---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Animals look at people the way people…"
description: "\"Animals look at people the way people look at people that might mug them.\" — Dov Davidoff"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e5/dov-davidoff-1381_animal_animals-look-at-people-the-way-people-lo_1714978.jpg"
---

#  Animals look at people the way people look at people that…

![“Animals look at people the way people look at people that might mug them.” quote by Dov Davidoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e5/dov-davidoff-1381_animal_animals-look-at-people-the-way-people-lo_1714978.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e5/dov-davidoff-1381_animal_animals-look-at-people-the-way-people-lo_1714978.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e5/dov-davidoff-1381_animal_animals-look-at-people-the-way-people-lo_1714978.jpg)

> “Animals look at people the way people look at people that might mug them.”

[Dov Davidoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dov-davidoff/)

## About This Quote

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

People assess others based on perceived threat, mirroring how we judge potential aggressors.

**In simple terms:** We judge others as we would a possible mugger.

Key Takeaway

Consider how fear shapes perception.

Themes

trust perception social judgment

Mood

cautious reflective

Type

observational critical

When to use this quote

- first meetings
- online dating
- neighborhood interactions

Key Concepts

psychology risk assessment

Questions to Reflect On

- How does perceived threat affect your interactions?
- Can you separate intuition from prejudice?

A Different Perspective

Fear can distort accurate assessment of character.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Animal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) [Animals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animals/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/)

## Related quotes

> [“Wild creatures' eyes, the colonel said, Are innocent and fathomless And when I look at them I see That they are not aware of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stevie-smith/wild-creatures-eyes-the-colonel-said-are-innocent-and-fathomless-and/)

[Stevie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stevie-smith/)

> [“I don't look up to people, I look straight at them”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-c-elliot/i-don-t-look-up-to-people-i-look-straight-at-them/)

T.C. Elliot

> [What people look to me for is a whole look. People come to me for icing on the cake, not a basic stretch pant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-sui/what-people-look-to-me-for-is-a-whole-look-people-come-to-me-for/)

[Anna Sui](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-sui/)

> [I do notice that when I've been away and I come back to London. People look at you. People are ready to pick arguments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-firth/i-do-notice-that-when-i-ve-been-away-and-i-come-back-to-london-people/)

[Colin Firth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-firth/)

> [People who look down on other people don't end up being looked up to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-half/people-who-look-down-on-other-people-don-t-end-up-being-looked-up-to/)

[Robert Half](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-half/)

> [We had a couple of peacocks that were at my school. They are very beautiful animals. You look at them, they are very calm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/callum-hudson-odoi/we-had-a-couple-of-peacocks-that-were-at-my-school-they-are-very/)

[Callum Hudson-Odoi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/callum-hudson-odoi/)

> [“Well, all I can say is that sheep are content, day after day in the field munching, minding their own business, not hurting anyone,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-kloss/well-all-i-can-say-is-that-sheep-are-content-day-after-day-in-the/)

Mark Kloss

> [In the distance, the gestures of animals look human, the gestures of human beings bestial.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-de-chazal/in-the-distance-the-gestures-of-animals-look-human-the-gestures-of/)

[Malcolm De Chazal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-de-chazal/)

> [“There will come a time when men look upon the murder of animals as they now look upon the murder of men.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/there-will-come-a-time-when-men-look-upon-the-murder-of-animals-as/)

[Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/)

> [Orangutan are very weird animals but they look very soulful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/orangutan-are-very-weird-animals-but-they-look-very-soulful/)

[Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/)

> [What brings you onto my property?" Rhev said, cradling his mug with both hands trying to absorb its warmth. Got a problem" I can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-brings-you-onto-my-property-rhev-said-cradling-his-mug-with-both/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Suppose there were groups of secularists at hospitals who went round the terminally ill and urged them to adopt atheism: 'Don't be a mug…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/suppose-there-were-groups-of-secularists-at-hospitals-who-went-round/)

[Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/)

> [Saiman picked up a coffee mug, stared at it, and hurled it against the wall. It shattered into a dozen pieces. We looked at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilona-andrews/saiman-picked-up-a-coffee-mug-stared-at-it-and-hurled-it-against-the/)

[Ilona Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilona-andrews/)

> [Martha Stewart showed up at Manhattan FBI Headquarters to have her finger prints taken and pose for a mug shot. Then Martha explained how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conan-o-brien/martha-stewart-showed-up-at-manhattan-fbi-headquarters-to-have-her/)

[Conan O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conan-o-brien/)

> [Closing his eyes, he sent up a prayer to anyone who was listening, asking please, for God's sake, stop sending him signals that they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-ward/closing-his-eyes-he-sent-up-a-prayer-to-anyone-who-was-listening/)

[J.R. Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-ward/)

## More by Dov Davidoff

> [I'm endlessly amazed by what people are capable of, and incapable of.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dov-davidoff/i-m-endlessly-amazed-by-what-people-are-capable-of-and-incapable-of/)

[Dov Davidoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dov-davidoff/)

> [Break ups are painful, but if initiated at the right time can fuel one's sense of optimism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dov-davidoff/break-ups-are-painful-but-if-initiated-at-the-right-time-can-fuel-one/)

[Dov Davidoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dov-davidoff/)

> [People that say I have a 'fear of commitment' don't understand my relationship with popcorn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dov-davidoff/people-that-say-i-have-a-fear-of-commitment-don-t-understand-my/)

[Dov Davidoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dov-davidoff/)

> [Nike store won't accept my Starbucks card as payment. Come on guys, just do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dov-davidoff/nike-store-won-t-accept-my-starbucks-card-as-payment-come-on-guys/)

[Dov Davidoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dov-davidoff/)

> [Living by the beach means feeling guilty about never going to the beach.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dov-davidoff/living-by-the-beach-means-feeling-guilty-about-never-going-to-the/)

[Dov Davidoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dov-davidoff/)

> [Most public bathrooms now have automatic toilet sensors. People can't even be trusted to flush.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dov-davidoff/most-public-bathrooms-now-have-automatic-toilet-sensors-people-can-t/)

[Dov Davidoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dov-davidoff/)

> [At the gym; I've given up trying to get in really good shape, and re-committed myself to not getting any worse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dov-davidoff/at-the-gym-i-ve-given-up-trying-to-get-in-really-good-shape-and-re/)

[Dov Davidoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dov-davidoff/)

> [All politicians promise that which they cannot deliver. I just wish they did so less gleefully.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dov-davidoff/all-politicians-promise-that-which-they-cannot-deliver-i-just-wish/)

[Dov Davidoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dov-davidoff/)

> [Being anti-social can also mean that you're aware of how annoying it is to be social.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dov-davidoff/being-anti-social-can-also-mean-that-you-re-aware-of-how-annoying-it/)

[Dov Davidoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dov-davidoff/)

> [Life is fragile, unless your in the NFL in which case you'll need to wear padding.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dov-davidoff/life-is-fragile-unless-your-in-the-nfl-in-which-case-you-ll-need-to/)

[Dov Davidoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dov-davidoff/)

> [I like to be able to connect with people. And that's how I connect, right away. I like to really talk to somebody. To…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dov-davidoff/i-like-to-be-able-to-connect-with-people-and-that-s-how-i-connect/)

[Dov Davidoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dov-davidoff/)

> [Fake titties are inversely proportioned to their owners level of self esteem. This being said, part of me loves them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dov-davidoff/fake-titties-are-inversely-proportioned-to-their-owners-level-of-self/)

[Dov Davidoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dov-davidoff/)

> [It's a shame that physical beauty often has such a negative effect on its occupant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dov-davidoff/it-s-a-shame-that-physical-beauty-often-has-such-a-negative-effect-on/)

[Dov Davidoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dov-davidoff/)

> [Hanging out with women on a platonic level is like spending time with someone from Europe. It's not better or worse, but it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dov-davidoff/hanging-out-with-women-on-a-platonic-level-is-like-spending-time-with/)

[Dov Davidoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dov-davidoff/)

> [Life is what you make of it, unless you have tourette's, in which case much becomes involuntary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dov-davidoff/life-is-what-you-make-of-it-unless-you-have-tourette-s-in-which-case/)

[Dov Davidoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dov-davidoff/)

[Explore all 248 Dov Davidoff quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dov-davidoff/)

## 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": "Animals look at people the way people look at people that might mug them.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Dov Davidoff"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dov-davidoff/animals-look-at-people-the-way-people-look-at-people-that-might-mug/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Animal"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dov-davidoff/animals-look-at-people-the-way-people-look-at-people-that-might-mug/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e5/dov-davidoff-1381_animal_animals-look-at-people-the-way-people-lo_1714978.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e5/dov-davidoff-1381_animal_animals-look-at-people-the-way-people-lo_1714978.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e5/dov-davidoff-1381_animal_animals-look-at-people-the-way-people-lo_1714978.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Animals look at people the way people look at people that might mug them.” — Dov Davidoff",
                "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": "Dov Davidoff",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dov-davidoff/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Animals look at people the way...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dov-davidoff/animals-look-at-people-the-way-people-look-at-people-that-might-mug/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dov-davidoff/animals-look-at-people-the-way-people-look-at-people-that-might-mug/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
