch-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Animal" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/dog-a-kind-of-additional-or-subsidiary-deity-designed-to-catch-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/597/ambrose-bierce-140_dog_dog-a-kind-of-additional-or-subsidiary-d_1769470.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/597/ambrose-bierce-140_dog_dog-a-kind-of-additional-or-subsidiary-d_1769470.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/597/ambrose-bierce-140_dog_dog-a-kind-of-additional-or-subsidiary-d_1769470.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Dog - a kind of additional or subsidiary Deity designed to catch the overflow and surplus of the world's…” — Ambrose Bierce", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Ambrose Bierce", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Dog - a kind of additional...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/dog-a-kind-of-additional-or-subsidiary-deity-designed-to-catch-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/dog-a-kind-of-additional-or-subsidiary-deity-designed-to-catch-the/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```