Animals are such agreeable friends—they ask no questions; they pass no criticisms.
—George Eliot (Mary Anne Evans) (1819–80) English Novelist
Who can guess how much industry and providence and affection we have caught from the pantomime of brutes?
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–82) American Philosopher
The cow is of the bovine ilk;
One end is moo, the other milk.
—Ogden Nash (1902–71) American Writer of Sophisticated Light Verse
An eagle does not catch flies.
—Common Proverb
Man is an animal which, alone among the animals, refuses to be satisfied by the fulfillment of animal desires.
—Alexander Graham Bell (1847–1922) Scottish-American Inventor, Engineer, Academic
People are not going to care about animal conservation unless they think that animals are worthwhile.
—David Attenborough (b.1926) English Naturalist, Broadcaster
Always remember, a cat looks down on man, a dog looks up to man, but a pig will look man right in the eye and see his equal.
—Winston Churchill (1874–1965) British Leader, Historian, Journalist, Author
Before you beat the dog, find out the name of his master.
—Chinese Proverb
The elephant, not only the largest but the most intelligent of animals, provides us with an excellent example. It is faithful and tenderly loving to the female of its choice, mating only every third year and then for no more than five days, and so secretly as never to be seen, until, on the sixth day, it appears and goes at once to wash its whole body in the river, unwilling to return to the herd until thus purified. Such good and modest habits are an example to husband and wife.
—Francis de Sales (1567–1622) French Catholic Saint
Man is the only animal that can remain on friendly terms with the victims he intends to eat until he eats them.
—Samuel Butler
The greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated.
—Mohandas K. Gandhi (1869–1948) Indian Hindu Political leader
The poor dog, in life the firmest friend. The first to welcome, foremost to defend.
—Lord Byron (George Gordon Byron) (1788–1824) English Romantic Poet
Presumption is our natural and original malady. When I play with my cat, who knows if I am not a pastime to her more than she is to me.
—Michel de Montaigne (1533–92) French Essayist
The fatter the flea the leaner the dog.
—German Proverb
We are alone, absolutely alone on this chance planet; and amid all the forms of life that surround us, not one, excepting the dog has made an alliance with us.
—Max De Pree (1924–2017) American Businessman
In a few generations more, there will probably be no room at all allowed for animals on the earth: no need of them, no toleration of them. An immense agony will have then ceased, but with it there will also have passed away the last smile of the world’s youth.
—Ouida (Maria Louise Rame) (1839–1908) English Novelist
Your rat tail is all the fashion now. I prefer a bushy plume, carried straight up. You are Siamese and your ancestors lived in trees. Mine lived in palaces. It has been suggested to me that I am a bit of a snob. How true! I prefer to be.
—Raymond Chandler (1888–1959) American Novelist
Fierce and poisonous animals were created for terrifying man, in order that he might be made aware of the final judgment in hell.
—John Wesley (1703–91) British Methodist Leader, Preacher, Theologian
If it wasn’t for dogs, some people would never go for a walk.
—Unknown
Animals used to provide a lowlife way to kill and get away with it, as they do still, but, more intriguingly, for some people they are an aperture through which wounds drain. The scapegoat of olden times, driven off for the bystanders sins, has become a tender thing, a running injury. There, running away is me: hurt it and you are hurting me.
—Edward Hoagland (b.1932) American Essayist, Novelist
The best thing about animals is that they don’t talk much.
—Thornton Wilder (1897–1975) American Novelist, Playwright
Shall we never have done with that cliche, so stupid that it could only be human, about the sympathy of animals for man when he is unhappy? Animals love happiness almost as much as we do. A fit of crying disturbs them, they’ll sometimes imitate sobbing, and for a moment they’ll reflect our sadness. But they flee unhappiness as they flee fever, and I believe that in the long run they are capable of boycotting it.
—Colette (1873–1954) French Novelist, Performer
When thou seest an eagle, thou seest a portion of genius; lift up thy head!
—William Blake (1757–1827) English Poet, Painter, Printmaker
He who is cruel to animals becomes hard also in his dealings with men. We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals.
—Immanuel Kant (1724–1804) Prussian German Philosopher, Logician
Animals have these advantages over man: they never hear the clock strike, they die without any idea of death, they have no theologians to instruct them, their last moments are not disturbed by unwelcome and unpleasant ceremonies, their funerals cost them nothing, and no one starts lawsuits over their wills.
—Voltaire (1694–1778) French Philosopher, Author
I shoot the Hippopotamus
With bullets made of platinum,
Because if I use leaden ones
His hide is sure to flatten ’em.
—Hilaire Belloc (1870–1953) British Historian, Poet, Critic
Man, of all the animals, is probably the only one to regard himself as a great delicacy.
—Jacques Cousteau (1910–97) French Oceanographer, Documentary Director
Nothing can be more obvious than that all animals were created solely and exclusively for the use of man.
—Thomas Love Peacock (1785–1866) English Satirist, Novelist, Author
The fate of animals is of greater importance to me than the fear of appearing ridiculous; it is indissolubly connected with the fate of men.
—Emile Zola (1840–1902) French Novelist
A hen is only an egg’s way of making another egg.
—Samuel Butler
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