--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Great teachers often come to us in humble…" description: "\"“Great teachers often come to us in humble packaging. That little dog held the wisdom of a sage in his heart. I learned from him that healing is not ab..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/548/linda-bender-23139_animal_great-teachers-often-come-to-us-in-humbl_2670193.jpg" --- # Great teachers often come to us in humble packaging. That… ![“Great teachers often come to us in humble packaging. That little dog held the wisdom of a sage in his heart. I learned from him that healing is not about the success or failure of the physical body, that physical survival is secondary. All creatures wish to live and thrive, but bodies do wear out…” quote by Linda Bender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/548/linda-bender-23139_animal_great-teachers-often-come-to-us-in-humbl_2670193.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/548/linda-bender-23139_animal_great-teachers-often-come-to-us-in-humbl_2670193.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/548/linda-bender-23139_animal_great-teachers-often-come-to-us-in-humbl_2670193.jpg) > ““Great teachers often come to us in humble packaging. That little dog held the wisdom of a sage in his heart. I learned from him that healing is not about the success or failure of the physical body, that physical survival is secondary. All creatures wish to live and thrive, but bodies do wear out. The number of days we walk the earth (or fly or swim or crawl on it) is not the point. Animals live in the present moment. If kindness, caring, and respect fill that moment, life is fill, no matter what came before or what might come in the future. A soul that feels loved is joyous and healed.”” [Linda Bender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-bender/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote emphasizes that true healing comes from present‑moment kindness and love, not merely physical health, and that animals embody this wisdom. **In simple terms:** Healing is about love and presence, not just the body. Key Takeaway Practice compassion now. Themes healing presence kindness animal wisdom Mood reflective calming Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - caring for pets - volunteering at shelters - mindful meditation - supporting loved ones Key Concepts mindfulness empathy holistic health Questions to Reflect On - How can you bring present‑moment kindness into daily interactions? - What does “soul that feels loved” look like in your life? A Different Perspective Physical health alone cannot guarantee fulfillment. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Animal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) [Animals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animals/) [Great teachers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-teachers/) [Healing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/healing/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Live in the present](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/live-in-the-present/) [Physical body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/physical-body/) [Present moment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/present-moment/) [Spirituality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spirituality/) [Success or failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success-or-failure/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisdom/) ## Related quotes > [“Our lives have begun. Lessons are being learned, and we are healing. It’s never too late to begin again. Better, stronger, more evolved.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leah-remini/our-lives-have-begun-lessons-are-being-learned-and-we-are-healing-it/) [Leah Remini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leah-remini/) > [I learned that healing and cure are active processes in which I myself needed to participate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rollo-may/i-learned-that-healing-and-cure-are-active-processes-in-which-i/) [Rollo May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rollo-may/) > [Wisdom can be found and held onto...but wisdom can never be purchased. It is not for sale.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-berry/wisdom-can-be-found-and-held-onto-but-wisdom-can-never-be-purchased/) Doug Berry > [“When you recognize and reflect on even one good thing about yourself, you are building a bridge to a place of kindness and caring.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-salzberg/when-you-recognize-and-reflect-on-even-one-good-thing-about-yourself/) [Sharon Salzberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-salzberg/) > [“There, the future did not matter. 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Not so the mind.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/no-kindness-and-a-caring-mind-are-two-separate-qualities-kindness-is/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“Kindness and caring are ambrosia for the soul.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-leigh-mercree/kindness-and-caring-are-ambrosia-for-the-soul/) [Amy Leigh Mercree](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-leigh-mercree/) > [“And the past held only this wisdom: that love was a damaging mistake, and its accomplice, hope, a treacherous illusion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/and-the-past-held-only-this-wisdom-that-love-was-a-damaging-mistake/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [“Great players don't always make great teachers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-harris/great-players-don-t-always-make-great-teachers/) [Paul Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-harris/) > [Students deserve great teachers. And teachers deserve the support they need to become great.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/students-deserve-great-teachers-and-teachers-deserve-the-support-they/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [ Teaching might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit. My three \[great teachers\] did not… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/teaching-might-even-be-the-greatest-of-the-arts-since-the-medium-is/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) ## More by Linda Bender > [“Has it ever struck you as odd that humans are the only creatures on the planet who wear clothes? Everything else, from aardvarks to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-bender/has-it-ever-struck-you-as-odd-that-humans-are-the-only-creatures-on/) [Linda Bender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-bender/) > [“Most of us are used to thinking that “imaginary” is the opposite of “real.” That is, when we imagine things, we are just making…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-bender/most-of-us-are-used-to-thinking-that-imaginary-is-the-opposite-of/) [Linda Bender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-bender/) > [“I take it hard when an animal in my care suffers or dies. I take it even harder when the animal's suffering is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-bender/i-take-it-hard-when-an-animal-in-my-care-suffers-or-dies-i-take-it/) [Linda Bender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-bender/) > [“The inner encounters I have with animals—and will be teaching you to have— are exchanges of meaning.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-bender/the-inner-encounters-i-have-with-animals-and-will-be-teaching-you-to/) [Linda Bender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-bender/) > [“Every species embodies a solution to some environmental challenge, and some of these solutions are breathtaking in their elegance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-bender/every-species-embodies-a-solution-to-some-environmental-challenge-and/) [Linda Bender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-bender/) > [“Animals remind us that all beings who walk, stand, swim, crawl, or fly are radiant, mysterious, and unique expressions of the Source. 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Their own suffering has made them aware of human suffering. More frequent contact with us has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-bender/the-animals-feel-that-this-urgency-is-mutual-their-own-suffering-has/) [Linda Bender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-bender/) > [“Because we tend to equate intelligence with language--particularly the ability to use language to think and communicate abstractions--it is natural to conclude that animals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-bender/because-we-tend-to-equate-intelligence-with-language-particularly-the/) [Linda Bender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-bender/) > [“Animals suffer both emotionally and physically, but they don't suffer metaphysically. That is, they don't suffer about suffering, don't get thrown into spiritual confusion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-bender/animals-suffer-both-emotionally-and-physically-but-they-don-t-suffer/) [Linda Bender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-bender/) > [“When you have succeeded in letting go of a trivial preoccupation or two, your awareness will begin to expand into the deeper sources of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-bender/when-you-have-succeeded-in-letting-go-of-a-trivial-preoccupation-or/) [Linda Bender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-bender/) > [“The belief that every living thing has an individual soul is called animism. (Anima, which means 'soul,' is also the root of the word…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-bender/the-belief-that-every-living-thing-has-an-individual-soul-is-called/) [Linda Bender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-bender/) [Explore all 26 Linda Bender quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-bender/) ## 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": "“Great teachers often come to us in humble packaging. That little dog held the wisdom of a sage in his heart. I learned from him that healing is not about the success or failure of the physical body, that physical survival is secondary. All creatures wish to live and thrive, but bodies do wear out. The number of days we walk the earth (or fly or swim or crawl on it) is not the point. Animals live in the present moment. If kindness, caring, and respect fill that moment, life is fill, no matter what came before or what might come in the future. 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