--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The difference between the smartest dog…" description: "\"The difference between the smartest dog and the stupidest man - say a Tennessee Holy Roller - is really very small.\" — H. L. Mencken" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3af/h-l-mencken-245_animal_the-difference-between-the-smartest-dog_3202435.png" --- # The difference between the smartest dog and the stupidest… ![“The difference between the smartest dog and the stupidest man - say a Tennessee Holy Roller - is really very small.” quote by H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3af/h-l-mencken-245_animal_the-difference-between-the-smartest-dog_3202435.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3af/h-l-mencken-245_animal_the-difference-between-the-smartest-dog_3202435.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3af/h-l-mencken-245_animal_the-difference-between-the-smartest-dog_3202435.png) > “The difference between the smartest dog and the stupidest man - say a Tennessee Holy Roller - is really very small.” [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Intelligence gaps between humans and animals are minimal, highlighting human folly. **In simple terms:** Humans and dogs are similarly clever. Key Takeaway Recognize our own limitations. Themes humor human nature comparison Mood wry satirical Type aphilosophical humorous When to use this quote - political commentary - social observation - media analysis Key Concepts cognitive bias anthropomorphism Questions to Reflect On - Do we overestimate our superiority? - How does humor reveal truth? A Different Perspective Humans possess unique abstract reasoning. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Animal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) [Atheism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atheism/) [Differences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/differences/) [Dog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dog/) [Holy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/holy/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Positive atheism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/positive-atheism/) [Tennessee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tennessee/) ## Related quotes > [I discovered early in my movie work that a movie is never any better than the stupidest man connected with it. There are times…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-hecht/i-discovered-early-in-my-movie-work-that-a-movie-is-never-any-better/) [Ben Hecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-hecht/) > [“Forgive me for being the stupidest man on the planet?” “Careful. You’re talking about the man I love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-mayberry/forgive-me-for-being-the-stupidest-man-on-the-planet-careful-you-re/) [Sarah Mayberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-mayberry/) > [A movie is never any better than the stupidest man connected with it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-hecht/a-movie-is-never-any-better-than-the-stupidest-man-connected-with-it/) [Ben Hecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-hecht/) > [The stupidest man I ever met had a favourite saying. It was: 'What do you think I am, stupid, or something?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idries-shah/the-stupidest-man-i-ever-met-had-a-favourite-saying-it-was-what-do/) [Idries Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idries-shah/) > [There is only one smartest dog in the world, and every boy has it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-sabin/there-is-only-one-smartest-dog-in-the-world-and-every-boy-has-it/) [Louis Sabin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-sabin/) > [There is, it appears, a conspiracy of scientists afoot. Their purpose is to break down religion, propagate immorality, and so reduce mankind to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/there-is-it-appears-a-conspiracy-of-scientists-afoot-their-purpose-is/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [The essence of science is that it is always willing to abandon a given idea, however fundamental it may seem to be, for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/the-essence-of-science-is-that-it-is-always-willing-to-abandon-a-3/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [“It's the stupidest tea party I ever was at in all my life!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-carroll/it-s-the-stupidest-tea-party-i-ever-was-at-in-all-my-life/) [Lewis Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-carroll/) > [I just wanted to make the stupidest, funniest thing possible. My version of Mary Todd Lincoln is basically just me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cole-escola/i-just-wanted-to-make-the-stupidest-funniest-thing-possible-my/) [Cole Escola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cole-escola/) > [The stupidest mistake in life is thinking the one who hurt you the most, won't hurt you again](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-stupidest-mistake-in-life-is-thinking-the-one-who-hurt-you-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“And then I did the stupidest thing I’ve ever done. “They’re not here,” I said. I knew, as the words left my mouth, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-d-randle/and-then-i-did-the-stupidest-thing-i-ve-ever-done-they-re-not-here-i/) [Kristen D. Randle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-d-randle/) > [I am so tired of rearranging my life around what the stupidest people might do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/i-am-so-tired-of-rearranging-my-life-around-what-the-stupidest-people/) [Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/) > [Drinking and driving is the stupidest and most cares less thing someone can do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/drinking-and-driving-is-the-stupidest-and-most-cares-less-thing/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [What good the prophet in the wilderness may do is incremental and personal. It's good for us to hear someone speak the irrational truth.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/what-good-the-prophet-in-the-wilderness-may-do-is-incremental-and/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [You really can't explain how you do the things you do. I can't, anyway. I love certain actors, but sometimes they say the stupidest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirsten-dunst/you-really-can-t-explain-how-you-do-the-things-you-do-i-can-t-anyway/) [Kirsten Dunst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirsten-dunst/) ## More by H. L. Mencken > [Alimony - the ransom that the happy pay to the devil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/alimony-the-ransom-that-the-happy-pay-to-the-devil/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [A bad artist almost always tries to conceal his incompetence by whooping up a new formula.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/a-bad-artist-almost-always-tries-to-conceal-his-incompetence-by/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [ By profession a biologist, \[Thomas Henry Huxley\] covered in fact the whole field of the exact sciences, and then bulged through its four fences.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/by-profession-a-biologist-thomas-henry-huxley-covered-in-fact-the/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [So few men are really worth knowing, that it seems a shameful waste to let an anthropoid prejudice stand in the way of free…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/so-few-men-are-really-worth-knowing-that-it-seems-a-shameful-waste-to/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [Man's objection to love is that it dies hard; woman's, that when it is dead, it stays dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/man-s-objection-to-love-is-that-it-dies-hard-woman-s-that-when-it-is/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [The lunatic fringe wags the underdog.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/the-lunatic-fringe-wags-the-underdog/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [For it is an absurdity to call a country civilized in which a decent and industrious man, laboriously mastering a trade which is valuble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/for-it-is-an-absurdity-to-call-a-country-civilized-in-which-a-decent/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [Women have simple tastes. They get pleasure out of the conversation of children in arms and men in love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/women-have-simple-tastes-they-get-pleasure-out-of-the-conversation-of/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [The critic, to interpret his artist, even to understand his artist, must be able to get into the mind of his artist; he must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/the-critic-to-interpret-his-artist-even-to-understand-his-artist-must/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [There is, in fact, nothing about religious opinions that entitles them to any more respect than other opinions get. On the contrary, they tend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/there-is-in-fact-nothing-about-religious-opinions-that-entitles-them/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [Don't overestimate the decency of the human race.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/don-t-overestimate-the-decency-of-the-human-race/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [Liberty ... was a two-headed boon. There was first, the liberty of the people as a whole to determine the forms of their own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/liberty-was-a-two-headed-boon-there-was-first-the-liberty-of-the/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [To the extent that I am genuinely educated, I am suspicious of all the things that the average citizen believes and the average pedagogue…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/to-the-extent-that-i-am-genuinely-educated-i-am-suspicious-of-all-the/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [Philosophy first constructs a scheme of happiness and then tries to fit the world to it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/philosophy-first-constructs-a-scheme-of-happiness-and-then-tries-to/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [For it is the natural tendency of the ignorant to believe what is not true. In order to overcome that tendency it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/for-it-is-the-natural-tendency-of-the-ignorant-to-believe-what-is-not/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) [Explore all 827 H. L. Mencken quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) ## 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": "The difference between the smartest dog and the stupidest man - say a Tennessee Holy Roller - is really very small.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "H. L. Mencken" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/the-difference-between-the-smartest-dog-and-the-stupidest-man-say-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Animal" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/the-difference-between-the-smartest-dog-and-the-stupidest-man-say-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3af/h-l-mencken-245_animal_the-difference-between-the-smartest-dog_3202435.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3af/h-l-mencken-245_animal_the-difference-between-the-smartest-dog_3202435.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3af/h-l-mencken-245_animal_the-difference-between-the-smartest-dog_3202435.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The difference between the smartest dog and the stupidest man - say a Tennessee Holy Roller - is really very…” — H. L. Mencken", "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": "H. L. Mencken", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The difference between the smartest dog...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/the-difference-between-the-smartest-dog-and-the-stupidest-man-say-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/the-difference-between-the-smartest-dog-and-the-stupidest-man-say-a/#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 } } ] } ```