--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I also believe that man’s continued…" description: "\"“I also believe that man’s continued domestication (if you care to use that silly euphemism) of dogs is motivated by fear: fear that dogs, left to evol..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7b/garth-stein-1965_animal_i-also-believe-that-man-s-continued-dome_2059313.png" --- # I also believe that man’s continued domestication (if you… ![“I also believe that man’s continued domestication (if you care to use that silly euphemism) of dogs is motivated by fear: fear that dogs, left to evolve on their own, would, in fact, develop thumbs and smaller tongues, and therefore would be superior to men, who are slow and cumbersome, standing…” quote by Garth Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7b/garth-stein-1965_animal_i-also-believe-that-man-s-continued-dome_2059313.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7b/garth-stein-1965_animal_i-also-believe-that-man-s-continued-dome_2059313.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7b/garth-stein-1965_animal_i-also-believe-that-man-s-continued-dome_2059313.png) > ““I also believe that man’s continued domestication (if you care to use that silly euphemism) of dogs is motivated by fear: fear that dogs, left to evolve on their own, would, in fact, develop thumbs and smaller tongues, and therefore would be superior to men, who are slow and cumbersome, standing erect as they do. This is why dogs must live under the constant supervision of people… From what Denny has told me about the government and its inner workings, it is my belief that this despicable plan was hatched in a back room of none other than the White House, probably by an evil adviser to a president of questionable moral and intellectual fortitude, and probably with the correct assessment—unfortunately, made from a position of paranoia rather than of spiritual insight—that all dogs are progressively inclined regarding social issues.”” [Garth Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-stein/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Domestication of dogs is driven by fear of their potential superiority, reflecting human anxieties about control and power. **In simple terms:** People fear dogs could become smarter and dominate humans. Key Takeaway Acknowledge and address underlying fears of loss of control. Themes fear control human-animal relationship power dynamics Mood ironic critical playful Type satirical political psychological When to use this quote - Pet ownership - government conspiracy theories - social hierarchy discussions - media criticism Key Concepts Psychology evolutionary biology political satire Questions to Reflect On - What real fears drive our desire to dominate other species? - How does humor affect our perception of political conspiracies? A Different Perspective The analogy may exaggerate and oversimplify complex social dynamics. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Animal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) [Dog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dog/) [Dogs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dogs/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Paranoia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paranoia/) [Social issues](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social-issues/) [White house](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/white-house/) ## Related quotes > [Really, it was difficult to determine which I had most reason to fear—dogs, alligators or men!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/solomon-northup/really-it-was-difficult-to-determine-which-i-had-most-reason-to-fear/) [Solomon Northup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/solomon-northup/) > [The greatest fear dogs know is the fear that you will not come back when you go out the door without them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-coren/the-greatest-fear-dogs-know-is-the-fear-that-you-will-not-come-back/) [Stanley Coren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-coren/) > [I was a postman one Christmas and I developed a morbid fear of dogs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-abbott/i-was-a-postman-one-christmas-and-i-developed-a-morbid-fear-of-dogs/) [Diane Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-abbott/) > [What they smell isn't the emotion of fear. What dogs can smell is the changes in a person's skin that suggest fear to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-crais/what-they-smell-isn-t-the-emotion-of-fear-what-dogs-can-smell-is-the/) [Robert Crais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-crais/) > [Its just been my experience that some kinds of working relationships are better motivated by fear than by monetary gain. -Jasper Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-twilight-saga-breaking-dawn/its-just-been-my-experience-that-some-kinds-of-working-relationships/) [The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-twilight-saga-breaking-dawn/) > [I think people who become compulsive about fitness or eating right, a lot of the time it's out of fear that they're going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-manson/i-think-people-who-become-compulsive-about-fitness-or-eating-right-a/) [Mark Manson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-manson/) > [I'm motivated by fear...a fear of fear. I hate being afraid to do something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-smith/i-m-motivated-by-fear-a-fear-of-fear-i-hate-being-afraid-to-do/) [Will Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-smith/) > [Fear is the enemy. I distrust it. Any feeling or decision I make that might be motivated by fear I quickly reassess.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-riseborough/fear-is-the-enemy-i-distrust-it-any-feeling-or-decision-i-make-that/) [Andrea Riseborough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-riseborough/) > [“I love writing, but I would be able to love it more if that love wasn’t motivated by fear of homelessness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-trout/i-love-writing-but-i-would-be-able-to-love-it-more-if-that-love-wasn/) [Jenny Trout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-trout/) > [People are motivated by fear, but they are not inspired by it. Everything that inspires us comes from love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lance-secretan/people-are-motivated-by-fear-but-they-are-not-inspired-by-it/) [Lance Secretan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lance-secretan/) > [I'm motivated by fear of failure. It's a personal mission to say to all those people from years ago, 'Look, I'm seriously not a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-evans/i-m-motivated-by-fear-of-failure-it-s-a-personal-mission-to-say-to/) [Lee Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-evans/) > [You're terrified of being alone. Anything you do now will be motivated by that fear. You have to stop worrying about finding love again.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-tropper/you-re-terrified-of-being-alone-anything-you-do-now-will-be-motivated/) [Jonathan Tropper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-tropper/) > [When we are no longer motivated by fear, we understand that every moment is perfect in its own way. We no longer dread what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-villoldo/when-we-are-no-longer-motivated-by-fear-we-understand-that-every/) [Alberto Villoldo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-villoldo/) > [People's choice to become vegan, from people I've spoken to, seems motivated by fear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-bourdain/people-s-choice-to-become-vegan-from-people-i-ve-spoken-to-seems/) [Anthony Bourdain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-bourdain/) > [I'm not scared of anything in particular, but I am motivated by a fear of failure as opposed to a need to succeed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heston-blumenthal/i-m-not-scared-of-anything-in-particular-but-i-am-motivated-by-a-fear/) [Heston Blumenthal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heston-blumenthal/) ## More by Garth Stein > [What I want now is what I've always wanted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-stein/what-i-want-now-is-what-i-ve-always-wanted/) [Garth Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-stein/) > [“Man's closest relative is not the chimpanzee, as the TV people believe, but is, in fact, the dog. "Enzo" I admire the female sex.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-stein/man-s-closest-relative-is-not-the-chimpanzee-as-the-tv-people-believe/) [Garth Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-stein/) > [“There is no dishonor in losing the race, Don said. There is only dishonor in not racing because you are afraid to lose. ~p 227”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-stein/there-is-no-dishonor-in-losing-the-race-don-said-there-is-only/) [Garth Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-stein/) > [It’s so hard to communicate because there are so many moving parts. There’s presentation and there’s interpretation and they’re so dependent on each other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-stein/it-s-so-hard-to-communicate-because-there-are-so-many-moving-parts/) [Garth Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-stein/) > [“This is what I love to do: I love to run through a field of wet grass that has not been mowed recently, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-stein/this-is-what-i-love-to-do-i-love-to-run-through-a-field-of-wet-grass/) [Garth Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-stein/) > [There is no dishonor in losing the race. There is only dishonor in not racing because you are afraid to lose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-stein/there-is-no-dishonor-in-losing-the-race-there-is-only-dishonor-in-not/) [Garth Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-stein/) > [In racing, they say that your car goes where your eyes go. The driver who cannot tear his eyes away from the wall as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-stein/in-racing-they-say-that-your-car-goes-where-your-eyes-go-the-driver/) [Garth Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-stein/) > [When I return to the world, I will be a man. I will walk among you. I will lick my lips with my small,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-stein/when-i-return-to-the-world-i-will-be-a-man-i-will-walk-among-you-i/) [Garth Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-stein/) > [My soul has learned what it came to learn, and all the other things are just things. We can't have everything we want. Sometimes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-stein/my-soul-has-learned-what-it-came-to-learn-and-all-the-other-things/) [Garth Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-stein/) > [I hear hundreds of years of life. I hear wind and rain and fire and beetles. I hear the seasons changing and birds and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-stein/i-hear-hundreds-of-years-of-life-i-hear-wind-and-rain-and-fire-and/) [Garth Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-stein/) > [“What I have always liked best is when he talks about having no memory. No memory of things he'd done just a second before.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-stein/what-i-have-always-liked-best-is-when-he-talks-about-having-no-memory/) [Garth Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-stein/) > [“Know who is driving next to you. Any problems that may occur have ultimately been caused by you, because you are responsible for where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-stein/know-who-is-driving-next-to-you-any-problems-that-may-occur-have/) [Garth Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-stein/) > [“Pretend you are a dog like me and listen to other people rather than steal their stories.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-stein/pretend-you-are-a-dog-like-me-and-listen-to-other-people-rather-than/) [Garth Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-stein/) > [That which we manifest is before us; we are the creators of our own destiny. Be it through intention or ignorance, our successes and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-stein/that-which-we-manifest-is-before-us-we-are-the-creators-of-our-own/) [Garth Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-stein/) > [The race is long. It is better to drive within oneself and finish the race behind the other than it is to drive too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-stein/the-race-is-long-it-is-better-to-drive-within-oneself-and-finish-the/) [Garth Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-stein/) [Explore all 187 Garth Stein quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-stein/) ## 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": "“I also believe that man’s continued domestication (if you care to use that silly euphemism) of dogs is motivated by fear: fear that dogs, left to evolve on their own, would, in fact, develop thumbs and smaller tongues, and therefore would be superior to men, who are slow and cumbersome, standing erect as they do. This is why dogs must live under the constant supervision of people… From what Denny has told me about the government and its inner workings, it is my belief that this despicable plan was hatched in a back room of none other than the White House, probably by an evil adviser to a president of questionable moral and intellectual fortitude, and probably with the correct assessment—unfortunately, made from a position of paranoia rather than of spiritual insight—that all dogs are progressively inclined regarding social issues.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Garth Stein" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-stein/i-also-believe-that-man-s-continued-domestication-if-you-care-to-use/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Animal" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-stein/i-also-believe-that-man-s-continued-domestication-if-you-care-to-use/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7b/garth-stein-1965_animal_i-also-believe-that-man-s-continued-dome_2059313.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7b/garth-stein-1965_animal_i-also-believe-that-man-s-continued-dome_2059313.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7b/garth-stein-1965_animal_i-also-believe-that-man-s-continued-dome_2059313.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I also believe that man’s continued domestication (if you care to use that silly euphemism) of dogs is…” — Garth Stein", "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": "Garth Stein", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-stein/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“I also believe that man’s continued...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-stein/i-also-believe-that-man-s-continued-domestication-if-you-care-to-use/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-stein/i-also-believe-that-man-s-continued-domestication-if-you-care-to-use/#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 } } ] } ```