---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Are you a vegetarian?' I ask, based on…"
description: "\"Are you a vegetarian?' I ask, based on the evidence in front of me. She nods. 'Why?' 'Because I have this theory that when we die, every animal that we..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/090/david-levithan-67_add_are-you-a-vegetarian-i-ask-based-on-the_1800265.jpg"
---

#  Are you a vegetarian?' I ask, based on the evidence in…

![“Are you a vegetarian?' I ask, based on the evidence in front of me. She nods. 'Why?' 'Because I have this theory that when we die, every animal that we've eaten has a chance at eating us back. So if you're a carnivore and you add up all the animals you've eaten--well, that's a long time in…” quote by David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/090/david-levithan-67_add_are-you-a-vegetarian-i-ask-based-on-the_1800265.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/090/david-levithan-67_add_are-you-a-vegetarian-i-ask-based-on-the_1800265.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/090/david-levithan-67_add_are-you-a-vegetarian-i-ask-based-on-the_1800265.jpg)

> “Are you a vegetarian?' I ask, based on the evidence in front of me. She nods. 'Why?' 'Because I have this theory that when we die, every animal that we've eaten has a chance at eating us back. So if you're a carnivore and you add up all the animals you've eaten--well, that's a long time in purgatory, being chewed.' 'Really?' She laughs. 'No. I'm just sick of the question. I mean, I'm a vegetarian because I think it's wrong to eat other sentient creatures. And it sucks for the environment.”

[David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/)

## About This Quote

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

Choosing vegetarianism can be based on ethical, environmental, and speculative reasons about animal consciousness.

**In simple terms:** Vegetarianism stems from ethics and ecology.

Key Takeaway

Consider ethical impacts of food choices.

Themes

ethics environment dietary choices

Mood

thoughtful concerned

Type

advice philosophical

When to use this quote

- Meal planning
- dietary counseling
- environmental activism
- personal health decisions

Key Concepts

Animal rights ecological footprint personal philosophy

Questions to Reflect On

- What values guide your eating habits?
- How do you address social pressure?

A Different Perspective

May conflict with cultural or social norms.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Animal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) [Carnivores](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/carnivores/) [Chance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chance/) [Eating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eating/) [Environment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/environment/) [Food](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/food/) [Purgatory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/purgatory/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Vegetarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vegetarian/)

## Related quotes

> [“Are you a vegetarian?” I ask, based on the evidence in front of me. She nods. “Why?” “Because I have this theory that when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/are-you-a-vegetarian-i-ask-based-on-the-evidence-in-front-of-me-she/)

[David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/)

> [“Because I have this theory that when we die, every animal that we've eaten has a chance at eating us back. So if you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/because-i-have-this-theory-that-when-we-die-every-animal-that-we-ve/)

[David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/)

> [Not everyone can be bribed with meat, Oberon." "They Can't? Oh! you mean they're vegetarian." "No, they eat meat. It just doesn't sway their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-hearne/not-everyone-can-be-bribed-with-meat-oberon-they-can-t-oh-you-mean/)

[Kevin Hearne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-hearne/)

> [India is mostly vegetarian, and I think that will be crucial to changing the world. I think the United States is lost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernhard-goetz/india-is-mostly-vegetarian-and-i-think-that-will-be-crucial-to/)

[Bernhard Goetz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernhard-goetz/)

> [I'm not a vegetarian. But I think people who are vegetarians, they are actually more virtuous than the rest of us. I think they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-cowen/i-m-not-a-vegetarian-but-i-think-people-who-are-vegetarians-they-are/)

[Tyler Cowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-cowen/)

> [I am an on-and-off vegetarian. Sometimes on, mostly off. I think it is better to be a vegetarian but occasionally, the call of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/i-am-an-on-and-off-vegetarian-sometimes-on-mostly-off-i-think-it-is/)

[Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/)

> [The word vegetarian, I think, does a disservice because there are a lot of people who care but maybe don't care, or can't care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/the-word-vegetarian-i-think-does-a-disservice-because-there-are-a-lot/)

[Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/)

> [I'm a vegetarian - I think there's a strong possibility, had I not become a vegetarian, I would not be working now. I became…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-barker/i-m-a-vegetarian-i-think-there-s-a-strong-possibility-had-i-not/)

[Bob Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-barker/)

> [I'm the god of war, the resurrector of the horror-core. The carnivore, destroying you wasn't hard at all](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vinnie-paz/i-m-the-god-of-war-the-resurrector-of-the-horror-core-the-carnivore/)

[Vinnie Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vinnie-paz/)

> [In the animal kingdom, one of the keys to survival is to outwit your enemies. And when you're surrounded by carnivores, one of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/in-the-animal-kingdom-one-of-the-keys-to-survival-is-to-outwit-your/)

[Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/)

> [There were studies that asked people in different cultures to draw pictures of their enemies, and the pictures all looked remarkably the same. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaron-lanier/there-were-studies-that-asked-people-in-different-cultures-to-draw/)

[Jaron Lanier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaron-lanier/)

> [“I’m not sure I’d like to be burned. I think I might like to be fed to zoo animals. It would be both environmentally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-honeyman/i-m-not-sure-i-d-like-to-be-burned-i-think-i-might-like-to-be-fed-to/)

[Gail Honeyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-honeyman/)

> [He burst into the house and ate Grandma, an entirely valid course of action for a carnivore such as himself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-finn-garner/he-burst-into-the-house-and-ate-grandma-an-entirely-valid-course-of/)

[James Finn Garner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-finn-garner/)

> [So I am living without fats, without meat, without fish, but am feeling quite well this way. It always seems to me that man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/so-i-am-living-without-fats-without-meat-without-fish-but-am-feeling/)

[Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/)

> [Animals that we eat are raised for food in the most economical way possible, and the serious food producers do it in the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-child/animals-that-we-eat-are-raised-for-food-in-the-most-economical-way/)

[Julia Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-child/)

## More by David Levithan

> [“When you jump, all you're going to do is fall. But leaping? Leaping is when you think there's something on the other side.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/when-you-jump-all-you-re-going-to-do-is-fall-but-leaping-leaping-is/)

[David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/)

> [“The past and the future are what's complicated. It's the present that's simple. And the simplicity is the sensation of it being just her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/the-past-and-the-future-are-what-s-complicated-it-s-the-present-that/)

[David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/)

> [“I hate the way you talk to me And the way you cut your hair I hate the way you drive my car I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/i-hate-the-way-you-talk-to-me-and-the-way-you-cut-your-hair-i-hate/)

[David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/)

> [You could be the leaf that never falls from the tree you could be the sun that never leaves the sky this might be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/you-could-be-the-leaf-that-never-falls-from-the-tree-you-could-be-the/)

[David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/)

> [“Patrick: Is she worth the trouble? Cameron: I thought she was- Patrick: Either she is, or she isn't. So give it a shot, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/patrick-is-she-worth-the-trouble-cameron-i-thought-she-was-patrick/)

[David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/)

> [“We saw our friends die. But we also see our friends live. So many of them live, and we often toast their long and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/we-saw-our-friends-die-but-we-also-see-our-friends-live-so-many-of/)

[David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/)

> [maybe tonight you're scared of falling, and maybe there's somebody here or somewhere else you're thinking about, worrying over, fretting over, trying to figure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/maybe-tonight-you-re-scared-of-falling-and-maybe-there-s-somebody/)

[David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/)

> [“You never told me what you saw in him, not convincingly.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/you-never-told-me-what-you-saw-in-him-not-convincingly/)

[David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/)

> [“i nod to the other will grayson, up onstage. he nods to me. we have something between us, him and me. but the truth?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/i-nod-to-the-other-will-grayson-up-onstage-he-nods-to-me-we-have/)

[David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/)

> [The terrorists-those nineteen people, with hundreds or maybe thousands behind them-did the worst thing you can possibly imagine. But tens of millions people did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/the-terrorists-those-nineteen-people-with-hundreds-or-maybe-thousands/)

[David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/)

> [But I still has enough longing for that concept that I didn't want to dispel it completely. Meaning: I didn't want to tell Lily…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/but-i-still-has-enough-longing-for-that-concept-that-i-didn-t-want-to/)

[David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/)

> [“When you break someone's heart, you also break yours.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/when-you-break-someone-s-heart-you-also-break-yours/)

[David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/)

> [“Because toward the end all the words started leaving. Except for the ones that had to lock up at the end of the night.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/because-toward-the-end-all-the-words-started-leaving-except-for-the/)

[David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/)

> [“ misgivings , n . Last night, I got up the courage to ask you if you regretted us. "There are things I miss,"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/misgivings-n-last-night-i-got-up-the-courage-to-ask-you-if-you/)

[David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/)

> [“Saving others is always more important than saving yourself. It has to be, or none of us would do any good.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/saving-others-is-always-more-important-than-saving-yourself-it-has-to/)

[David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/)

[Explore all 1,648 David Levithan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/)

## More Add quotes

> [Most marriages don't add two people together. They subtract one from the other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-fleming/most-marriages-don-t-add-two-people-together-they-subtract-one-from/)

[Ian Fleming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-fleming/)

> [Friendship, "the wine of life," should, like a well-stocked cellar, be continually renewed; and it is consolatory to think, that although we can seldom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-boswell/friendship-the-wine-of-life-should-like-a-well-stocked-cellar-be/)

[James Boswell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-boswell/)

> [Life as we know it is fundamentally unsatisfying. I think most folks feel this to be true. They know that a life of aimless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-yates/life-as-we-know-it-is-fundamentally-unsatisfying-i-think-most-folks/)

[Michael Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-yates/)

> [Give me a platter of choice finnan haddie, freshly cooked in its bath of water and milk, add melted butter, a slice or two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-claiborne/give-me-a-platter-of-choice-finnan-haddie-freshly-cooked-in-its-bath/)

[Craig Claiborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-claiborne/)

> [Writing adds up to the conscience of our times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-firrell/writing-adds-up-to-the-conscience-of-our-times/)

[Martin Firrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-firrell/)

> [A 'modern' man has nothing to add to modernism, if only because he has nothing to oppose it with. The well-adapted drop off the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elias-canetti/a-modern-man-has-nothing-to-add-to-modernism-if-only-because-he-has/)

[Elias Canetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elias-canetti/)

> [Observation and theory get on best when they are mixed together, both helping one another in the pursuit of truth. It is a good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-eddington/observation-and-theory-get-on-best-when-they-are-mixed-together-both/)

[Arthur Eddington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-eddington/)

> [I may add that we have more than once stated our willingness to conclude nonaggression pacts with the states neighboring our own!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/i-may-add-that-we-have-more-than-once-stated-our-willingness-to/)

[Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/)

> [The American Constitution declares 'All men are born equal.' The British Socialist Party add: 'All men must be kept equal'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/the-american-constitution-declares-all-men-are-born-equal-the-british/)

[Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/)

> [New generations of humans inherit the acquired discoveries of generations past, allowing cosmic insight to accumulate without limit. Each discovery of science therefore adds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/new-generations-of-humans-inherit-the-acquired-discoveries-of/)

[Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/)

> [Thirty days is just about the right amount of time to add a new habit or subtract a habit - like watching the news…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-cutts/thirty-days-is-just-about-the-right-amount-of-time-to-add-a-new-habit/)

[Matt Cutts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-cutts/)

> [In presenting a mathematical argument the great thing is to give the educated reader the chance to catch on at once to the momentary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edensor-littlewood/in-presenting-a-mathematical-argument-the-great-thing-is-to-give-the/)

[John Edensor Littlewood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edensor-littlewood/)

> [The Greeks said grandly in their tragic phrase, 'Let no one be called happy till his death;' to which I would add, 'Let no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-barrett-browning/the-greeks-said-grandly-in-their-tragic-phrase-let-no-one-be-called/)

[Elizabeth Barrett Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-barrett-browning/)

> [Mostly we just add to the piles of rainbow glass that's been blown off the exteriors of the cany-colored buildings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/mostly-we-just-add-to-the-piles-of-rainbow-glass-that-s-been-blown/)

[Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/)

> [Global is a unifying bond for people. Once they get outside their own heads and their own communities and see themselves in a broader…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-calvin/global-is-a-unifying-bond-for-people-once-they-get-outside-their-own/)

[Kathy Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-calvin/)

Browse all 2,710 Add quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Are you a vegetarian?' I ask, based on the evidence in front of me. She nods. 'Why?' 'Because I have this theory that when we die, every animal that we've eaten has a chance at eating us back. So if you're a carnivore and you add up all the animals you've eaten--well, that's a long time in purgatory, being chewed.' 'Really?' She laughs. 'No. I'm just sick of the question. I mean, I'm a vegetarian because I think it's wrong to eat other sentient creatures. And it sucks for the environment.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "David Levithan"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/are-you-a-vegetarian-i-ask-based-on-the-evidence-in-front-of-me-she-2/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Add"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/are-you-a-vegetarian-i-ask-based-on-the-evidence-in-front-of-me-she-2/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/090/david-levithan-67_add_are-you-a-vegetarian-i-ask-based-on-the_1800265.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/090/david-levithan-67_add_are-you-a-vegetarian-i-ask-based-on-the_1800265.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/090/david-levithan-67_add_are-you-a-vegetarian-i-ask-based-on-the_1800265.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Are you a vegetarian?' I ask, based on the evidence in front of me. She nods. 'Why?' 'Because I have this…” — David Levithan",
                "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": "David Levithan",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Are you a vegetarian?' I ask,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/are-you-a-vegetarian-i-ask-based-on-the-evidence-in-front-of-me-she-2/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/are-you-a-vegetarian-i-ask-based-on-the-evidence-in-front-of-me-she-2/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
