--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: With the exception of certain rodents, no…" description: "\"With the exception of certain rodents, no other vertebrate except Homo sapiens habitually destroys members of his own species.\" — Anthony Storr" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/47b/anthony-storr-15918_certain_with-the-exception-of-certain-rodents-no_2722510.png" --- # With the exception of certain rodents, no other vertebrate… ![“With the exception of certain rodents, no other vertebrate except Homo sapiens habitually destroys members of his own species.” quote by Anthony Storr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/47b/anthony-storr-15918_certain_with-the-exception-of-certain-rodents-no_2722510.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/47b/anthony-storr-15918_certain_with-the-exception-of-certain-rodents-no_2722510.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/47b/anthony-storr-15918_certain_with-the-exception-of-certain-rodents-no_2722510.png) > “With the exception of certain rodents, no other vertebrate except Homo sapiens habitually destroys members of his own species.” [Anthony Storr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-storr/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Only humans habitually destroy their own kind, unlike other vertebrates, highlighting a unique destructive tendency **In simple terms:** Humans uniquely destroy members of their own species Key Takeaway Address and mitigate self‑destructive behaviors in society Themes human nature self‑destruction ethics Mood thoughtful serious Type philosophical psychological When to use this quote - conflict resolution - peacebuilding - environmental stewardship Key Concepts evolutionary psychology social pathology Questions to Reflect On - Why do humans turn against each other? - What can reduce intra‑species harm? A Different Perspective Complex causes may oversimplify human behavior ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Humanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humanity/) [Rodents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rodents/) ## Related quotes > [Every pellet has a story all its own. Every pellet has a story all its own. With its fur and teeth and bones And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-lasky/every-pellet-has-a-story-all-its-own-every-pellet-has-a-story-all-its/) [Kathryn Lasky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-lasky/) > [“Hawaii once had a rat problem. Then, somebody hit upon a brilliant solution. import mongooses from India. Mongooses would kill the rats. It worked.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/hawaii-once-had-a-rat-problem-then-somebody-hit-upon-a-brilliant/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [I have a phobia. I have a serious phobia of rodents. I don't even like white mice, hamsters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoya-akhtar/i-have-a-phobia-i-have-a-serious-phobia-of-rodents-i-don-t-even-like/) [Zoya Akhtar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoya-akhtar/) > [As if to demonstrate, by a striking example, the impossibility of erecting any cerebral barrier between man and the apes, Nature has provided us,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/as-if-to-demonstrate-by-a-striking-example-the-impossibility-of/) [Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/) > [You never know when some crazed rodent with cold feet could be running loose in your pants.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-watterson/you-never-know-when-some-crazed-rodent-with-cold-feet-could-be/) [Bill Watterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-watterson/) > [A book is a fragile creature. It suffers the wear of time, it fears rodents, the elements, clumsy hands.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/a-book-is-a-fragile-creature-it-suffers-the-wear-of-time-it-fears-2/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [Opening the fridge door, I found a rat eating the cheese. My dealings with rodents, particularly those tagged verminous, have been few, but generally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tibor-fischer/opening-the-fridge-door-i-found-a-rat-eating-the-cheese-my-dealings/) [Tibor Fischer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tibor-fischer/) > [Win and you are the superior being in all the universe; lose, and may the fleas of a million rodents, infect your every orifice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-feherty/win-and-you-are-the-superior-being-in-all-the-universe-lose-and-may/) [David Feherty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-feherty/) > [At school, our classroom had a small rodent zoo consisting of two rabbits, three hamsters, a litter of baby gerbils and a guinea pig.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelley-armstrong/at-school-our-classroom-had-a-small-rodent-zoo-consisting-of-two/) [Kelley Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelley-armstrong/) > [You ignorant little rodent! This isn't just an old book. This is the book of Everafter." "Sorry, I haven't read it. I'm waiting for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-buckley/you-ignorant-little-rodent-this-isn-t-just-an-old-book-this-is-the/) [Michael Buckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-buckley/) > [I do not knowingly kill any living thing - including insects or rodents - and I thank my food for sustaining me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-jett/i-do-not-knowingly-kill-any-living-thing-including-insects-or-rodents/) [Joan Jett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-jett/) > [The mole rat is the only rodent born without a fur coat. With a good lawyer, someone would pay for that little oversight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erma-bombeck/the-mole-rat-is-the-only-rodent-born-without-a-fur-coat-with-a-good/) [Erma Bombeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erma-bombeck/) > [The workman cut to the left, still laying on his horn, and roared around the drunkenly weaving limousine. He invited the driver of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-workman-cut-to-the-left-still-laying-on-his-horn-and-roared/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [I always play these rodent type characters - skittish and hyper like a chipmunk. It's a complete act though. I'm a very normal person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-embry/i-always-play-these-rodent-type-characters-skittish-and-hyper-like-a/) [Ethan Embry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-embry/) > [Rats. Rats, mice, and rodents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-ferris/rats-rats-mice-and-rodents/) [Jean Ferris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-ferris/) ## More by Anthony Storr > [Part of what we admire about a painting or a piece of music is the order which the artist has imposed upon what would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-storr/part-of-what-we-admire-about-a-painting-or-a-piece-of-music-is-the/) [Anthony Storr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-storr/) > [All the world loves a lover, and a lover loves all the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-storr/all-the-world-loves-a-lover-and-a-lover-loves-all-the-world/) [Anthony Storr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-storr/) > [I owed Lewis one thing, at least. Once you had suffered the experience of presenting a case at one of his Monday morning conferences,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-storr/i-owed-lewis-one-thing-at-least-once-you-had-suffered-the-experience/) [Anthony Storr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-storr/) > [In a culture in which interpersonal relationships are generally considered to provide the answer to every form of distress, it is sometimes difficult to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-storr/in-a-culture-in-which-interpersonal-relationships-are-generally/) [Anthony Storr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-storr/) > [If creative work protects a man against mental illness, it is small wonder that he pursues it with avidity; and even if the state…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-storr/if-creative-work-protects-a-man-against-mental-illness-it-is-small/) [Anthony Storr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-storr/) > [Some split between the inner world and outer world is common to all behaviour, and the need to bridge the gap is the source…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-storr/some-split-between-the-inner-world-and-outer-world-is-common-to-all/) [Anthony Storr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-storr/) > [When a man suffers from delusions he is described as mad but when a million do so they belong to a world religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-storr/when-a-man-suffers-from-delusions-he-is-described-as-mad-but-when-a/) [Anthony Storr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-storr/) > [What chiefly concerns and alarms many of us are the problems arising from religious fanaticism. As long as large numbers of militant enthusiasts are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-storr/what-chiefly-concerns-and-alarms-many-of-us-are-the-problems-arising/) [Anthony Storr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-storr/) > [ “\[A\]voidance behavior is a response designed to protect the infant from behavioural disorganization. If we transfer this concept to adult life, we can see… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-storr/a-voidance-behavior-is-a-response-designed-to-protect-the-infant-from/) [Anthony Storr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-storr/) > [Idiosyncratic belief systems which are shared by only a few adherents are likely to be regarded as delusional. 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If we transfer this concept to adult life, we can see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-storr/avoidance-behavior-is-a-response-designed-to-protect-the-infant-from/) [Anthony Storr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-storr/) [Explore all 41 Anthony Storr quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-storr/) ## More Certain quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [One can put some trust in the gratitude of a sovereign, and also in that of his family; under certain conditions, one can even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-von-bismarck/one-can-put-some-trust-in-the-gratitude-of-a-sovereign-and-also-in/) [Otto von Bismarck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-von-bismarck/) > [For successful education there must always be a certain freshness in the knowledge dealt with. 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