--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Imagine that the country is like a dog…" description: "\"“Imagine that the country is like a dog. The terrorist attacks are like fleas biting the dog, but what the terrorists are really after is not to bite t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a2/dan-carlin-89693_attacks_imagine-that-the-country-is-like-a-dog-t_1270474.jpg" --- # Imagine that the country is like a dog. The terrorist… ![“Imagine that the country is like a dog. The terrorist attacks are like fleas biting the dog, but what the terrorists are really after is not to bite the dog. It’s to have the dog, in an attempt to get the fleas on him, chew himself to pieces.” quote by Dan Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a2/dan-carlin-89693_attacks_imagine-that-the-country-is-like-a-dog-t_1270474.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a2/dan-carlin-89693_attacks_imagine-that-the-country-is-like-a-dog-t_1270474.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a2/dan-carlin-89693_attacks_imagine-that-the-country-is-like-a-dog-t_1270474.jpg) > ““Imagine that the country is like a dog. The terrorist attacks are like fleas biting the dog, but what the terrorists are really after is not to bite the dog. It’s to have the dog, in an attempt to get the fleas on him, chew himself to pieces.”” Dan Carlin ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Comparing terrorism to fleas on a dog illustrates the false pretext of attacking a nation to harm its people. **In simple terms:** Terrorism uses a nation as a proxy target. Key Takeaway Recognize and address underlying motives. Themes politics conflict terrorism strategy Mood analytical critical Type Attacks:0 Country:0 Dog:0 Israel:0 Political:1 Sovereignty:0 Terror:1 Terrorism:1 Terrorist:0 Terrorists:0 War:0 Like Fleas:0 Dog Terrorists:0 Dog Terrorist:0 When to use this quote - policy analysis - public discourse - educational seminars Key Concepts analogy propaganda national security Questions to Reflect On - What does the “dog” symbolize? - How can societies avoid being the “fleas”? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country/) [Dog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dog/) [Israel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/israel/) [Political](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political/) [Sovereignty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sovereignty/) [Terrorism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terrorism/) [Terrorists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terrorists/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [The better a work is, the more it attracts criticism; it is like the fleas who rush to jump on white linens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/the-better-a-work-is-the-more-it-attracts-criticism-it-is-like-the/) [Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/) > [“To feel someone’s life drain from their body by your hands . . . bad, bad people who need to be plucked from this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tillie-cole/to-feel-someone-s-life-drain-from-their-body-by-your-hands-bad-bad/) [Tillie Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tillie-cole/) > [“Standing before him, the blight of idyllic thought and aspiration--rotting souls reproducing like fleas.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-krisch/standing-before-him-the-blight-of-idyllic-thought-and-aspiration/) Glen Krisch > [Thoughts, like fleas, jump from man to man. But they don't bite everybody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanislaw-jerzy-lec/thoughts-like-fleas-jump-from-man-to-man-but-they-don-t-bite-everybody/) [Stanislaw Jerzy Lec](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanislaw-jerzy-lec/) > [We have to be mindful that there is the certainty that terrorists will attempt to launch multiple attacks against their enemy, which is us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cofer-black/we-have-to-be-mindful-that-there-is-the-certainty-that-terrorists/) [Cofer Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cofer-black/) > [Drone attacks are against the national sovereignty and a challenge for the country's autonomy and independence. Therefore, we won't tolerate these attacks in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nawaz-sharif/drone-attacks-are-against-the-national-sovereignty-and-a-challenge/) [Nawaz Sharif](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nawaz-sharif/) > [Mr. Chairman, on September 11, we were attacked by terrorists who took advantage of weaknesses in our border security. After infiltrating our country, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-ryun/mr-chairman-on-september-11-we-were-attacked-by-terrorists-who-took/) [Jim Ryun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-ryun/) > [But I warn my colleagues that we will fail in our efforts to protect the homeland if we do not take additional steps to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-i-warn-my-colleagues-that-we-will-fail-in-our-efforts-to-protect/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We can't gather the intelligence we need to foil future attacks, if we are blindly granting terrorists the right to remain silent. But for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-can-t-gather-the-intelligence-we-need-to-foil-future-attacks-if-we/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“At the same time that we see a massive deployment of wireless radiation, we see the most violent attacks on modern society.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/at-the-same-time-that-we-see-a-massive-deployment-of-wireless/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [We've had Saudis and Jordanians and Pakistanis who have - and Syrians - who have been involved in armed attacks against coalition forces in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-armitage/we-ve-had-saudis-and-jordanians-and-pakistanis-who-have-and-syrians/) [Richard Armitage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-armitage/) > [If nothing else, the cyber attacks that occurred during the 2016 presidential election have laid bare the very real vulnerabilities that exist across our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-quigley/if-nothing-else-the-cyber-attacks-that-occurred-during-the-2016/) [Mike Quigley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-quigley/) > [The administration of George W. Bush, emboldened by the Sept. 11 attacks and the backing of a Republican Congress, has sought to further extend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-feldman/the-administration-of-george-w-bush-emboldened-by-the-sept-11-attacks/) [Noah Feldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-feldman/) > [I personally felt that his ad hominen attacks on British architects were not the sort of thing a Prince of Wales should be doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-holden/i-personally-felt-that-his-ad-hominen-attacks-on-british-architects/) [Anthony Holden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-holden/) > [The way I look at it is, cancer research is absolutely nonpartisan. Cancer is very democratic in the sense that it attacks people regardless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-h-koch/the-way-i-look-at-it-is-cancer-research-is-absolutely-nonpartisan/) [David H. Koch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-h-koch/) ## More by Dan Carlin > [“Wisdom requires a flexible mind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-carlin/wisdom-requires-a-flexible-mind/) Dan Carlin Explore all 2 Dan Carlin quotes ## More Attacks quotes > [The way I look at it is, cancer research is absolutely nonpartisan. Cancer is very democratic in the sense that it attacks people regardless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-h-koch/the-way-i-look-at-it-is-cancer-research-is-absolutely-nonpartisan/) [David H. Koch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-h-koch/) > [I personally felt that his ad hominen attacks on British architects were not the sort of thing a Prince of Wales should be doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-holden/i-personally-felt-that-his-ad-hominen-attacks-on-british-architects/) [Anthony Holden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-holden/) > [The administration of George W. Bush, emboldened by the Sept. 11 attacks and the backing of a Republican Congress, has sought to further extend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-feldman/the-administration-of-george-w-bush-emboldened-by-the-sept-11-attacks/) [Noah Feldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-feldman/) > [If nothing else, the cyber attacks that occurred during the 2016 presidential election have laid bare the very real vulnerabilities that exist across our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-quigley/if-nothing-else-the-cyber-attacks-that-occurred-during-the-2016/) [Mike Quigley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-quigley/) > [We've had Saudis and Jordanians and Pakistanis who have - and Syrians - who have been involved in armed attacks against coalition forces in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-armitage/we-ve-had-saudis-and-jordanians-and-pakistanis-who-have-and-syrians/) [Richard Armitage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-armitage/) > [“At the same time that we see a massive deployment of wireless radiation, we see the most violent attacks on modern society.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/at-the-same-time-that-we-see-a-massive-deployment-of-wireless/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [At sleepovers I would have panic attacks trying to break it to girls that they didn't want to kiss me without outing myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/io-tillett-wright/at-sleepovers-i-would-have-panic-attacks-trying-to-break-it-to-girls/) [iO Tillett Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/io-tillett-wright/) > [I knew I was having a panic attack. I hadn't had one in a while, though, and I'd forgotton how it makes me feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hemantsmarty/i-knew-i-was-having-a-panic-attack-i-hadn-t-had-one-in-a-while-though/) Hemantsmarty > [We now know that gun-free zones, though well intentioned, do not prevent attacks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-prince/we-now-know-that-gun-free-zones-though-well-intentioned-do-not/) [Erik Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-prince/) > [Weichel hits very hard and is very good with the timing of his attacks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricio-freire/weichel-hits-very-hard-and-is-very-good-with-the-timing-of-his-attacks/) [Patricio Freire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricio-freire/) > [The wrongful arrest of tens of thousands of British Muslims after the September 11 attacks can be explained by the very poor intelligence the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoff-mulgan/the-wrongful-arrest-of-tens-of-thousands-of-british-muslims-after-the/) [Geoff Mulgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoff-mulgan/) > [Mediocrity always attacks excellence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-beckwith/mediocrity-always-attacks-excellence/) [Michael Beckwith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-beckwith/) > [The majority of terrorist attacks that have been disrupted in the United States have been disrupted due to things like the Time Square bomber,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/the-majority-of-terrorist-attacks-that-have-been-disrupted-in-the/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [We can't gather the intelligence we need to foil future attacks, if we are blindly granting terrorists the right to remain silent. But for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-can-t-gather-the-intelligence-we-need-to-foil-future-attacks-if-we/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Less than a year after the Sept. 11 attacks, al-Qaida attacks were continuing: the firebombing of a synagogue in Tunisia in April, a bomb…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-dedman/less-than-a-year-after-the-sept-11-attacks-al-qaida-attacks-were/) [Bill Dedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-dedman/) Browse all 291 Attacks quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Imagine that the country is like a dog. The terrorist attacks are like fleas biting the dog, but what the terrorists are really after is not to bite the dog. It’s to have the dog, in an attempt to get the fleas on him, chew himself to pieces.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Dan Carlin" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-carlin/imagine-that-the-country-is-like-a-dog-the-terrorist-attacks-are-like/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Attacks" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-carlin/imagine-that-the-country-is-like-a-dog-the-terrorist-attacks-are-like/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a2/dan-carlin-89693_attacks_imagine-that-the-country-is-like-a-dog-t_1270474.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a2/dan-carlin-89693_attacks_imagine-that-the-country-is-like-a-dog-t_1270474.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a2/dan-carlin-89693_attacks_imagine-that-the-country-is-like-a-dog-t_1270474.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Imagine that the country is like a dog. The terrorist attacks are like fleas biting the dog, but what the…” — Dan Carlin", "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": "Dan Carlin", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-carlin/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Imagine that the country is like...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-carlin/imagine-that-the-country-is-like-a-dog-the-terrorist-attacks-are-like/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-carlin/imagine-that-the-country-is-like-a-dog-the-terrorist-attacks-are-like/#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 } } ] } ```