The bond with a true dog is as lasting as the ties of this earth will ever be.
Konrad LorenzRead
Barking dogs occasionally bite, but laughing men hardly ever shoot.
Interpretation
What this quote means
People who make a lot of noise may not be as dangerous as they seem, while those who remain calm are less likely to cause harm.
This quote suggests that those who tend to be aggressive or loud, like the barking dogs, often do not take action that truly harms others. In contrast, individuals who express joy and laughter tend to be more peaceful and non-threatening. It invites reflection on the nature of threats and the true intentions behind people's actions.
Themes
Barking DogsLaughterThreatCalmnessAggression
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about conflict resolution, one might use this quote to highlight the importance of understanding true threats in human behavior.
More from Konrad Lorenz
All quotes →Whenever we find, in two forms of life that are unrelated to each other, a similarity of form or of behaviour patterns which relates to more than a few minor details, we assume it to be caused by parallel adaptation to the same life-preserving function.
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I grew up in the large house and the larger garden of my parents in Altenberg. They were supremely tolerant of my inordinate love for animals.
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More than any other product of human scientific culture scientific knowledge is the collective property of all mankind.
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In nature we find not only that which is expedient, but also everything which is not so inexpedient as to endanger the existence of the species.
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Most people have forgotten how to live with living creatures, with living systems and that, in turn, is the reason why man, whenever he comes into contact with nature, threatens to kill the natural system in which and from which he live.
Konrad LorenzRead
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