A short story is the ultimate close-up magic trick -- a couple of thousand words to take you around the universe or break your heart.
Neil GaimanRead
There are some dogs which, when you meet them, remind you that, despite thousands of years of man-made evolution, every dog is still only two meals away from being a wolf. These dogs advance deliberately, purposefully, the wilderness made flesh, their teeth yellow, their breath a-stink, while in the distance their owners witter, "He's an old soppy really, just poke him if he's a nuisance," and in the green of their eyes the red campfires of the Pleistocene gleam and flicker.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote highlights the primal instincts and wild nature inherent in domesticated dogs despite their evolution alongside humans.
Neil Gaiman's quote poignantly illustrates the underlying wildness in domestic dogs, suggesting that despite centuries of breeding and domestication, they retain a connection to their ancestral roots as wolves. The imagery evokes a sense of the wilderness that exists within them, reminding us of the delicate balance between the domesticated and the wild, and how easily that balance can tip under the right circumstances.
Themes
DogsWildnessEvolutionNatureInstincts
In practice
Example use cases
During a nature documentary screening to highlight the primal instincts of animals.
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I like the stars. It's the illusion of permanence, I think. I mean, they're always flaring up and caving in and going out. But from here, I can pretend...I can pretend that things last. I can pretend that lives last longer than moments. Gods come, and gods go. Mortals flicker and flash and fade. Worlds don't last; and stars and galaxies are transient, fleeting things that twinkle like fireflies and vanish into cold and dust. But I can pretend.
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