Dog quotes and sayings: meanings and real origins
The best-known dog sayings in English are proverbs such as “A barking dog never bites” or “Let sleeping dogs lie”, which use dogs to talk about people. Add everyday idioms and famous quotes, although many quotes circulate with doubtful attributions. Here is an explained selection, with the Spanish equivalents where they exist and, for the quotes, what is actually known about who said them.
Dog proverbs and what they mean
English and Spanish share several dog proverbs. These are some of the best known, with the Spanish twins recorded by the Instituto Cervantes’ multilingual proverb collection:
- A barking dog never bites. People who threaten and bluster are rarely the most dangerous. A common variant is “His bark is worse than his bite”. Spanish says Perro ladrador, poco mordedor.
- The lean dog is all fleas. Misfortune piles up on those who are already weak. It is rare in English, where “The weakest goes to the wall” is closer to everyday use; in Spanish, A perro flaco, todo son pulgas is very common.
- A dead dog bites not. Once the source of a problem is gone, so is the harm. It sounds old-fashioned in English, but its Spanish cousin, Muerto el perro, se acabó la rabia, is heard every day.
- A dog in the manger. Someone who does not enjoy something but stops others from enjoying it too. In Spanish: El perro del hortelano, que ni come ni deja comer.
- You can’t teach an old dog new tricks. It is hard to change long-held habits. Spanish old dogs are wiser: A perro viejo no hay tus tus means you cannot fool an experienced person with flattery.
- Let sleeping dogs lie. Do not stir up a problem that has settled down.
- A dog is a man’s best friend. A nod to the dog’s loyalty; in Spanish, El perro es el mejor amigo del hombre.
The dog in the manger: from proverb to Lope de Vega
Few sayings have travelled as far. The English image is usually traced to a fable traditionally attributed to Aesop, while the Instituto Cervantes notes the Spanish version may have Arabic-Andalusian roots. It also gave its title to a comedy by Lope de Vega, written between 1613 and 1615 and known in English as The Dog in the Manger: Diana, a countess, falls for her secretary, will not commit to him because of their difference in rank, and cannot bear another woman loving him either. In 1996 Pilar Miró filmed it in its original verse, and the film won seven Goya awards.
Everyday dog idioms
Beyond proverbs, English is full of dog idioms. Here are some you will hear often:
- To fight like cat and dog: to argue constantly.
- A dog’s life: a hard, unhappy life.
- Dog-tired: completely exhausted.
- Sick as a dog: very ill.
- In the doghouse: in disgrace with someone, usually for a while.
- Top dog: the person with the most power or success.
- Barking up the wrong tree: looking for something in the wrong place or following a mistaken idea.
- Every dog has its day: everyone gets a moment of success sooner or later.
Notice how many of these are negative: “a dog’s life”, “to treat someone like a dog”… They reflect a time when dogs were mainly working animals and were not always well treated. Language changes more slowly than the way we live with animals.
Famous dog quotes (and who really said them)
The internet is full of dog quotes credited to philosophers, writers or actors. Many have no source. These ones are well documented:
- George Graham Vest (1870). Arguing before a jury in Warrensburg, Missouri, over the killing of Old Drum, a hunting dog, this lawyer said: “The one absolute, unselfish friend that man can have in this selfish world … is his dog.” The speech, known as the “Eulogy of the Dog”, remains one of the most quoted texts on canine loyalty.
- Mark Twain, in Pudd’nhead Wilson (1894). He wrote that if you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you: “This is the principal difference between a dog and a man.”
- The Boatswain monument (1808). Lord Byron built a monument at Newstead Abbey to his Newfoundland, Boatswain. Its inscription, whose prose is credited to his friend John Cam Hobhouse, describes the dog as having “Beauty without Vanity, Strength without Insolence, Courage without Ferocity”.
Famous quotes with doubtful attribution
- “Outside of a dog, a book is man’s best friend. Inside of a dog it’s too dark to read.” Attributed to Groucho Marx. Quote Investigator shows the joke was circulating in other forms from 1943 and that the earliest attribution to him it has found dates from 1973, so he probably did not coin it.
- “The more I know about people, the better I like dogs.” It has been credited to Madame de Sévigné, Madame Roland and others, but Quote Investigator has found no evidence for those attributions. The oldest version located appeared in a French publication in 1822 and was attributed to an anonymous woman.
If you share one of these, the honest option is to present it as “attributed to” or as anonymous.
Dogs in Spanish literature
Dogs do not only appear in proverbs. In The Dialogue of the Dogs, one of Cervantes’ Exemplary Novels (1613), two dogs, Cipión and Berganza, review the society of their time with plenty of irony. Don Quixote also uses the old-dog proverb: “¡Yo soy perro viejo, y no hay conmigo tus, tus!”, roughly “I’m an old dog, and there’s no calling me over”.
Centuries later, Miguel de Unamuno ended Mist (Niebla, 1914) with an epilogue in which Orfeo, the protagonist’s dog, reflects on his owner’s death. Both show how literature has used a dog’s point of view to talk about us.
What these sayings don’t tell you about real dogs
Proverbs are about people, not guides to canine behaviour. “A barking dog never bites” is a good example: do not apply it to a real dog. A dog who barks, growls or goes stiff may be warning you that they are scared or feel threatened, and the sensible response is to give them space, not to test the proverb.
The image of a dog who forgets everything, or is loyal only for food, is not accurate either. If you are curious about what is known about their memory and bond with people, read how long dogs remember their owners.
From saying to responsible adoption
Behind phrases like “man’s best friend” lies a real responsibility: a dog needs time, attention, veterinary care and a stable home for their whole life. Before taking the step, think about your routine, the space you have and who will look after them when you travel.
If you decide the time is right, adopting is a way to give a second chance to a dog who needs one. On Miwuki Pet Shelter you can browse dogs for adoption from shelters and private owners (in Spanish) and read their stories before you decide.
Conclusion
Dog sayings reveal a lot about our language and how our relationship with dogs has changed: from “a dog’s life” to “man’s best friend”. Enjoy using them, but check the origin before putting a famous name under a quote. And if one of them encourages you to adopt, do it with the same loyalty we credit dogs with.
