--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Sir, there is no settling the point of…" description: "\"Sir, there is no settling the point of precedency between a louse and a flea.\" — Samuel Johnson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/538/samuel-johnson-50_flea_sir-there-is-no-settling-the-point-of-pr_2279212.png" --- # Sir, there is no settling the point of precedency between… ![“Sir, there is no settling the point of precedency between a louse and a flea.” quote by Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/538/samuel-johnson-50_flea_sir-there-is-no-settling-the-point-of-pr_2279212.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/538/samuel-johnson-50_flea_sir-there-is-no-settling-the-point-of-pr_2279212.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/538/samuel-johnson-50_flea_sir-there-is-no-settling-the-point-of-pr_2279212.png) > “Sir, there is no settling the point of precedency between a louse and a flea.” [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He humorously argues that even the smallest creatures have distinct hierarchies, making trivial disputes absurd. **In simple terms:** Even tiny beings argue about rank. Key Takeaway Recognize the pettiness of some conflicts. Themes humor hierarchy triviality nature philosophy Mood witty reflective Type satirical philosophical When to use this quote - classroom debates - political satire - environmental education Key Concepts social order comparative anatomy absurdity Questions to Reflect On - When does a minor dispute become a larger problem? - How can humor defuse petty arguments? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on minor differences can distract from larger issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Flea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flea/) [Flea markets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flea-markets/) [Fleas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fleas/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Louse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/louse-750982/) [Louse Flea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/louse-flea-5312858/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Point Precedency](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/point-precedency-5312860/) [Precedency Louse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/precedency-louse-5312859/) [Settling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/settling/) ## Related quotes > [When I find something at a flea market or an antique store, it feels more special and I'm more inclined to want to wear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-wasson/when-i-find-something-at-a-flea-market-or-an-antique-store-it-feels/) [Erin Wasson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-wasson/) > [When I take on a design project, I have to jet from the bookstore to the hardware shop to the lamp store and back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nate-berkus/when-i-take-on-a-design-project-i-have-to-jet-from-the-bookstore-to/) [Nate Berkus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nate-berkus/) > [I jog at the Rose Bowl, and I collect antique and vintage furniture, so I'm there every few weeks for the flea market.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theo-rossi/i-jog-at-the-rose-bowl-and-i-collect-antique-and-vintage-furniture-so/) [Theo Rossi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theo-rossi/) > [My first collection was made from sheets that my grandmother, who lived in Normandy, had been collecting for a long time. There are a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivier-theyskens/my-first-collection-was-made-from-sheets-that-my-grandmother-who/) [Olivier Theyskens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivier-theyskens/) > [I collect travel alarm clocks. I was in a flea market in France once, in 1994, and I opened up this beautiful Jaeger-LeCoultre folding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alec-baldwin/i-collect-travel-alarm-clocks-i-was-in-a-flea-market-in-france-once/) [Alec Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alec-baldwin/) > [If I'm going to try and find something, I stick to the flea markets, or I pull hand-me-downs from my family because I like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/troian-bellisario/if-i-m-going-to-try-and-find-something-i-stick-to-the-flea-markets-or/) [Troian Bellisario](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/troian-bellisario/) > [I'm pretty much a thrift shop gal. Flea markets on Sundays.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-kravitz/i-m-pretty-much-a-thrift-shop-gal-flea-markets-on-sundays/) [Zoe Kravitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-kravitz/) > [The flea, though he kill none, he does all the harm he can.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-donne/the-flea-though-he-kill-none-he-does-all-the-harm-he-can/) [John Donne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-donne/) > [I literally in the New York flea market - just when I was despairing of ever having a great serendipitous find - found a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hamish-bowles/i-literally-in-the-new-york-flea-market-just-when-i-was-despairing-of/) [Hamish Bowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hamish-bowles/) > [My father had the bug. 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It started when I was a kid growing up in South…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ransom-riggs/i-have-an-unusual-hobby-i-collect-pictures-of-people-i-don-t-know-it/) [Ransom Riggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ransom-riggs/) > ['Priced to sell' - just the phrase makes me smile. When a dealer says all the items in his booth are priced to sell,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nate-berkus/priced-to-sell-just-the-phrase-makes-me-smile-when-a-dealer-says-all/) [Nate Berkus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nate-berkus/) > [I love going to flea markets especially when I am traveling, because I love seeing the stuff of other cultures, handicrafts and things with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-sui/i-love-going-to-flea-markets-especially-when-i-am-traveling-because-i/) [Anna Sui](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-sui/) ## More by Samuel Johnson > [The size of a man's understanding might always be justly measured by his mirth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-size-of-a-man-s-understanding-might-always-be-justly-measured-by/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Pound St. Paul's Church into atoms, and consider any single atom; it is to be sure, good for nothing; but put all these atoms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/pound-st-paul-s-church-into-atoms-and-consider-any-single-atom-it-is/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [You can never be wise unless you love reading.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/you-can-never-be-wise-unless-you-love-reading/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [If our aim is to praise, we should forget to criticize; if our aim is to criticize, we should remember to praise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/if-our-aim-is-to-praise-we-should-forget-to-criticize-if-our-aim-is/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [All theory is against free will; all experience is for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/all-theory-is-against-free-will-all-experience-is-for-it/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Had I learned to fiddle, I should have done nothing else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/had-i-learned-to-fiddle-i-should-have-done-nothing-else/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [It is as foolish to make experiments upon the constancy of a friend, as upon the chastity of a wife.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/it-is-as-foolish-to-make-experiments-upon-the-constancy-of-a-friend/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Resolve not to be poor: whatever you have, spend less. Poverty is a great enemy to human happiness; it certainly destroys liberty, and it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/resolve-not-to-be-poor-whatever-you-have-spend-less-poverty-is-a/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [The basis of all excellence is truth: he that professes love ought to feel its power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-basis-of-all-excellence-is-truth-he-that-professes-love-ought-to/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Words are daughters of earth but ideas are sons of heaven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/words-are-daughters-of-earth-but-ideas-are-sons-of-heaven/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [“The composition of Shakespeare is a forest, in which oaks extend in the air, interspersed sometimes with weeds and brambles, and sometimes giving shelting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-composition-of-shakespeare-is-a-forest-in-which-oaks-extend-in/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [“The cherubim were never intended as an object of worship, because they were only the appendices to another thing. But a thing is then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-cherubim-were-never-intended-as-an-object-of-worship-because-they/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Nobody has the right to put another under such a difficulty that he must either hurt the person by telling the truth or hurt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/nobody-has-the-right-to-put-another-under-such-a-difficulty-that-he/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [That kind of life is most happy which affords us most opportunities of gaining our own self-esteem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/that-kind-of-life-is-most-happy-which-affords-us-most-opportunities/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [The time will come to every human being when it must be known how well he can bear to die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-time-will-come-to-every-human-being-when-it-must-be-known-how/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) [Explore all 1,998 Samuel Johnson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) ## More Flea quotes > [When I find something at a flea market or an antique store, it feels more special and I'm more inclined to want to wear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-wasson/when-i-find-something-at-a-flea-market-or-an-antique-store-it-feels/) [Erin Wasson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-wasson/) > [I've had 'Spanish Flea' stuck in my head since 1998, so in a subjective sense, that is the song that's playing whenever I enter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-rex/i-ve-had-spanish-flea-stuck-in-my-head-since-1998-so-in-a-subjective/) [Adam Rex](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-rex/) > [I think when you get interested in antiques, the most frustrating thing is that books don't have enough photos. When you go to a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-miller/i-think-when-you-get-interested-in-antiques-the-most-frustrating/) [Judith Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-miller/) > [Keep your paws off my fiancèe, you flea-ridden stray!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-buckley/keep-your-paws-off-my-fianc-e-you-flea-ridden-stray/) [Michael Buckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-buckley/) > ['Priced to sell' - just the phrase makes me smile. When a dealer says all the items in his booth are priced to sell,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nate-berkus/priced-to-sell-just-the-phrase-makes-me-smile-when-a-dealer-says-all/) [Nate Berkus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nate-berkus/) > [I was a flea on a dog. I was just hopping between bands. It was valuable to learn that way, the tours in transit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-ryder/i-was-a-flea-on-a-dog-i-was-just-hopping-between-bands-it-was/) [Sam Ryder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-ryder/) > [I like Flea, I like him as a musician.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ziggy-marley/i-like-flea-i-like-him-as-a-musician/) [Ziggy Marley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ziggy-marley/) > [I have an unusual hobby: I collect pictures of people I don't know. It started when I was a kid growing up in South…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ransom-riggs/i-have-an-unusual-hobby-i-collect-pictures-of-people-i-don-t-know-it/) [Ransom Riggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ransom-riggs/) > [“The earth has become small, and on it hops the last man, who makes everything small. His race is as ineradicable as the flea;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/the-earth-has-become-small-and-on-it-hops-the-last-man-who-makes/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [That's a valiant flea that dares eat his breakfast on the lip of a lion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/that-s-a-valiant-flea-that-dares-eat-his-breakfast-on-the-lip-of-a/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [I've withdrawn many times. Part of me is a monk, and part a performing flea! The fear in the music business is that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lennon/i-ve-withdrawn-many-times-part-of-me-is-a-monk-and-part-a-performing/) [John Lennon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lennon/) > [“So who gave him his name?" I asked. "Kerrick," Belen answered. Not who I'd expect. "Why 'Flea'?" A full-out grin spread across Flea's face.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-v-snyder/so-who-gave-him-his-name-i-asked-kerrick-belen-answered-not-who-i-d/) [Maria V. Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-v-snyder/) > [My grandmother was very fashion-forward and had these very structured, beautiful bags, and now, that's why I have very expensive taste in bags. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becca-tobin/my-grandmother-was-very-fashion-forward-and-had-these-very-structured/) [Becca Tobin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/becca-tobin/) > [I love vintage shopping in flea markets, vintage stores and even Ebay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-leyland/i-love-vintage-shopping-in-flea-markets-vintage-stores-and-even-ebay/) [Chelsea Leyland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-leyland/) > [I don't micromanage, but I do care deeply about every product we make. Every one goes through me, and I try most of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-paul-dejoria/i-don-t-micromanage-but-i-do-care-deeply-about-every-product-we-make/) [John Paul DeJoria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-paul-dejoria/) [Browse all 71 Flea quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flea/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Sir, there is no settling the point of precedency between a louse and a flea.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Samuel Johnson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/sir-there-is-no-settling-the-point-of-precedency-between-a-louse-and/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Flea" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/sir-there-is-no-settling-the-point-of-precedency-between-a-louse-and/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/538/samuel-johnson-50_flea_sir-there-is-no-settling-the-point-of-pr_2279212.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/538/samuel-johnson-50_flea_sir-there-is-no-settling-the-point-of-pr_2279212.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/538/samuel-johnson-50_flea_sir-there-is-no-settling-the-point-of-pr_2279212.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Sir, there is no settling the point of precedency between a louse and a flea.” — Samuel Johnson", "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": "Samuel Johnson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Sir, there is no settling the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/sir-there-is-no-settling-the-point-of-precedency-between-a-louse-and/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/sir-there-is-no-settling-the-point-of-precedency-between-a-louse-and/#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 } } ] } ```