---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As obident as dogs and as stupid as water…"
description: "\"“As obident as dogs and as stupid as water buffalo.”\" — Lisa See"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c02/lisa-see-2200_dog_as-obident-as-dogs-and-as-stupid-as-wate_1951938.jpg"
---

#  As obident as dogs and as stupid as water buffalo.

![“As obident as dogs and as stupid as water buffalo.” quote by Lisa See](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c02/lisa-see-2200_dog_as-obident-as-dogs-and-as-stupid-as-wate_1951938.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c02/lisa-see-2200_dog_as-obident-as-dogs-and-as-stupid-as-wate_1951938.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c02/lisa-see-2200_dog_as-obident-as-dogs-and-as-stupid-as-wate_1951938.jpg)

> ““As obident as dogs and as stupid as water buffalo.””

[Lisa See](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-see/)

## About This Quote

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

The statement uses vivid animal metaphors to criticize someone’s extreme obedience and lack of intelligence.

**In simple terms:** It calls someone overly obedient and unintelligent.

Key Takeaway

Recognize and avoid blind obedience.

Themes

obedience intelligence criticism metaphor behavior

Mood

critical direct

Type

thought‑provoking cautionary

When to use this quote

- workplace dynamics
- personal relationships
- leadership evaluation

Key Concepts

animal metaphor social critique character assessment

Questions to Reflect On

- What are constructive ways to address blind obedience?
- How can intelligence be fostered without ridicule?

A Different Perspective

May be perceived as harsh or disrespectful.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Dog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dog/) [Dogs Stupid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dogs-stupid-3172399/) [Obident Dogs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obident-dogs-3172400/) [Stupid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stupid/) [Stupid Water](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stupid-water-2056702/) [Water buffalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/water-buffalo/)

## Related quotes

> [“Her heart slipped out of its life jacket and paddled toward the deep end of stupid, where the water was way over its head”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samanthe-beck/her-heart-slipped-out-of-its-life-jacket-and-paddled-toward-the-deep/)

[Samanthe Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samanthe-beck/)

> [Camels are snobbish and sheep, unintelligent; water buffaloes, neurasthenic-- even murderous. Reindeer seem over-serious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-moore/camels-are-snobbish-and-sheep-unintelligent-water-buffaloes/)

[Marianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-moore/)

> [“ Language as a Prison The Philippines did have a written language before the Spanish colonists arrived, contrary to what many of those colonists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-byrne/language-as-a-prison-the-philippines-did-have-a-written-language/)

[David Byrne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-byrne/)

> [“And it has stayed there, calmly in its spot, growing slowly, producing leaves, losing leaves, producing more, as those mammoths became extinct, as Homer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-haig/and-it-has-stayed-there-calmly-in-its-spot-growing-slowly-producing/)

[Matt Haig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-haig/)

> [“Other types of milkΔ are available in some markets. Most of these milks come from mammals native to a specific geographic location and include…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruby-parker-puckett/other-types-of-milk-are-available-in-some-markets-most-of-these-milks/)

[Ruby Parker Puckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruby-parker-puckett/)

> [“1) Did the people of Viet Nam use lanterns of stone? 2) Did they hold ceremonies to reverence the opening of buds? 3) Were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-levertov/1-did-the-people-of-viet-nam-use-lanterns-of-stone-2-did-they-hold/)

[Denise Levertov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-levertov/)

> [“They feed you, like, eight times a day, which is why cruise people always look like hairless water buffalo wearing sneakers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/they-feed-you-like-eight-times-a-day-which-is-why-cruise-people/)

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

> [“Inside Metro Diner, we grab a table near the back. A waitress who clearly ate a water buffalo for breakfast waddles to our table.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-scott/inside-metro-diner-we-grab-a-table-near-the-back-a-waitress-who/)

[Victoria Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-scott/)

> [“Remember this, for it is as true and true gets: Your body is not a lemon. You are not a machine. The Creator is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ina-may-gaskin/remember-this-for-it-is-as-true-and-true-gets-your-body-is-not-a/)

[Ina May Gaskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ina-may-gaskin/)

> [The strongest animals on earth are plant eaters. Every creature we've enlisted to do the work we couldn't handle - the horse, donkey, elephant,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-moran/the-strongest-animals-on-earth-are-plant-eaters-every-creature-we-ve/)

[Victoria Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-moran/)

> [“I love people who harness themselves, an ox to a heavy cart, who pull like water buffalo, with massive patience, who strain in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-rodham-clinton/i-love-people-who-harness-themselves-an-ox-to-a-heavy-cart-who-pull/)

[Hillary Rodham Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-rodham-clinton/)

> [“Forty feet long sixty feet high hotel Covered with old gray for buzzing flies Eye like mango flowing orange pus Ears Durga people vomiting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-ginsberg/forty-feet-long-sixty-feet-high-hotel-covered-with-old-gray-for/)

[Allen Ginsberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-ginsberg/)

> [At last, after almost fifty years in the hopper, the most famous unpublished novel in America is in print. Who Shot the Water Buffalo?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-mcclanahan/at-last-after-almost-fifty-years-in-the-hopper-the-most-famous/)

[Ed McClanahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-mcclanahan/)

> [“The people I love the best jump into work head first without dallying in the shallows and swim off with sure strokes almost out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marge-piercy/the-people-i-love-the-best-jump-into-work-head-first-without-dallying/)

[Marge Piercy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marge-piercy/)

> [Turbulence.” This is what pilots announce that you have encountered when your plane strikes an object in midair. You'll be flying along, and there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/turbulence-this-is-what-pilots-announce-that-you-have-encountered/)

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

## More by Lisa See

> [“the birth of the twins and what happened to them, although traditional, has transformed me as irreversibly as soaking cloth in a vat of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-see/the-birth-of-the-twins-and-what-happened-to-them-although-traditional/)

[Lisa See](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-see/)

> [When the sun is shining, think of the time it won't be, because even when you're sitting in your house with the doors shut,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-see/when-the-sun-is-shining-think-of-the-time-it-won-t-be-because-even/)

[Lisa See](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-see/)

> [Snow Flower was my old same for life. I had a greater and deeper love for her than I could ever feel for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-see/snow-flower-was-my-old-same-for-life-i-had-a-greater-and-deeper-love/)

[Lisa See](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-see/)

> [“When she reaches the ground, she looks from the old woman to me. A moment of confusion. Then recognition. I know her too, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-see/when-she-reaches-the-ground-she-looks-from-the-old-woman-to-me-a/)

[Lisa See](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-see/)

> [“huigan—causes us to turn inward and reflect as the liquor coats our tongues, shimmers down our throats, and then rises again as fragrance. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-see/huigan-causes-us-to-turn-inward-and-reflect-as-the-liquor-coats-our/)

[Lisa See](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-see/)

> [“...maybe writing doesn't require sacrifice. Maybe it's a gift to experience emotions through our brushes, ink, and paper. I wrote out sorrow, fear, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-see/maybe-writing-doesn-t-require-sacrifice-maybe-it-s-a-gift-to/)

[Lisa See](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-see/)

> [“You can always count on people to crowded your party when you’re in glory but you should never dream of people sending you charcoal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-see/you-can-always-count-on-people-to-crowded-your-party-when-you-re-in/)

[Lisa See](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-see/)

> [Let those who believe, believe. Let those who doubt, doubt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-see/let-those-who-believe-believe-let-those-who-doubt-doubt/)

[Lisa See](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-see/)

> [It used to happen in villages and towns in China that they would have - I guess you'd call them beauty contests - where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-see/it-used-to-happen-in-villages-and-towns-in-china-that-they-would-have/)

[Lisa See](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-see/)

> [“So many mistakes. So many errors. So much tragedy as a result. In that moment I understood that the cruelest words in the universe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-see/so-many-mistakes-so-many-errors-so-much-tragedy-as-a-result-in-that/)

[Lisa See](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-see/)

> [“Yes, she had held her family together, but at what cost to herself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-see/yes-she-had-held-her-family-together-but-at-what-cost-to-herself/)

[Lisa See](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-see/)

> [“When in the world did anyone die from a dream?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-see/when-in-the-world-did-anyone-die-from-a-dream/)

[Lisa See](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-see/)

> [But, you know, I just did a big trip in the spring to Vietnam and Cambodia and Thailand, and that's when I bought a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-see/but-you-know-i-just-did-a-big-trip-in-the-spring-to-vietnam-and/)

[Lisa See](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-see/)

> [“Maybe that's what we're all like with our mothers. They seem ordinary until one day they're extraordinary.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-see/maybe-that-s-what-we-re-all-like-with-our-mothers-they-seem-ordinary/)

[Lisa See](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-see/)

> [Model communes are the ones where the leaders lie the best and the biggest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-see/model-communes-are-the-ones-where-the-leaders-lie-the-best-and-the/)

[Lisa See](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-see/)

[Explore all 178 Lisa See quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-see/)

## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-custo/)

[Browse all 6,836 Dog quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dog/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“As obident as dogs and as stupid as water buffalo.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Lisa See"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-see/as-obident-as-dogs-and-as-stupid-as-water-buffalo/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Dog"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-see/as-obident-as-dogs-and-as-stupid-as-water-buffalo/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c02/lisa-see-2200_dog_as-obident-as-dogs-and-as-stupid-as-wate_1951938.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c02/lisa-see-2200_dog_as-obident-as-dogs-and-as-stupid-as-wate_1951938.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c02/lisa-see-2200_dog_as-obident-as-dogs-and-as-stupid-as-wate_1951938.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“As obident as dogs and as stupid as water buffalo.” — Lisa See",
                "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": "Lisa See",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-see/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“As obident as dogs and as...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-see/as-obident-as-dogs-and-as-stupid-as-water-buffalo/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-see/as-obident-as-dogs-and-as-stupid-as-water-buffalo/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
