I grew up in a rural area of appalachia. My grandparents were dead by the time I was born, but one old man in the family sort of replaced them as the "fount of simple wisdom" that is so needed in every family. Bob was a farmer. He was born in about 1900-1910, so he'd seen much change in the world (and that tends to lend wisdom, I think).
He used to say "a mule in the field isn't a mule, it's just a hole for hay. Put hames on him," he'd say (hames are part of a harness), "and he becomes a mule again."
Wisdom always has a parallel in every aspect of life. It's one way to assure it's wisdom, and not merely a nice sounding saying.
A Dom isn't a Dom without a sub, but the "domness" is still there (if it really is there) waiting for the "harness," so to speak.