“For anyone who feels our of place in the land of small dogs the only thing left is to become a big dog, and the only advantage in being a big dog is that one is not then ashamed of dying. Not even a big dog can help feeling shamed of living, a big dog least of all.”

— Stig Dagerman , book A Burnt Child

Source: A Burnt Child (1948), p. 258

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Stig Dagerman 26

Swedish writer 1923–1954

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“I'm tired of living, tired of living here in this land of small dogs, small feelings, small pleasures, small thoughts. One has to be satisfied, but I don't want to be satisfied. I won't be satisfied like a little dog, there's nothing more repulsive that small dogs when they come home frightened and satisfied from their small doggy adventures. I myself have been a big dog, but I won't be a big dog either, even if it is better to be a big dog than a little one. There's nothing between being a big dog and being a little one.I have been a big dog because I have deceived you all. I have also been a little dog because I have deceived myself. In the land of small dogs we all deceives ourselves, we all dream of small doggy adventures, but we are afraid of the greatest adventure of all. The small dogs have a panic-stricken horror of living a pure life, for the only adventure which is not small, because they think the only things worth living for are the moderately dirty ones. In the land of small dogs indecency is worse than immorality, people there don't know that only one thing is immoral: consciously wanting to hurt somebody. In the land of small dogs, therefore passive evil is more respected than active goodness.”

Stig Dagerman book A Burnt Child

Source: A Burnt Child (1948), p. 257

“The only current happiness is indifference, the only current feelings are the very small ones, the only current thoughts are smaller still. The only beautiful things are small feelings. Commons sense is never beautiful. People can never understand that the only thing which makes the small dogs' position at all bearable is that the big dogs' reason can analyse it.”

Stig Dagerman book A Burnt Child

Source: A Burnt Child (1948), p. 258

“I like dogs
Big dogs
Little dogs
Fat dogs
Doggy dogs
Old dogs
Puppy dogs
I like dogs
A dog that is barking over the hill
A dog that is dreaming very still
A dog that is running wherever he will
I like dogs.”

Margaret Wise Brown (1910–1952) American children's writer and editor

Source: The Friendly Book

“This is a case of a barmaid who was badly bitten by a big dog.”

Alfred Denning, Baron Denning (1899–1999) British judge

Cummings v. Granger [1977] 1 All ER 104 at 106.
Judgments

“In the land of small dogs we are all card-sharpers, we do everything in fun: in fun we feed all the small dogs with the crumbs of our feeling; in fun we make out we love every little dog we meet, and no one therefore can love properly in the land of small dogs; there is nothing genuine. Not even falsehood is genuine.”

Stig Dagerman book A Burnt Child

Source: A Burnt Child (1948), p. 257

“My wife is in Portugal with the dog. The dog is with my wife so the city of London is safe, the big threat is away.”

José Mourinho (1963) Portuguese association football player and manager

After his Yorkshire Terrier had issues with customs.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/funny_old_game/7004282.stm
Chelsea FC

“And if the big dog ain't me, then the house won't get guarded—period.”

Shaquille O'Neal (1972) American basketball player

[Wise, Mike, http://www.nytimes.com/2001/01/11/sports/pro-basketball-tension-between-o-neal-and-bryant-is-rising-every-day.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm, PRO BASKETBALL; Tension Between O'Neal and Bryant Is Rising Every Day, January 11, 2001, The News York Times]
O'Neal implying his level of defensive play would drop if he were not the team's featured option on offense.

“A nice man would feel ashamed even before a dog.”

Anton Chekhov (1860–1904) Russian dramatist, author and physician

Note-Book of Anton Chekhov (1921)

“"What you doin' with such a big ol' dog in New York?" "Never had a wife."”

Abraham Polonsky (1910–1999) American politician

Odds Against Tomorrow (1959).

“My wife is in Portugal with the dog. The dog is with my wife so the city of London is safe, the big threat is away. [After his Yorkshire Terrier had issues with customs. ]”

José Mourinho (1963) Portuguese association football player and manager

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/funny_old_game/7004282.stm
Chelsea FC

“For anyone who feels our of place in the land of small dogs the only thing left is to become a big dog, and the only advantage in being a big dog is that one is not then ashamed of dying. Not even a big dog can help feeling shamed of living, a big dog least of all.”

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Stig Dagerman 26

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