---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Artists like cats; soldiers like dogs."
description: "\"Artists like cats; soldiers like dogs.\" — Desmond Morris"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e04/desmond-morris-17347_artist_artists-like-cats-soldiers-like-dogs-158_1586691.jpg"
---

#  Artists like cats; soldiers like dogs.

![“Artists like cats; soldiers like dogs.” quote by Desmond Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e04/desmond-morris-17347_artist_artists-like-cats-soldiers-like-dogs-158_1586691.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e04/desmond-morris-17347_artist_artists-like-cats-soldiers-like-dogs-158_1586691.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e04/desmond-morris-17347_artist_artists-like-cats-soldiers-like-dogs-158_1586691.jpg)

> “Artists like cats; soldiers like dogs.”

[Desmond Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-morris/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The comparison draws a parallel between human artistic expression and canine loyalty, implying that both species exhibit distinct but comparable social behaviors.

**In simple terms:** Artists are like cats, soldiers like dogs—different roles.

Key Takeaway

Recognize varied social roles.

Themes

art military animal behavior social roles comparison

Mood

analytical observational critical

Type

comparative anthropological insightful

When to use this quote

- creative professions
- military service
- team dynamics
- pet ownership

Key Concepts

anthropology behavioral science

Questions to Reflect On

- In what ways do you see artistic and military traits overlap?
- How do animal metaphors shape our view of professions?

A Different Perspective

The analogy may oversimplify complex human roles.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Cats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cats/)

## Related quotes

> [Oh, but I like my geese. Like cats, they can't be told what to do, and like dogs, they're loyal, and like people, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-hale/oh-but-i-like-my-geese-like-cats-they-can-t-be-told-what-to-do-and/)

[Shannon Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-hale/)

> [Guys are like dogs. They keep coming back. Ladies are like cats. Yell at a cat one time...they're gone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenny-bruce/guys-are-like-dogs-they-keep-coming-back-ladies-are-like-cats-yell-at/)

[Lenny Bruce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lenny-bruce/)

> [Some people who like dogs don't like cats, but I'm not like that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viggo-mortensen/some-people-who-like-dogs-don-t-like-cats-but-i-m-not-like-that/)

[Viggo Mortensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viggo-mortensen/)

> [“To some dogs I don’t like cats, to some cats I don’t like dogs, and to some people I don’t like. Mostly the people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/to-some-dogs-i-don-t-like-cats-to-some-cats-i-don-t-like-dogs-and-to/)

[Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/)

> [It might be that the biggest division in the world isn't men and women but folks who like cats and folks who like dogs"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/it-might-be-that-the-biggest-division-in-the-world-isn-t-men-and/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [Guys are like dogs. They keep coming back. Ladies are like cats. Yell at a cat one time¦theyre gone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yo-yo/guys-are-like-dogs-they-keep-coming-back-ladies-are-like-cats-yell-at-2/)

[Yo Yo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yo-yo/)

> [Guys are like dogs. They keep comin' back. Ladies are like cats. Yell at a cat one time, they're gone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenny-bruce/guys-are-like-dogs-they-keep-comin-back-ladies-are-like-cats-yell-at/)

[Lenny Bruce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lenny-bruce/)

> [Yeah, I know a lot of soldiers. I know soldiers who don't like to hear thank you for your service. And I know soldiers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrett-hedlund/yeah-i-know-a-lot-of-soldiers-i-know-soldiers-who-don-t-like-to-hear/)

[Garrett Hedlund](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrett-hedlund/)

> [For the army is a school in which the miser becomes generous, and the generous prodigal; miserly soldiers are like monsters, but very rarely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-cervantes/for-the-army-is-a-school-in-which-the-miser-becomes-generous-and-the/)

[Miguel de Cervantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-cervantes/)

> [Once I was in the Blink-182, going to Iraq was really touching. It was kind of emo for me, going and meeting soldiers who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-hoppus/once-i-was-in-the-blink-182-going-to-iraq-was-really-touching-it-was/)

[Mark Hoppus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-hoppus/)

> [“And Barcelona. You should see Barcelona.” “How is it?” “It is all still comic opera. First it was the paradise of the crackpots and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/and-barcelona-you-should-see-barcelona-how-is-it-it-is-all-still/)

[Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/)

> [I've learned our soldiers are so much like everybody else. They're just put into an extreme situation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-gauthier/i-ve-learned-our-soldiers-are-so-much-like-everybody-else-they-re/)

[Mary Gauthier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-gauthier/)

> [We (soldiers) are like cloaks,-one thinks of us only when it rains.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-de-saxe/we-soldiers-are-like-cloaks-one-thinks-of-us-only-when-it-rains/)

[Maurice de Saxe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-de-saxe/)

> [“cats.' 'Not like cats!' cried the Mouse, in a shrill, passionate voice. 'Would you like cats if you were me?' 'Well, perhaps not,' said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-carroll/cats-not-like-cats-cried-the-mouse-in-a-shrill-passionate-voice-would/)

[Lewis Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-carroll/)

> [“It was the cat, who had the usual talent for hiding from people who like cats and cleaving unto those who have sinus trouble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-haldeman/it-was-the-cat-who-had-the-usual-talent-for-hiding-from-people-who/)

[Joe Haldeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-haldeman/)

## More by Desmond Morris

> [As long as the human race is able to concern itself with more than mere survival, soccer will have its place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-morris/as-long-as-the-human-race-is-able-to-concern-itself-with-more-than/)

[Desmond Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-morris/)

> [Clearly, then, the city is not a concrete jungle, it is a human zoo.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-morris/clearly-then-the-city-is-not-a-concrete-jungle-it-is-a-human-zoo/)

[Desmond Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-morris/)

> [People who keep dogs live longer on average than those who do not. This is not some kind of pro-canine campaigning fantasy. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-morris/people-who-keep-dogs-live-longer-on-average-than-those-who-do-not/)

[Desmond Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-morris/)

> [Life is like a very short visit to a toy shop between birth and death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-morris/life-is-like-a-very-short-visit-to-a-toy-shop-between-birth-and-death/)

[Desmond Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-morris/)

> [The idea that it is funny to see wild animals coerced into acting like clumsy humans, or thrilling to see powerful beasts reduced to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-morris/the-idea-that-it-is-funny-to-see-wild-animals-coerced-into-acting/)

[Desmond Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-morris/)

> [The roots of our Soccer Tribe lie deep in our primeval past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-morris/the-roots-of-our-soccer-tribe-lie-deep-in-our-primeval-past/)

[Desmond Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-morris/)

> [The response of teenagers to their idols is relevant. As an audience, they enjoy themselves, not by screaming with laughter, but screaming with screams.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-morris/the-response-of-teenagers-to-their-idols-is-relevant-as-an-audience/)

[Desmond Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-morris/)

> [“A belief in the validity of the acquisition of knowledge and a scientific understanding of the world we live in, the creation and appreciation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-morris/a-belief-in-the-validity-of-the-acquisition-of-knowledge-and-a/)

[Desmond Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-morris/)

> [A true bond of friendship is usually only possible between people of roughly equal status. This equality is demonstrated in many indirect ways, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-morris/a-true-bond-of-friendship-is-usually-only-possible-between-people-of/)

[Desmond Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-morris/)

> [“My writing, on the other hand, is always done with my readers in mind. I never write for my own amusement. I always try…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-morris/my-writing-on-the-other-hand-is-always-done-with-my-readers-in-mind-i/)

[Desmond Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-morris/)

> [The city is not a concrete jungle, it is a human zoo.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-morris/the-city-is-not-a-concrete-jungle-it-is-a-human-zoo/)

[Desmond Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-morris/)

> [Life is like a very short visit to a toyshop between birth and death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-morris/life-is-like-a-very-short-visit-to-a-toyshop-between-birth-and-death/)

[Desmond Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-morris/)

> [...In little more than a single century from 1820 to 19450, no less than fifty-nine million human animals were killed in inter-group clashes of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-morris/in-little-more-than-a-single-century-from-1820-to-19450-no-less-than/)

[Desmond Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-morris/)

> [Monks, nuns, long-term spinsters and bachelors and permanent homosexuals are all, in a reproductive sense, aberrant. Society has bred them, but they have failed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-morris/monks-nuns-long-term-spinsters-and-bachelors-and-permanent/)

[Desmond Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-morris/)

> [Looking back now on the whole sexual scene we can see that our species has remained much more loyal to its basic biological urges…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-morris/looking-back-now-on-the-whole-sexual-scene-we-can-see-that-our/)

[Desmond Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-morris/)

[Explore all 37 Desmond Morris quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-morris/)

## More Artist quotes

> [One is a painter because one wants so-called freedom; one doesn't want to go to the office every morning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/one-is-a-painter-because-one-wants-so-called-freedom-one-doesn-t-want/)

[Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/)

> [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/)

[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

> [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/)

[Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/)

> [“People in coats and ties were milling around the Talley gallery, and on the wall were the minimally rendered still lifes by Giorgio Morandi,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/people-in-coats-and-ties-were-milling-around-the-talley-gallery-and/)

[Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/)

> [The prophet who fails to present a bearable alternative and yet preaches doom is part of the trap that he postulates. Not only does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-prophet-who-fails-to-present-a-bearable-alternative-and-yet/)

[Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/)

> [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/)

[Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/)

> [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/)

Taf Teh

> [From as long as I can remember, I was always fond of drawing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-lucia/from-as-long-as-i-can-remember-i-was-always-fond-of-drawing/)

[St. Lucia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-lucia/)

> [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/)

[G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/)

> [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/)

[Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/)

> [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/)

[Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/)

> [Designers shouldn’t design for museums any more than mummies should die for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-caplan/designers-shouldn-t-design-for-museums-any-more-than-mummies-should/)

[Ralph Caplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-caplan/)

> [I don't believe in competitions between artists. This is insane. Who has the authority to say someone is better?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-arkin/i-don-t-believe-in-competitions-between-artists-this-is-insane-who/)

[Alan Arkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-arkin/)

> [I am not the avant-garde. I am the artist who comes after the advancing guard. I am more concerned with continuity of ideas and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-oliveira/i-am-not-the-avant-garde-i-am-the-artist-who-comes-after-the/)

[Nathan Oliveira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-oliveira/)

> [I am a horrible visual artist. I can't fix a car, sew, knit, cook, etc. Statistically, there is more I don't do than do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-brownstein/i-am-a-horrible-visual-artist-i-can-t-fix-a-car-sew-knit-cook-etc/)

[Carrie Brownstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-brownstein/)

[Browse all 32,600 Artist quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Artists like cats; soldiers like dogs.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Desmond Morris"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-morris/artists-like-cats-soldiers-like-dogs/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Artist"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-morris/artists-like-cats-soldiers-like-dogs/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e04/desmond-morris-17347_artist_artists-like-cats-soldiers-like-dogs-158_1586691.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e04/desmond-morris-17347_artist_artists-like-cats-soldiers-like-dogs-158_1586691.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e04/desmond-morris-17347_artist_artists-like-cats-soldiers-like-dogs-158_1586691.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Artists like cats; soldiers like dogs.” — Desmond Morris",
                "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": "Desmond Morris",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-morris/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Artists like cats; soldiers like dogs.",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-morris/artists-like-cats-soldiers-like-dogs/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-morris/artists-like-cats-soldiers-like-dogs/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
