---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The dog that buried the bone which even a…"
description: "\"The dog that buried the bone which even a canine appetite could not manage, the squirrel that gathered nuts for a later feast, the bees that filled the..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab8/will-durant-948_ancestor_the-dog-that-buried-the-bone-which-even_2082187.png"
---

#  The dog that buried the bone which even a canine appetite…

![“The dog that buried the bone which even a canine appetite could not manage, the squirrel that gathered nuts for a later feast, the bees that filled the comb with honey, the ants that laid up stores for a rainy day - these were among the first creators of civilization. It was they…who taught our…” quote by Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab8/will-durant-948_ancestor_the-dog-that-buried-the-bone-which-even_2082187.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab8/will-durant-948_ancestor_the-dog-that-buried-the-bone-which-even_2082187.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab8/will-durant-948_ancestor_the-dog-that-buried-the-bone-which-even_2082187.png)

> “The dog that buried the bone which even a canine appetite could not manage, the squirrel that gathered nuts for a later feast, the bees that filled the comb with honey, the ants that laid up stores for a rainy day - these were among the first creators of civilization. It was they…who taught our ancestors the art of providing for tomorrow out of the surplus of today, or of preparing for winter in summer's time of plenty.”

[Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/)

## About This Quote

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

Early animals displayed foresight by storing food, teaching humans to plan for future scarcity.

**In simple terms:** Animals stored food, showing future planning.

Key Takeaway

Learn to save and plan ahead.

Themes

foresight preparation civilization resource management

Mood

reflective inspirational pragmatic

Type

advice historical observational

When to use this quote

- personal finance
- food storage
- emergency preparedness
- environmental sustainability

Key Concepts

animal behavior surplus theory future planning

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you apply animal foresight to modern challenges?
- What resources can you store today for future security?

A Different Perspective

Human societies also need innovation, not just storage, to thrive.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Ancestor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ancestor/) [Ants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ants/) [Appetite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/appetite/) [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Bees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bees/) [Canine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/canine/) [Civilization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilization/) [Creator](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creator/) [Dog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dog/) [Rainy day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rainy-day/) [Squirrels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/squirrels/) [Summer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/summer/) [Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/today/) [Tomorrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tomorrow/) [Winter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/winter/)

## Related quotes

> [What grape to keep its place in the sun, taught our ancestors to make wine?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyril-connolly/what-grape-to-keep-its-place-in-the-sun-taught-our-ancestors-to-make/)

[Cyril Connolly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyril-connolly/)

> [First, a gorgeous breakfast: just everything you can imagine from flapjacks and fried squirrel to hominy grits and honey in the comb...we're so impatient…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/truman-capote/first-a-gorgeous-breakfast-just-everything-you-can-imagine-from/)

[Truman Capote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/truman-capote/)

> [If a dog happens to catch a rabbit or another animal, it can very easily remove the hide. If a cat catches a squirrel,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-barnard/if-a-dog-happens-to-catch-a-rabbit-or-another-animal-it-can-very/)

[Neal Barnard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-barnard/)

> [Anglo-Saxon civilization has taught the individual to protect his own rights; American civilization will teach him to respect the rights of others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-jennings-bryan/anglo-saxon-civilization-has-taught-the-individual-to-protect-his-own/)

[William Jennings Bryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-jennings-bryan/)

> [Civilization has taught us to eat with a fork, but even now if nobody is around we use our fingers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/civilization-has-taught-us-to-eat-with-a-fork-but-even-now-if-nobody/)

[Will Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/)

> [Modern civilization has taught us to convert night into day and golden silence into brazen din and noise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/modern-civilization-has-taught-us-to-convert-night-into-day-and/)

[Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/)

> [ My approach is to be honest-really honest-and consistent. That is what any growth will take. It is an issue I think \[young\] generation can… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michaela-angela-davis/my-approach-is-to-be-honest-really-honest-and-consistent-that-is-what/)

[Michaela Angela Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michaela-angela-davis/)

> [Actually, I comb my hair quite often. Of course, I use an electric toothbrush.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-diller/actually-i-comb-my-hair-quite-often-of-course-i-use-an-electric/)

[Phyllis Diller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-diller/)

> [At root, vulgar just means popular on a mass scale. It is the semantic opposite of pretentious or snobby. It is humility with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/at-root-vulgar-just-means-popular-on-a-mass-scale-it-is-the-semantic/)

[David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/)

> [I'm working on the world, revised, improved edition, featuring fun for fools blues for brooders, combs for bald pates, tricks for old dogs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wislawa-szymborska/i-m-working-on-the-world-revised-improved-edition-featuring-fun-for/)

[Wislawa Szymborska](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wislawa-szymborska/)

> [Sean Combs is the person whom I look up to and appreciate as a father.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quincy-brown/sean-combs-is-the-person-whom-i-look-up-to-and-appreciate-as-a-father/)

[Quincy Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quincy-brown/)

> [Fair maid, white and red, Comb me smooth, and stroke my head; And every hair a sheave shall be, And every sheave a golden…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-peele/fair-maid-white-and-red-comb-me-smooth-and-stroke-my-head-and-every/)

[George Peele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-peele/)

> [When the honey's out of the comb, there's no putting it back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-jordan/when-the-honey-s-out-of-the-comb-there-s-no-putting-it-back/)

[Robert Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-jordan/)

> [The little bee returns with evening's gloom, To join her comrades in the braided hive, Where, housed beside their might honey-comb, They dream their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-tennyson-turner/the-little-bee-returns-with-evening-s-gloom-to-join-her-comrades-in/)

[Charles Tennyson Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-tennyson-turner/)

> [“The magi, as you know, were wise men — wonderfully wise men — who brought gifts to the Babe in the manger. They invented…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/the-magi-as-you-know-were-wise-men-wonderfully-wise-men-who-brought/)

[Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/)

## More by Will Durant

> [I came to think of myself, not as a dance and chaos of molecules, but as a brief and minute portion of that majestic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/i-came-to-think-of-myself-not-as-a-dance-and-chaos-of-molecules-but/)

[Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/)

> [“This is the tragedy of almost every civilization—that its soul is in its faith, and seldom survives philosophy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/this-is-the-tragedy-of-almost-every-civilization-that-its-soul-is-in/)

[Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/)

> [Education is a progressive discovery of our own ignorance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/education-is-a-progressive-discovery-of-our-own-ignorance/)

[Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/)

> [In philosophy, as in politics, the longest distance between two points is a straight line.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/in-philosophy-as-in-politics-the-longest-distance-between-two-points/)

[Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/)

> [As long as there is poverty there will be gods.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/as-long-as-there-is-poverty-there-will-be-gods/)

[Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/)

> [“Hence the uselessness of logic: no one ever convinced anybody by logic; and even logicians use logic only as a source of income. To…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/hence-the-uselessness-of-logic-no-one-ever-convinced-anybody-by-logic/)

[Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/)

> [“It is a mistake to think that the past is dead. Nothing that has ever happened is quite without influence at this moment. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/it-is-a-mistake-to-think-that-the-past-is-dead-nothing-that-has-ever/)

[Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/)

> [“There is hardly an absurdity of the past that cannot be found flourishing somewhere in the present. Underneath all civilization, ancient or modern, moved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/there-is-hardly-an-absurdity-of-the-past-that-cannot-be-found/)

[Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/)

> [The Islamic conquest of India is probably the bloodiest story in history. It is a discouraging tale, for its evident moral is that civilization…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/the-islamic-conquest-of-india-is-probably-the-bloodiest-story-in/)

[Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/)

> [“Intellectualism—the conception of man as above all a thinking animal, consciously adapting means to rationally chosen ends—fell sick with Rousseau, took to its bed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/intellectualism-the-conception-of-man-as-above-all-a-thinking-animal/)

[Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/)

> [“All those fascinating varieties of terrain—mountains and valleys, fiords and straits, gulfs and streams—that make Europe a panorama of diverse delight, have broken the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/all-those-fascinating-varieties-of-terrain-mountains-and-valleys/)

[Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/)

> [“To be great is not to be placed above humanity, ruling others; but to stand above the partialities and futilities of uninformed desire, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/to-be-great-is-not-to-be-placed-above-humanity-ruling-others-but-to/)

[Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/)

> [“privately he composed—in French—a poem expressing his pleasure at having given the French a kick in the cul, which Carlyle delicately translated as “the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/privately-he-composed-in-french-a-poem-expressing-his-pleasure-at/)

[Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/)

> [ “\[N\]o language has ever had a word for a virgin man.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/n-o-language-has-ever-had-a-word-for-a-virgin-man/)

[Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/)

> [“And in the individual too, justice is effective coördination, the harmonious functioning of the elements in a man, each in its fit place and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/and-in-the-individual-too-justice-is-effective-co-rdination-the/)

[Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/)

[Explore all 320 Will Durant quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/)

## More Ancestor quotes

> [A lot of indigenous cultures are deeply involved in working with ancestor spirits, elemental spirits, and demons. Many of these cultures feel that, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-pinchbeck/a-lot-of-indigenous-cultures-are-deeply-involved-in-working-with/)

[Daniel Pinchbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-pinchbeck/)

> [Food binds us to our roots as strongly as any song or poem. Many of us have learned more about our ancestors in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-thomas/food-binds-us-to-our-roots-as-strongly-as-any-song-or-poem-many-of-us/)

[Anna Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-thomas/)

> [Whereas our ancestors (not of choice) were the first successful cultivators of the wilds of America, we their descendants feel ourselves entitled to participate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-allen/whereas-our-ancestors-not-of-choice-were-the-first-successful/)

[Richard Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-allen/)

> [Going where no man has gone before is more difficult than it sounds. Our cousins and ancestors were no less curious than we are,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-d-wilson/going-where-no-man-has-gone-before-is-more-difficult-than-it-sounds/)

[N.D. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-d-wilson/)

> [I use the phrase 'sibling society' to suggest a culture fundamentally without fathers, mothers, grandfathers, grandmothers, or ancestors. The thinking is horizontal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bly/i-use-the-phrase-sibling-society-to-suggest-a-culture-fundamentally/)

[Robert Bly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bly/)

> [“A very long time ago, some 2.5 million years B.C., the mother of human species as we know it, our ultimate ancestor, appeared in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-f-cantor/a-very-long-time-ago-some-2-5-million-years-b-c-the-mother-of-human/)

[Norman F. Cantor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-f-cantor/)

> [High birth is an accident, not a virtue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pietro-metastasio/high-birth-is-an-accident-not-a-virtue/)

[Pietro Metastasio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pietro-metastasio/)

> [Southerners, whose ancestors a hundred years ago knew the horrors of a homeland devastated by war, are particularly determined that war shall never come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/southerners-whose-ancestors-a-hundred-years-ago-knew-the-horrors-of-a/)

[Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/)

> [Two hundred years ago, before the advent of capitalism, a man's social status was fixed from the beginning to the end of his life;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/two-hundred-years-ago-before-the-advent-of-capitalism-a-man-s-social/)

[Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/)

> [And I saw for the first time how, despite the isolation of our own lives, we are always connected to our ancestors; our bodies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alyson-richman/and-i-saw-for-the-first-time-how-despite-the-isolation-of-our-own/)

[Alyson Richman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alyson-richman/)

> [There is an ancient Indian saying: "We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children." If we use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-schroeder/there-is-an-ancient-indian-saying-we-do-not-inherit-the-earth-from/)

[Patricia Schroeder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-schroeder/)

> [It is how it has always been. We will accept the legacy of our ancestors,' Asha says, smiling, and in her smile I do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/libba-bray/it-is-how-it-has-always-been-we-will-accept-the-legacy-of-our/)

[Libba Bray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/libba-bray/)

> [My ancestors came over from Germany about the time of the Civil War and one of them lost a leg and went back to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/my-ancestors-came-over-from-germany-about-the-time-of-the-civil-war/)

[Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/)

> [ Now they \[the Powers\] have started the aggression, and the extinction of our nation is imminent. If we just fold our arms and yield… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/empress-dowager-cixi/now-they-the-powers-have-started-the-aggression-and-the-extinction-of/)

Empress Dowager Cixi

> [A solitary American monk named Thomas Berry writes that in our relationship to nature, we have been autistic for centuries. Wrapped tightly in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janine-benyus/a-solitary-american-monk-named-thomas-berry-writes-that-in-our/)

[Janine Benyus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janine-benyus/)

[Browse all 767 Ancestor quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ancestor/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The dog that buried the bone which even a canine appetite could not manage, the squirrel that gathered nuts for a later feast, the bees that filled the comb with honey, the ants that laid up stores for a rainy day - these were among the first creators of civilization. It was they…who taught our ancestors the art of providing for tomorrow out of the surplus of today, or of preparing for winter in summer's time of plenty.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Will Durant"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/the-dog-that-buried-the-bone-which-even-a-canine-appetite-could-not/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Ancestor"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/the-dog-that-buried-the-bone-which-even-a-canine-appetite-could-not/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab8/will-durant-948_ancestor_the-dog-that-buried-the-bone-which-even_2082187.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab8/will-durant-948_ancestor_the-dog-that-buried-the-bone-which-even_2082187.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab8/will-durant-948_ancestor_the-dog-that-buried-the-bone-which-even_2082187.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The dog that buried the bone which even a canine appetite could not manage, the squirrel that gathered nuts…” — Will Durant",
                "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": "Will Durant",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The dog that buried the bone...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/the-dog-that-buried-the-bone-which-even-a-canine-appetite-could-not/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/the-dog-that-buried-the-bone-which-even-a-canine-appetite-could-not/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
