Form Quote by Diane Ackerman
“In our heart we know that life loves life. Yet we feast on some of the other life-forms with which we share our planet; we kill to live. Taste is what carries us across that rocky moral terrain, what makes the horror palatable, and the paradox we could not defend by reason melts into a jungle of sweet temptations.”
About This Quote
Source Book: A Natural History of the Senses by Diane Ackerman, 1990
Human beings recognize life’s value yet exploit other beings for survival, rationalizing through taste and desire, creating moral contradictions.
In simple terms: We love life but kill for it, soothing guilt with pleasure.
Key Takeaway
Acknowledge contradictions and seek compassionate choices.
Themes
ethics
environment
human nature
contradiction
pleasure
Mood
reflective
conflicted
Type
ethical
philosophical
environmental
When to use this quote
- food production
- wildlife conservation
- personal diet
- cultural rituals
Key Concepts
moral philosophy
ecology
psychology
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you reconcile enjoyment of food with its impact?
- What alternatives could reduce this conflict?
A Different Perspective
Moral rationalizations can obscure harm and perpetuate suffering.
![“Symbolic of life, hair bolts from our head[s]. Like the earth, it can be harvested, but it will rise again. We can change its color and texture when the mood strikes us, but in time it will return to its original form, just as Nature will in time turn our precisely laid-out cities into a weed-way.” quote by Diane Ackerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/707/diane-ackerman-1035_cities_symbolic-of-life-hair-bolts-from-our-hea_194991.jpg)
