--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Not only does every animal live at the…" description: "\"Not only does every animal live at the expense of some other animal or plant, but thevery plants are at war… The individuals of a species are like the ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba6/anonymous-1_animal_not-only-does-every-animal-live-at-the-e_994257.jpg" --- # Not only does every animal live at the expense of some… ![“Not only does every animal live at the expense of some other animal or plant, but thevery plants are at war… The individuals of a species are like the crew of a foundered ship, and none but good swimmers have a chance of reaching the land.” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba6/anonymous-1_animal_not-only-does-every-animal-live-at-the-e_994257.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba6/anonymous-1_animal_not-only-does-every-animal-live-at-the-e_994257.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba6/anonymous-1_animal_not-only-does-every-animal-live-at-the-e_994257.jpg) > “Not only does every animal live at the expense of some other animal or plant, but thevery plants are at war… The individuals of a species are like the crew of a foundered ship, and none but good swimmers have a chance of reaching the land.” [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. It highlights the competitive and predatory nature of ecosystems, where survival often depends on exploiting others and only the most capable thrive. **In simple terms:** Life is a struggle where only the strong survive. Key Takeaway Recognize the harsh realities of natural competition. Themes survival competition ecology Mood reflective serious Type observational analytical When to use this quote - wildlife management - conservation policy - environmental education - ecosystem restoration Key Concepts predation resource scarcity evolutionary pressure Questions to Reflect On - How does this view affect our treatment of wildlife? - Can we balance competition with cooperation in ecosystems? A Different Perspective It may overlook mutualism and cooperation that also exist in nature. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Animal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) [Animals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animals/) [Chance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chance/) [Evolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evolution/) [Individual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individual/) [Plant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plant/) [Swimmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/swimmer/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [You could think of an ecosystem as a bunch of antagonistic arms races, almost: Everything that an animal depends upon for food is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/you-could-think-of-an-ecosystem-as-a-bunch-of-antagonistic-arms-races/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [No computer, no gadget, no trickery. I am an animal, it is a plant. I will beat the weed!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-mcconaughey/no-computer-no-gadget-no-trickery-i-am-an-animal-it-is-a-plant-i-will/) [Matthew McConaughey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-mcconaughey/) > [Harm no person, animal, plant or mineral.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nhat-hanh/harm-no-person-animal-plant-or-mineral/) [Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nhat-hanh/) > [I have kept every kind of animal and plant that is legal to privately own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-morrone/i-have-kept-every-kind-of-animal-and-plant-that-is-legal-to-privately/) Marc Morrone > [“Every two species that evolved from a common ancestor, such as horses and donkeys, were at one time just two populations of the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/every-two-species-that-evolved-from-a-common-ancestor-such-as-horses/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [When I think about life on Earth, there should not be a species like us. And if there was, we should be out in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-haidt/when-i-think-about-life-on-earth-there-should-not-be-a-species-like/) [Jonathan Haidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-haidt/) > [At last gleams of light have come, and I am almost convinced (quite contrary to opinion I started with) that species are not (it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/at-last-gleams-of-light-have-come-and-i-am-almost-convinced-quite/) [Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/) > [It may be argued that to know one kind of beetle is to know them all. But a species is not like a molecule…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/it-may-be-argued-that-to-know-one-kind-of-beetle-is-to-know-them-all/) [E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/) > [“He said he didn’t like my kind and I was filled with the delirious expectation that he would identify me as a common species…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-aylett/he-said-he-didn-t-like-my-kind-and-i-was-filled-with-the-delirious/) [Steve Aylett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-aylett/) > [I am almost convinced (quite contrary to opinion I started with) that species are not (it is like confessing a murder) immutable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/i-am-almost-convinced-quite-contrary-to-opinion-i-started-with-that/) [Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/) > [“In their natural habitats some of these species may be, like the golden-fronted bowerbird, easy to locate and observe but may nevertheless trick the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-dinerstein/in-their-natural-habitats-some-of-these-species-may-be-like-the/) Eric Dinerstein > [That the variability of an organism to a certain extent is a constant and certain condition of life we admit, otherwise there would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-owen/that-the-variability-of-an-organism-to-a-certain-extent-is-a-constant/) [Richard Owen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-owen/) > ['Extinction' issue. Save the species for whom??? Humans' convenience, of course! Individuals of the species are snatched from their homes/family/habitat/held in captivity/forced to mate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adela-popescu/extinction-issue-save-the-species-for-whom-humans-convenience-of/) [Adela Popescu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adela-popescu/) > [An Individual, whatever species it might be, is nothing in the Universe. A hundred, a thousand individuals are still nothing. The species are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-louis-leclerc-comte-de-buffon/an-individual-whatever-species-it-might-be-is-nothing-in-the-universe/) [Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-louis-leclerc-comte-de-buffon/) > [No known human group... simply throw out its dead without any ritual or ceremony. In stark contrast, no animal practices burial of dead individuals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodosius-dobzhansky/no-known-human-group-simply-throw-out-its-dead-without-any-ritual-or/) [Theodosius Dobzhansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodosius-dobzhansky/) ## More by Anonymous > [And a tear rolled down her cheek, as she said goodbye; because she's walking away, and she's never looking back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-a-tear-rolled-down-her-cheek-as-she-said-goodbye-because-she-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Scrabble - The game is available in Braille. That’s a nice fact. This makes me feel better about humanity for some reason. I can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/scrabble-the-game-is-available-in-braille-that-s-a-nice-fact-this/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Everyone needs someone to love, and I choose you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-needs-someone-to-love-and-i-choose-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Put on my J's and dance the whole night away Im naughty by nature like Im hip-hop hooray With my hands in the sky,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/put-on-my-j-s-and-dance-the-whole-night-away-im-naughty-by-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Me.. I have been through a lot, but I still manage to have a smile on my face. Im not worried about the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/me-i-have-been-through-a-lot-but-i-still-manage-to-have-a-smile-on-my/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Distance is a test of love. many will fail for those who can't withstand it, but for those who can, theres only one answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/distance-is-a-test-of-love-many-will-fail-for-those-who-can-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Im sorry I ever tried...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-sorry-i-ever-tried/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Being betrayed by the one you love is the worst feeling in the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-betrayed-by-the-one-you-love-is-the-worst-feeling-in-the-world/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The only person I've ever purposely caused pain here is myself...By simply sharing, caring too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-person-i-ve-ever-purposely-caused-pain-here-is-myself-by/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The truth is, of course, that the curtness of the Ten Commandments is an evidence, not of the gloom and narrowness of a religion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-truth-is-of-course-that-the-curtness-of-the-ten-commandments-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Explore all 162,899 Anonymous quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More Animal quotes > [I was 3-years-old - to this day it is a vivid memory. My family and I were on a boat, catching fish. As one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joaquin-phoenix/i-was-3-years-old-to-this-day-it-is-a-vivid-memory-my-family-and-i/) [Joaquin Phoenix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joaquin-phoenix/) > [Animals know nothing of themselves, and they also know nothing of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/animals-know-nothing-of-themselves-and-they-also-know-nothing-of-the/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [Humans are animals too, but some do not like to work from expectations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/humans-are-animals-too-but-some-do-not-like-to-work-from-expectations/) Mak\_786 > [When grubbing for necessities man is still an animal. He becomes uniquely human when he reaches out for the superfluous and extravagant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/when-grubbing-for-necessities-man-is-still-an-animal-he-becomes/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [I'm 38 and I'm single, and I'm having my most intense and gratifying relationship with a dog. But we all learn about love in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-knapp/i-m-38-and-i-m-single-and-i-m-having-my-most-intense-and-gratifying/) [Caroline Knapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-knapp/) > [Practically all animals which move fast in a homogeneous medium have found means of giving their body a streamlined shape, thereby reducing friction to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/practically-all-animals-which-move-fast-in-a-homogeneous-medium-have/) [Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/) > [A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/a-horse-a-horse-my-kingdom-for-a-horse/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“it is a federal system of sadistic torture, vivisection, and animal genocide, which has been carried on for decades under the fraudulent guise of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-tobias/it-is-a-federal-system-of-sadistic-torture-vivisection-and-animal/) [Michael Tobias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-tobias/) > [“What does it mean to be a self-conscious animal? The idea is ludicrous, if it is not monstrous. It means to know that one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-becker/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-self-conscious-animal-the-idea-is-ludicrous/) [Ernest Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-becker/) > [We must love animals in such a powerful way that we should reject to eat them!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/we-must-love-animals-in-such-a-powerful-way-that-we-should-reject-to/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [“The universe contains any amount of horrible ways to be woken up, such as the noise of the mob breaking down the front door,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/the-universe-contains-any-amount-of-horrible-ways-to-be-woken-up-such/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [This brings me back to the image of Kafka standing before a fish in the Berlin aquarium, a fish on which his gaze fell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/this-brings-me-back-to-the-image-of-kafka-standing-before-a-fish-in/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [That dog, I say that dog is lower than a snake full of buckshot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/foghorn-leghorn/that-dog-i-say-that-dog-is-lower-than-a-snake-full-of-buckshot/) [Foghorn Leghorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/foghorn-leghorn/) > [I bet plants go like 'Weeeeeeeee!' whenever they're swallowed by a giraffe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-bet-plants-go-like-weeeeeeeee-whenever-they-re-swallowed-by-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Animal rights without veganism is like human rights with slavery. It makes no sense. None whatsoever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-l-francione/animal-rights-without-veganism-is-like-human-rights-with-slavery-it/) [Gary L. Francione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-l-francione/) [Browse all 13,456 Animal quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Not only does every animal live at the expense of some other animal or plant, but thevery plants are at war… The individuals of a species are like the crew of a foundered ship, and none but good swimmers have a chance of reaching the land.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Anonymous" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/not-only-does-every-animal-live-at-the-expense-of-some-other-animal/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Animal" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/not-only-does-every-animal-live-at-the-expense-of-some-other-animal/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba6/anonymous-1_animal_not-only-does-every-animal-live-at-the-e_994257.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba6/anonymous-1_animal_not-only-does-every-animal-live-at-the-e_994257.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba6/anonymous-1_animal_not-only-does-every-animal-live-at-the-e_994257.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Not only does every animal live at the expense of some other animal or plant, but thevery plants are at war……” — Anonymous", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Anonymous", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Not only does every animal live...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/not-only-does-every-animal-live-at-the-expense-of-some-other-animal/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/not-only-does-every-animal-live-at-the-expense-of-some-other-animal/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```