---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Animals are like people because people…"
description: "\"Animals are like people because people are animals.\" — Barbara Gates"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/154/barbara-gates-222094_animal_animals-are-like-people-because-people-a_2457376.jpg"
---

#  Animals are like people because people are animals.

![“Animals are like people because people are animals.” quote by Barbara Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/154/barbara-gates-222094_animal_animals-are-like-people-because-people-a_2457376.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/154/barbara-gates-222094_animal_animals-are-like-people-because-people-a_2457376.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/154/barbara-gates-222094_animal_animals-are-like-people-because-people-a_2457376.jpg)

> “Animals are like people because people are animals.”

[Barbara Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-gates/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

People and animals share fundamental traits, highlighting interconnectedness and mutual respect.

**In simple terms:** Humans and animals are alike.

Key Takeaway

Recognize and respect shared nature.

Themes

biology philosophy interconnectedness ethics

Mood

empathetic thoughtful

Type

animal:1 animals:1 inspirational:0 love:0 people:1 animals like:1 like people:0 people people:0 people animals:0

When to use this quote

- environmental education
- animal welfare advocacy
- personal mindfulness

Key Concepts

animal behavior human nature eco‑philosophy

Questions to Reflect On

- In what ways are humans and animals truly similar?
- How does this view affect our treatment of animals?

A Different Perspective

May oversimplify complex differences.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Animal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) [Animals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animals/) [Animals Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animals-like-237453/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Like People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-people/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People Animals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-animals-575721/) [People People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-people/)

## Related quotes

> [I like some animals more than some people, some people more than some animals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goodall/i-like-some-animals-more-than-some-people-some-people-more-than-some/)

[Jane Goodall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goodall/)

> [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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mak-786/)

> [“When you are in the company of people who look down upon themselves as though they were animals, you too become like an animal.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-h-eg/when-you-are-in-the-company-of-people-who-look-down-upon-themselves/)

[Peter Høeg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-h-eg/)

> [Attempts to defend amusement parks and circuses on the grounds that they 'educate' people about animals should not be taken seriously. Such enterprises are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/attempts-to-defend-amusement-parks-and-circuses-on-the-grounds-that/)

[Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/)

> [Now don't get me wrong, I love animals, but I like eatin' 'em more... fun to pet, better to chew.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-gaffigan/now-don-t-get-me-wrong-i-love-animals-but-i-like-eatin-em-more-fun-to/)

[Jim Gaffigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-gaffigan/)

> [I think that we're pattern-seeking animals, and what we like best is a story where everything fits together, where there's no puzzle pieces left…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-hawley/i-think-that-we-re-pattern-seeking-animals-and-what-we-like-best-is-a/)

[Noah Hawley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-hawley/)

> [I wanted to talk to the animals like Dr. Dolittle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goodall/i-wanted-to-talk-to-the-animals-like-dr-dolittle/)

[Jane Goodall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goodall/)

> [We're fascinated by animals because it's almost like having Martians living among us. We can see some familiarity in them, but they're entirely different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/we-re-fascinated-by-animals-because-it-s-almost-like-having-martians/)

[Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/)

> [Everybody loves animals, but there is this special bond that few people have with animals and with nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhishek-banerjee/everybody-loves-animals-but-there-is-this-special-bond-that-few/)

[Abhishek Banerjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhishek-banerjee/)

> [“What does it matter who a person is or who they have been? Let them think what they like. We're all so many people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georgina-harding/what-does-it-matter-who-a-person-is-or-who-they-have-been-let-them/)

[Georgina Harding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georgina-harding/)

> [I like people who give everything for other people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juancho-hernangomez/i-like-people-who-give-everything-for-other-people/)

[Juancho Hernangomez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juancho-hernangomez/)

> [ALL WAYS YOU LIKE OTHERS PEOPLE &amp; OTHERS PEOPLE LIKE YOU.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rao-muhammad-ali/all-ways-you-like-others-people-others-people-like-you/)

[RAO MUHAMMAD ALI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rao-muhammad-ali/)

> [I like people who can see what other people can't yet imagine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-patrick-maloney/i-like-people-who-can-see-what-other-people-can-t-yet-imagine/)

[Sean Patrick Maloney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-patrick-maloney/)

> [Animals, like us, have rich and spacious interiors. They contain inner landscapes: desert places and lonely canyons, cliffs of madness and rivers or serene…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-a-kowalski/animals-like-us-have-rich-and-spacious-interiors-they-contain-inner/)

[Gary A. Kowalski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-a-kowalski/)

> [I can't say I'm not guilty of age discrimination when it comes to animals. Like most people I've walked into a shelter more than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenna-morasca/i-can-t-say-i-m-not-guilty-of-age-discrimination-when-it-comes-to/)

[Jenna Morasca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenna-morasca/)

## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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": "Animals are like people because people are animals.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Barbara Gates"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-gates/animals-are-like-people-because-people-are-animals/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Animal"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-gates/animals-are-like-people-because-people-are-animals/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/154/barbara-gates-222094_animal_animals-are-like-people-because-people-a_2457376.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/154/barbara-gates-222094_animal_animals-are-like-people-because-people-a_2457376.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/154/barbara-gates-222094_animal_animals-are-like-people-because-people-a_2457376.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Animals are like people because people are animals.” — Barbara Gates",
                "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": "Barbara Gates",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-gates/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Animals are like people because people...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-gates/animals-are-like-people-because-people-are-animals/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-gates/animals-are-like-people-because-people-are-animals/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
