Animals Quote by Barbara Kingsolver
““On the day of the hunt I came to know in the slick center of my bones this one thing: all animals kill to survive, and we are animals. The lion kills the baboon, the baboon kills fat grasshoppers. The elephant tears up living trees, draffing their precious roots from the dirt they love. The hungry antelope's shadow passes over the startled grass. And we, even if we had no meat or even grass to gnaw still boil our water to kill the invisible creatures that would like to kill us first. ...The death of something living is the price of our own survival, and we pay it again and again. We have no choice. It is the one solemn promise every life on earth is born and bound to keep””
About This Quote
Source Book: The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver, 1988
All living beings must kill to survive; death is an unavoidable cost of life.
In simple terms: Survival requires killing; death is inevitable.
Key Takeaway
Accept the harsh reality of survival.
Themes
survival
ecology
ethics
Mood
reflective
serious
Type
philosophical
environmental
When to use this quote
- wildlife observation
- environmental policy
- personal reflection
Key Concepts
predation
interdependence
natural law
Questions to Reflect On
- How do we balance survival with moral responsibility?
- Can we find alternatives to killing?
A Different Perspective
Survival may also involve compassion and stewardship.
![“Most kids who grow up in Alaska and spend a fair degree of time in the wilderness, grow up being pretty self-reliant. You have to be, in order to survive all the animals and cliffs and crevasses and rapids - at some point, your brain has to kick [out of] that childish daydream world and start…” quote by Leigh Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/fe0/leigh-newman-15257_alaska_most-kids-who-grow-up-in-alaska-and-spen_1691602.jpg)
