Man is the only animal that can remain on friendly terms with the victims he intends to eat until he eats them.
—Samuel Butler
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
A peasant becomes fond of his pig and is glad to salt away its pork. What is significant, and is so difficult for the urban stranger to understand, is that the two statements are connected by an and not by a but.
—John Berger (1926–2017) English Art Critic, Novelist
Man is the most intelligent of the animals—and the most silly.
—Diogenes Laertius (f.3rd Century CE) Biographer of the Greek Philosophers
We know what the animals do, what are the needs of the beaver, the bear, the salmon, and other creatures, because long ago men married them and acquired this knowledge from their animal wives. Today the priests say we lie, but we know better.
—American Indian Proverb
A hen is only an egg’s way of making another egg.
—Samuel Butler
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
From the oyster to the eagle, from the swine to the tiger, all animals are to be found in men and each of them exists in some man, sometimes several at the time. Animals are nothing but the portrayal of our virtues and vices made manifest to our eyes, the visible reflections of our souls. God displays them to us to give us food for thought.
—Victor Hugo (1802–85) French Novelist
An eagle does not catch flies.
—Common Proverb
Don’t accept your dog’s admiration as conclusive evidence that you are wonderful.
—Ask Ann Landers (1918–2002) American Advice Columnist
When thou seest an eagle, thou seest a portion of genius; lift up thy head!
—William Blake (1757–1827) English Poet, Painter, Printmaker
Mankind’s true moral test, its fundamental test (which lies deeply buried from view), consists of its attitude towards those who are at its mercy: animals. And in this respect mankind has suffered a fundamental debacle, a debacle so fundamental that all others stem from it.
—Milan Kundera (b.1929) Czech Novelist
I said something which gave you to think I hated cats. But gad, sir, I am one of the most fanatical cat lovers in the business. If you hate them, I may learn to hate you. If your allergies hate them, I will tolerate the situation to the best of my ability.
—Raymond Chandler (1888–1959) American Novelist
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-born American Inventor, Engineer, Academic
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
Each outcry of the hunted hare A fiber from the brain doth tear.
—William Blake (1757–1827) English Poet, Painter, Printmaker
When a dog runs at you, whistle for him.
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–62) American Philosopher
Mankind differs from the animals only by a little and most people throw that away.
—Confucius (551–479 BCE) Chinese Philosopher
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
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
Animals, in their generation, are wiser than the sons of men; but their wisdom is confined to a few particulars, and lies in a very narrow compass.
—Joseph Addison (1672–1719) English Essayist, Poet, Playwright, Politician
Four legs good, two legs bad.
—George Orwell (1903–50) English Novelist, Journalist
The keeping of bees is like the direction of sunbeams.
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–62) American Philosopher
What is a country without rabbits and partridges? They are among the most simple and indigenous animal products; ancient and venerable families known to antiquity as to modern times; of the very hue and substance of Nature, nearest allied to leaves and to the ground.
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–62) American Philosopher
A fence should be horse high, hog tight and bull strong.
—Unknown
There is something in the unselfish and self-sacrificing love of a brute, which goes directly to the heart of him who has had frequent occasion to test the paltry friendship and gossamer fidelity of mere Man.
—Edgar Allan Poe (1809–49) American Poet
They do not sweat and whine about their condition, they do not lie awake in the dark and weep for their sins, they do not make me sick discussing their duty to God, not one is dissatisfied, not one is demented with the mania of owning things, not one kneels to another, nor to his kind that lived thousands of years ago.
—Walt Whitman (1819–92) American Poet, Essayist, Journalist, American, Poet, Essayist, Journalist
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
Is it not wonderful that the love of the animal parent should be so violent while it lasts and that it should last no longer than is necessary for the preservation of the young?
—Joseph Addison (1672–1719) English Essayist, Poet, Playwright, Politician
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