--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Man is the only animal that when you pat…" description: "\"Man is the only animal that when you pat him on the head, his head swells up.\" — Anonymous" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef2/anonymous-1_animal_man-is-the-only-animal-that-when-you-pat_1853070.jpg" --- # Man is the only animal that when you pat him on the head… ![“Man is the only animal that when you pat him on the head, his head swells up.” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef2/anonymous-1_animal_man-is-the-only-animal-that-when-you-pat_1853070.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef2/anonymous-1_animal_man-is-the-only-animal-that-when-you-pat_1853070.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef2/anonymous-1_animal_man-is-the-only-animal-that-when-you-pat_1853070.jpg) > “Man is the only animal that when you pat him on the head, his head swells up.” [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Humans are uniquely vulnerable to ego bruises from praise or criticism, unlike other animals. **In simple terms:** People’s self‑esteem can be easily hurt. Key Takeaway Cultivate humility and resilience. Themes ego vulnerability human nature psychology Mood reflective thoughtful Type psychological philosophical When to use this quote - workplace feedback - personal relationships - public speaking Key Concepts self‑esteem social interaction emotional intelligence Questions to Reflect On - Why do we react strongly to minor slights? - What builds emotional resilience? A Different Perspective The quote is vague and lacks empirical support. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Animal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) [Animals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animals/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) ## Related quotes > [The human body is a peculiar device, pat it on the back and the head swells.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-human-body-is-a-peculiar-device-pat-it-on-the-back-and-the-head/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Keep your head up, and your head strong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/keep-your-head-up-and-your-head-strong/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Some people just need a sympathetic pat... on the head… with a hammer...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-merrow/some-people-just-need-a-sympathetic-pat-on-the-head-with-a-hammer/) [James Merrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-merrow/) > [“I am an academician with a Ph.D. who works in higher education, so my head swells naturally.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-a-barnes/i-am-an-academician-with-a-ph-d-who-works-in-higher-education-so-my/) [Jeffrey A. Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-a-barnes/) > [I do not know what it was about that boy but just looking at him, even I wanted to clout him on the head.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-dewitt/i-do-not-know-what-it-was-about-that-boy-but-just-looking-at-him-even/) [Patrick deWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-dewitt/) > [“Where did you get your copies?" "Out of my head." "That head I see now on your shoulders?" "Yes, sir.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/where-did-you-get-your-copies-out-of-my-head-that-head-i-see-now-on/) [Charlotte Brontë](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [You must have the score in your head, not your head in the score.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-von-bulow/you-must-have-the-score-in-your-head-not-your-head-in-the-score/) [Hans von Bulow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-von-bulow/) > [“It has been said that man at ten is an animal, at twenty a lunatic, at thirty a failure, at forty a fraud, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-has-been-said-that-man-at-ten-is-an-animal-at-twenty-a-lunatic-at/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Man, an animal that makes bargains.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/man-an-animal-that-makes-bargains/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Historically the biggest killer of Man has not been animal but Man him self.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/historically-the-biggest-killer-of-man-has-not-been-animal-but-man/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Man has done a lot to make himself dangerous and animals get the worst of all of it. But then, man too is an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/man-has-done-a-lot-to-make-himself-dangerous-and-animals-get-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Man is the only animal that can remain on friendly terms with the victims he intends to eat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/man-is-the-only-animal-that-can-remain-on-friendly-terms-with-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Man is the only animal who does not feel at home in nature, who can feel evicted from paradise, the only animal for whom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/man-is-the-only-animal-who-does-not-feel-at-home-in-nature-who-can/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [Man is the only animal that deals in that atrocity of atrocities War. He is the only one that gathers his brethren about him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/man-is-the-only-animal-that-deals-in-that-atrocity-of-atrocities-war/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [Man is the only animal that laughs and weeps; for he is the only animal that is struck with the difference between what things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/man-is-the-only-animal-that-laughs-and-weeps-for-he-is-the-only/) [William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/) ## More by Anonymous > [And a tear rolled down her cheek, as she said goodbye; because she's walking away, and she's never looking back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-a-tear-rolled-down-her-cheek-as-she-said-goodbye-because-she-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Scrabble - The game is available in Braille. That’s a nice fact. This makes me feel better about humanity for some reason. I can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/scrabble-the-game-is-available-in-braille-that-s-a-nice-fact-this/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Everyone needs someone to love, and I choose you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-needs-someone-to-love-and-i-choose-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Put on my J's and dance the whole night away Im naughty by nature like Im hip-hop hooray With my hands in the sky,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/put-on-my-j-s-and-dance-the-whole-night-away-im-naughty-by-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Me.. I have been through a lot, but I still manage to have a smile on my face. Im not worried about the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/me-i-have-been-through-a-lot-but-i-still-manage-to-have-a-smile-on-my/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Distance is a test of love. many will fail for those who can't withstand it, but for those who can, theres only one answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/distance-is-a-test-of-love-many-will-fail-for-those-who-can-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Im sorry I ever tried...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-sorry-i-ever-tried/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Being betrayed by the one you love is the worst feeling in the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-betrayed-by-the-one-you-love-is-the-worst-feeling-in-the-world/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The only person I've ever purposely caused pain here is myself...By simply sharing, caring too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-person-i-ve-ever-purposely-caused-pain-here-is-myself-by/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The truth is, of course, that the curtness of the Ten Commandments is an evidence, not of the gloom and narrowness of a religion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-truth-is-of-course-that-the-curtness-of-the-ten-commandments-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Explore all 162,899 Anonymous quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## 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 > [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": "Man is the only animal that when you pat him on the head, his head swells up.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Anonymous" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/man-is-the-only-animal-that-when-you-pat-him-on-the-head-his-head/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Animal" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/man-is-the-only-animal-that-when-you-pat-him-on-the-head-his-head/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef2/anonymous-1_animal_man-is-the-only-animal-that-when-you-pat_1853070.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef2/anonymous-1_animal_man-is-the-only-animal-that-when-you-pat_1853070.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef2/anonymous-1_animal_man-is-the-only-animal-that-when-you-pat_1853070.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Man is the only animal that when you pat him on the head, his head swells up.” — Anonymous", "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": "Anonymous", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Man is the only animal that...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/man-is-the-only-animal-that-when-you-pat-him-on-the-head-his-head/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/man-is-the-only-animal-that-when-you-pat-him-on-the-head-his-head/#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 } } ] } ```