--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Debating against him is no fun, say…" description: "\"Debating against him is no fun, say something insulting and he looks at you like a whipped dog.\" — Harold Wilson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/247/harold-wilson-15220_dog_debating-against-him-is-no-fun-say-somet_1458687.jpg" --- # Debating against him is no fun, say something insulting… ![“Debating against him is no fun, say something insulting and he looks at you like a whipped dog.” quote by Harold Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/247/harold-wilson-15220_dog_debating-against-him-is-no-fun-say-somet_1458687.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/247/harold-wilson-15220_dog_debating-against-him-is-no-fun-say-somet_1458687.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/247/harold-wilson-15220_dog_debating-against-him-is-no-fun-say-somet_1458687.jpg) > “Debating against him is no fun, say something insulting and he looks at you like a whipped dog.” [Harold Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-wilson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Insults provoke a submissive reaction, reducing constructive dialogue and escalating tension. **In simple terms:** Insults make opponents defensive and unproductive. Key Takeaway Avoid personal attacks to keep discussions constructive. Themes communication conflict politics dialogue Mood critical strategic Type political conflict When to use this quote - political debates - team meetings - online forums - negotiations Key Concepts rhetoric power dynamics psychology Questions to Reflect On - What strategies can defuse hostile exchanges? - How does power imbalance shape response to insults? A Different Perspective May not apply if the target is indifferent to insults. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dog/) [Fun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fun/) [Sarcastic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sarcastic/) ## Related quotes > [“Kat, say something insulting. Come on.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-l-armentrout/kat-say-something-insulting-come-on/) [Jennifer L. Armentrout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-l-armentrout/) > [There's no need to say something insulting to someone just to be above them. We're all equal and the sooner we could all realize…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-garner/there-s-no-need-to-say-something-insulting-to-someone-just-to-be/) [Luke Garner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-garner/) > [“When you said I wasn't your problem, It was just an excuse to run away. YOU'RE A WHIPPED DOG. -Kazuma”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazunari-kakei/when-you-said-i-wasn-t-your-problem-it-was-just-an-excuse-to-run-away/) Kazunari Kakei > [“..Who... who are you... calling a WHIPPED DOG?!" POW!! "I Declare"... ETERU MAGIA! "I Won't say "please"! And I won't let you say it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazunari-kakei/who-who-are-you-calling-a-whipped-dog-pow-i-declare-eteru-magia-i-won/) Kazunari Kakei > [“Wouldn't you like to be my lord Duke of Exeter? Come on, Dom. Say something." "You have lost your mind." "Say something less insulting.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-andersen/wouldn-t-you-like-to-be-my-lord-duke-of-exeter-come-on-dom-say/) [Laura Andersen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-andersen/) > [Think twice before you speak, and then you may be able to say something more insulting than if you spoke right out at once.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-esar/think-twice-before-you-speak-and-then-you-may-be-able-to-say/) [Evan Esar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-esar/) > [My brother and I both like sarcastic, insulting comedy, so that's a way we communicate. Somehow that's what we learned. My mom is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moshe-kasher/my-brother-and-i-both-like-sarcastic-insulting-comedy-so-that-s-a-way/) [Moshe Kasher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moshe-kasher/) > [Bitch...I'm not insulting you, I'm describing you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shennon-fabiano/bitch-i-m-not-insulting-you-i-m-describing-you/) [Shennon Fabiano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shennon-fabiano/) > [What's insulting to the American people, the Senate, to this whole process is that the Republicans, with all other nominees, have said Democrats are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-maddow/what-s-insulting-to-the-american-people-the-senate-to-this-whole/) [Rachel Maddow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-maddow/) > [We had to cope with the media writing things which were not true, which were insulting. At around 13 I decided I was just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judit-polgar/we-had-to-cope-with-the-media-writing-things-which-were-not-true/) [Judit Polgar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judit-polgar/) > [You're not insulting my character. Being a woman, especially in this business, it's so thrilling to get to do that. It's so rare, especially…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keri-russell/you-re-not-insulting-my-character-being-a-woman-especially-in-this/) [Keri Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keri-russell/) > [FAY: The British police force used to be run by men of integrity. TRUSCOTT: That is a mistake which has been rectified.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-orton/fay-the-british-police-force-used-to-be-run-by-men-of-integrity/) [Joe Orton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-orton/) > [“Having no applicable skills, in any possible area whatsoever, effectively makes me the master of redundancy. But that info is obsolete, like my insults…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-advise/having-no-applicable-skills-in-any-possible-area-whatsoever/) Will Advise > [The big story today, Barack Obama was accused of insulting Sarah Palin when he criticized Republican policies by saying, you can put lipstick on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conan-o-brien/the-big-story-today-barack-obama-was-accused-of-insulting-sarah-palin/) [Conan O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conan-o-brien/) > [I think the most insulting thing you can do to a director is to challenge when he or she is satisfied with your interpretation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dustin-hoffman/i-think-the-most-insulting-thing-you-can-do-to-a-director-is-to/) [Dustin Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dustin-hoffman/) ## More by Harold Wilson > [The main essentials of a successful prime minister are sleep and a sense of history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-wilson/the-main-essentials-of-a-successful-prime-minister-are-sleep-and-a/) [Harold Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-wilson/) > [The monarchy is a labor intensive industry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-wilson/the-monarchy-is-a-labor-intensive-industry/) [Harold Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-wilson/) > [I get a little nauseated, perhaps, when I hear the phrase 'freedom of the press' used as freely as it is, knowing that a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-wilson/i-get-a-little-nauseated-perhaps-when-i-hear-the-phrase-freedom-of/) [Harold Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-wilson/) > [Selsdon Man is designing a system of society for the ruthlessness and the pushing, the uncaring. His message to the rest is: you're out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-wilson/selsdon-man-is-designing-a-system-of-society-for-the-ruthlessness-and/) [Harold Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-wilson/) > [The cumulative effects of the economic and financial sanctions might well bring the rebellion to an end within a matter of weeks rather than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-wilson/the-cumulative-effects-of-the-economic-and-financial-sanctions-might/) [Harold Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-wilson/) > [At home and abroad I have repeatedly been asked what are the main essentials of a successful prime minister. Over and above communication and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-wilson/at-home-and-abroad-i-have-repeatedly-been-asked-what-are-the-main/) [Harold Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-wilson/) > [I'm at my best in a messy, middle-of-the-road muddle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-wilson/i-m-at-my-best-in-a-messy-middle-of-the-road-muddle/) [Harold Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-wilson/) > [Tories never actually talk about getting rid of their leader, then suddenly there us a flash of steel between he shoulder-blades and rigormortis sets…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-wilson/tories-never-actually-talk-about-getting-rid-of-their-leader-then/) [Harold Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-wilson/) > [I'm an optimist, but an optimist who carries a raincoat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-wilson/i-m-an-optimist-but-an-optimist-who-carries-a-raincoat/) [Harold Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-wilson/) > [He who rejects change is the architect of decay. The only human institution which rejects progress is the cemetery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-wilson/he-who-rejects-change-is-the-architect-of-decay-the-only-human/) [Harold Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-wilson/) > [The Labour Party is a moral crusade or it is nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-wilson/the-labour-party-is-a-moral-crusade-or-it-is-nothing/) [Harold Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-wilson/) > [On 5 September, when the TUC unanimously rejected wage restraint, it was the end of an era, and all the financiers, all the little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-wilson/on-5-september-when-the-tuc-unanimously-rejected-wage-restraint-it/) [Harold Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-wilson/) > [Whichever party is in office, the Treasury is in power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-wilson/whichever-party-is-in-office-the-treasury-is-in-power/) [Harold Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-wilson/) > [The labour party is like a stage-coach. If you rattle along at great speed everybody inside is too exhilarated or too seasick to cause…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-wilson/the-labour-party-is-like-a-stage-coach-if-you-rattle-along-at-great/) [Harold Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-wilson/) > [He who rejects change is the architect of decay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-wilson/he-who-rejects-change-is-the-architect-of-decay/) [Harold Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-wilson/) [Explore all 43 Harold Wilson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-wilson/) ## More Dog quotes > [Many individuals spend a considerable portion of their lifetimes in terror of one imagined catastrophe or another. The classic is that your immortal soul…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/many-individuals-spend-a-considerable-portion-of-their-lifetimes-in/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) > [I don't like being away from home. That's one reason why I don't work as much as I used to \[when I started my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-powell/i-don-t-like-being-away-from-home-that-s-one-reason-why-i-don-t-work/) [Jane Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-powell/) > [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/) > [“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/) > [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/) > [It is a fool of a shepherd who culls his dogs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jefferson-smith/it-is-a-fool-of-a-shepherd-who-culls-his-dogs/) [Jefferson Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jefferson-smith/) > [“Flattery looks like friendship, just like a wolf looks like a dog.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-auliq-ice/flattery-looks-like-friendship-just-like-a-wolf-looks-like-a-dog/) [Oscar Auliq-Ice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-auliq-ice/) > [Brothers and Sisters, I bid you beware Of giving your heart to a dog to tear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudyard-kipling/brothers-and-sisters-i-bid-you-beware-of-giving-your-heart-to-a-dog/) [Rudyard Kipling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudyard-kipling/) > [Most people are sensitized to animals through their cats and dogs, but for me it was a flounder. I used to go fishing with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-mathews/most-people-are-sensitized-to-animals-through-their-cats-and-dogs-but/) [Dan Mathews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-mathews/) > [A shoe dog is somebody that really loves shoes, and that was me. I was a runner... that became important to me, and it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-knight/a-shoe-dog-is-somebody-that-really-loves-shoes-and-that-was-me-i-was/) [Phil Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-knight/) > [“I rub the ears of my dog, my stupid goddam ruddy great dog that I never wanted but who hung around anyway and who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ness/i-rub-the-ears-of-my-dog-my-stupid-goddam-ruddy-great-dog-that-i/) [Patrick Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/) > [The sound man, immune as to a sacrifice of straw dogs, faces the passing human generations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/the-sound-man-immune-as-to-a-sacrifice-of-straw-dogs-faces-the/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [ “A hasty dog always burns his mouth. \[192\]” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-t-plaatje/a-hasty-dog-always-burns-his-mouth-192/) [Sol T. Plaatje](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-t-plaatje/) > [And if the big dog ain't me, then the house won't get guarded - period.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaquille-o-neal/and-if-the-big-dog-ain-t-me-then-the-house-won-t-get-guarded-period/) [Shaquille O'Neal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaquille-o-neal/) > [“A year-long study by the University of Pennsylvania, ending in 2009 and published in the journal Applied Animal Behavior Science (Elsevier), showed that aggressive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-custo/a-year-long-study-by-the-university-of-pennsylvania-ending-in-2009/) Edward Custo [Browse all 6,836 Dog quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dog/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Debating against him is no fun, say something insulting and he looks at you like a whipped dog.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Harold Wilson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-wilson/debating-against-him-is-no-fun-say-something-insulting-and-he-looks/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Dog" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-wilson/debating-against-him-is-no-fun-say-something-insulting-and-he-looks/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/247/harold-wilson-15220_dog_debating-against-him-is-no-fun-say-somet_1458687.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/247/harold-wilson-15220_dog_debating-against-him-is-no-fun-say-somet_1458687.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/247/harold-wilson-15220_dog_debating-against-him-is-no-fun-say-somet_1458687.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Debating against him is no fun, say something insulting and he looks at you like a whipped dog.” — Harold Wilson", "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": "Harold Wilson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-wilson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Debating against him is no fun,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-wilson/debating-against-him-is-no-fun-say-something-insulting-and-he-looks/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-wilson/debating-against-him-is-no-fun-say-something-insulting-and-he-looks/#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 } } ] } ```