--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I saw that animals were important. I saw…" description: "\"I saw that animals were important. I saw that plants were even more important. I was also to learn that compared to many of the other species, we weren..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/278/elizabeth-marshall-thomas-3895_animal_i-saw-that-animals-were-important-i-saw_3072567.jpg" --- # I saw that animals were important. I saw that plants were… ![“I saw that animals were important. I saw that plants were even more important. I was also to learn that compared to many of the other species, we weren't important at all except for the damage we do. We do not rule the natural world, despite our conspicuous position in it. On the contrary, it is…” quote by Elizabeth Marshall Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/278/elizabeth-marshall-thomas-3895_animal_i-saw-that-animals-were-important-i-saw_3072567.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/278/elizabeth-marshall-thomas-3895_animal_i-saw-that-animals-were-important-i-saw_3072567.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/278/elizabeth-marshall-thomas-3895_animal_i-saw-that-animals-were-important-i-saw_3072567.jpg) > “I saw that animals were important. I saw that plants were even more important. I was also to learn that compared to many of the other species, we weren't important at all except for the damage we do. We do not rule the natural world, despite our conspicuous position in it. On the contrary, it is our lifeline, and we do well to try to understand its rules.” [Elizabeth Marshall Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-marshall-thomas/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Humans are not dominant over nature; we are part of a delicate ecosystem and must learn its rules. **In simple terms:** Humans aren't the top of nature; we must understand and respect it. Key Takeaway Respect ecological limits and study natural systems. Themes environment humility interdependence Mood reflective concerned Type ethical philosophical When to use this quote - conservation planning - environmental education - sustainable agriculture - policy making Key Concepts ecology anthropocentrism systems thinking Questions to Reflect On - How can individuals reduce their ecological footprint? - What policies best protect ecosystems? A Different Perspective Human impact can be mitigated but not eliminated; change requires collective action. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Animal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) [Animals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animals/) [Damage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/damage/) [Lifelines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lifelines/) [Natural world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/natural-world/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Plant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plant/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [Today it is generally accepted that although the earliest humans probably ate some meat, it was unlikely to have played a major role in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goodall/today-it-is-generally-accepted-that-although-the-earliest-humans/) [Jane Goodall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goodall/) > [Plants are so important to the ancients for medicine and in a religious aspect - and in hemlock!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bettany-hughes/plants-are-so-important-to-the-ancients-for-medicine-and-in-a/) [Bettany Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bettany-hughes/) > [The skeletons of the plants are for me as important as the flowers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/piet-oudolf/the-skeletons-of-the-plants-are-for-me-as-important-as-the-flowers/) Piet Oudolf > [“How could an alphabet—letters that didn't even mean anything by themselves—be important? But it was important. Our stories, our names, our alphabet. Even Uncle's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-sue-park/how-could-an-alphabet-letters-that-didn-t-even-mean-anything-by/) [Linda Sue Park](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-sue-park/) > [“The things that had seemed important to a twenty-five-year-old weren’t important to a thirty-year-old. Now, life had meaning.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-burch/the-things-that-had-seemed-important-to-a-twenty-five-year-old-weren/) [Heather Burch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-burch/) > [I kind of lost myself for a couple years and got caught up in the things that weren't important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scheana-shay/i-kind-of-lost-myself-for-a-couple-years-and-got-caught-up-in-the/) [Scheana Shay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scheana-shay/) > [If winning weren't important nobody would keep score.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-mcguire/if-winning-weren-t-important-nobody-would-keep-score/) [Al McGuire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-mcguire/) > [If someone is quick to give up on you, then you really weren't even that important in the first place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/if-someone-is-quick-to-give-up-on-you-then-you-really-weren-t-even/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [Our family always had animals, but they became more important to me as the years passed because they helped me deal with the absence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlon-brando/our-family-always-had-animals-but-they-became-more-important-to-me-as/) [Marlon Brando](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlon-brando/) > [Of course, football is one of the most important things in my life as well, but my family and things like this that are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kai-havertz/of-course-football-is-one-of-the-most-important-things-in-my-life-as/) [Kai Havertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kai-havertz/) > [In 'We Were the Mulvaneys,' animals are almost as important as people. I wanted to show the tenderness in our relationships with cats, dogs,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/in-we-were-the-mulvaneys-animals-are-almost-as-important-as-people-i/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [Protecting animals is very important to me, and I think speaking out against fur is an amazing cause.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-howard/protecting-animals-is-very-important-to-me-and-i-think-speaking-out/) [Tim Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-howard/) > [There has been opposition to experimenting on animals for a long time. This opposition has made little headway because experimenters, backed by commercial firms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/there-has-been-opposition-to-experimenting-on-animals-for-a-long-time/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [Working on behalf of companion animals is so important. We start to realize how healing they are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernadette-peters/working-on-behalf-of-companion-animals-is-so-important-we-start-to/) [Bernadette Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernadette-peters/) > [I think animals are very important for us, for the world, and I do my best for them to have a better life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kai-havertz/i-think-animals-are-very-important-for-us-for-the-world-and-i-do-my/) [Kai Havertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kai-havertz/) ## More by Elizabeth Marshall Thomas > [People can be a fine substitute for other dogs. But I think that if they had to choose, dogs by and large would choose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-marshall-thomas/people-can-be-a-fine-substitute-for-other-dogs-but-i-think-that-if/) [Elizabeth Marshall Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-marshall-thomas/) > [“Then, too, the Ju/wa men had an inherent, almost natural bravery that everyone took entirely for granted. They hunted the world’s most dangerous game…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-marshall-thomas/then-too-the-ju-wa-men-had-an-inherent-almost-natural-bravery-that/) [Elizabeth Marshall Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-marshall-thomas/) > [Dogs who chase cars evidently see them as large, unruly ungulates badly in need of discipline and shepherding.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-marshall-thomas/dogs-who-chase-cars-evidently-see-them-as-large-unruly-ungulates/) [Elizabeth Marshall Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-marshall-thomas/) > [In truth, most of us don't know our cats.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-marshall-thomas/in-truth-most-of-us-don-t-know-our-cats/) [Elizabeth Marshall Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-marshall-thomas/) > [What do dogs want? They want each other. Human beings are merely a cynomorphic substitute.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-marshall-thomas/what-do-dogs-want-they-want-each-other-human-beings-are-merely-a/) [Elizabeth Marshall Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-marshall-thomas/) > [To write a book such as Tiger Bone & Rhino Horn is a formidable undertaking. You must accumulate thousands of facts and spare no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-marshall-thomas/to-write-a-book-such-as-tiger-bone-rhino-horn-is-a-formidable/) [Elizabeth Marshall Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-marshall-thomas/) > [No cat purrs unless someone is around to listen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-marshall-thomas/no-cat-purrs-unless-someone-is-around-to-listen/) [Elizabeth Marshall Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-marshall-thomas/) > [In the past even scientists have been led to believe that only human beings have thoughts or emotions. Of course, nothing could be further…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-marshall-thomas/in-the-past-even-scientists-have-been-led-to-believe-that-only-human/) [Elizabeth Marshall Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-marshall-thomas/) > [We recognize caste in dogs because we rank ourselves by the familiar dog system, a ladderlike social arrangement wherein one individual outranks all others,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-marshall-thomas/we-recognize-caste-in-dogs-because-we-rank-ourselves-by-the-familiar/) [Elizabeth Marshall Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-marshall-thomas/) > [As the cherub is to the angel, so the cat is to the tiger...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-marshall-thomas/as-the-cherub-is-to-the-angel-so-the-cat-is-to-the-tiger/) [Elizabeth Marshall Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-marshall-thomas/) [Explore all 11 Elizabeth Marshall Thomas quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-marshall-thomas/) ## 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 > [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": "I saw that animals were important. I saw that plants were even more important. I was also to learn that compared to many of the other species, we weren't important at all except for the damage we do. We do not rule the natural world, despite our conspicuous position in it. On the contrary, it is our lifeline, and we do well to try to understand its rules.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Elizabeth Marshall Thomas" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-marshall-thomas/i-saw-that-animals-were-important-i-saw-that-plants-were-even-more/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Animal" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-marshall-thomas/i-saw-that-animals-were-important-i-saw-that-plants-were-even-more/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/278/elizabeth-marshall-thomas-3895_animal_i-saw-that-animals-were-important-i-saw_3072567.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/278/elizabeth-marshall-thomas-3895_animal_i-saw-that-animals-were-important-i-saw_3072567.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/278/elizabeth-marshall-thomas-3895_animal_i-saw-that-animals-were-important-i-saw_3072567.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I saw that animals were important. I saw that plants were even more important. I was also to learn that…” — Elizabeth Marshall Thomas", "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": "Elizabeth Marshall Thomas", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-marshall-thomas/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I saw that animals were important....", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-marshall-thomas/i-saw-that-animals-were-important-i-saw-that-plants-were-even-more/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-marshall-thomas/i-saw-that-animals-were-important-i-saw-that-plants-were-even-more/#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 } } ] } ```