--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The buffalo is a surprisingly stupid…" description: "\"The buffalo is a surprisingly stupid animal.\" — Ellsworth Huntington" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/132/ellsworth-huntington-17558_animal_the-buffalo-is-a-surprisingly-stupid-ani_1573155.png" --- # The buffalo is a surprisingly stupid animal. ![“The buffalo is a surprisingly stupid animal.” quote by Ellsworth Huntington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/132/ellsworth-huntington-17558_animal_the-buffalo-is-a-surprisingly-stupid-ani_1573155.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/132/ellsworth-huntington-17558_animal_the-buffalo-is-a-surprisingly-stupid-ani_1573155.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/132/ellsworth-huntington-17558_animal_the-buffalo-is-a-surprisingly-stupid-ani_1573155.png) > “The buffalo is a surprisingly stupid animal.” [Ellsworth Huntington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellsworth-huntington/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Notes the buffalo’s lack of intelligence, perhaps to illustrate a broader point about assumptions. **In simple terms:** Buffalo are not very smart. Key Takeaway Question assumptions about others. Themes perception stereotyping animal behavior Mood critical inquisitive Type observational analytical When to use this quote - wildlife observation - education - media commentary Key Concepts cognitive bias ecology Questions to Reflect On - What evidence supports this claim? - How does labeling affect our view of species? A Different Perspective May oversimplify complex animal behavior. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Animal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) [Animals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animals/) ## Related quotes > [“He was about as stupid as an animal could be and still live.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-chapman-andrews/he-was-about-as-stupid-as-an-animal-could-be-and-still-live/) [Roy Chapman Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-chapman-andrews/) > [The ant is a collectively intelligent and individually stupid animal; man is the opposite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-von-frisch/the-ant-is-a-collectively-intelligent-and-individually-stupid-animal/) [Karl von Frisch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-von-frisch/) > [“...the horse is by no means a ‘wild beast’ or a stupid animal as sometimes described by thoughtless persons.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alois-podhajsky/the-horse-is-by-no-means-a-wild-beast-or-a-stupid-animal-as-sometimes/) [Alois Podhajsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alois-podhajsky/) > [Man is the only animal for whom his own stupid existence is a problem which he has to try in vain to solve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-c-brown/man-is-the-only-animal-for-whom-his-own-stupid-existence-is-a-problem/) [William C. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-c-brown/) > [At last, after almost fifty years in the hopper, the most famous unpublished novel in America is in print. Who Shot the Water Buffalo?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-mcclanahan/at-last-after-almost-fifty-years-in-the-hopper-the-most-famous/) Ed McClanahan > [I believe there are two sides to the phenomenon known as death, this side where we live, and the other side where we shall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/crowfoot/i-believe-there-are-two-sides-to-the-phenomenon-known-as-death-this/) [Crowfoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/crowfoot/) > [ \[For American consumer society\], the country's reserves of ignorance constitute a natural resource as precious as the Mississippi River or the long-lost herds of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-h-lapham/for-american-consumer-society-the-country-s-reserves-of-ignorance/) [Lewis H. Lapham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-h-lapham/) > [How'd you communicate?" "Paper and pen. Amazing inventions. Anyway, once we were in Buffalo, I led him here. We couldn't figure out a way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelley-armstrong/how-d-you-communicate-paper-and-pen-amazing-inventions-anyway-once-we/) [Kelley Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelley-armstrong/) > [I will remain what I am until I die, a hunter, and when there are no buffalo or other game I will send my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sitting-bull/i-will-remain-what-i-am-until-i-die-a-hunter-and-when-there-are-no/) [Sitting Bull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sitting-bull/) > [I love Buffalo. The people here are wonderful, genuine; they look you straight in the eye.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-gillan/i-love-buffalo-the-people-here-are-wonderful-genuine-they-look-you/) [Ian Gillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-gillan/) > [For a healthy alternative to buffalo wings, slide the bone of a human finger into a block of tofu and bake.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giada-de-laurentiis/for-a-healthy-alternative-to-buffalo-wings-slide-the-bone-of-a-human/) [Giada De Laurentiis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giada-de-laurentiis/) > [I learned about the market's power when I was traded to the Buffalo Bills for $100.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kemp/i-learned-about-the-market-s-power-when-i-was-traded-to-the-buffalo/) [Jack Kemp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kemp/) > [Dan Brister's book bears witness to the last fifteen years of this bureaucratic madness to tame the last vestige of wild America and domesticate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-peacock/dan-brister-s-book-bears-witness-to-the-last-fifteen-years-of-this/) [Doug Peacock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-peacock/) > [The only thing you know about Buffalo is, it's cold. I mean, that's about it. Until you get here and you see the players…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesean-mccoy/the-only-thing-you-know-about-buffalo-is-it-s-cold-i-mean-that-s/) [LeSean McCoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesean-mccoy/) > [I certainly know that on our first tour of America in 1968, David Crosby came to see us backstage at the Fillmore East in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-hayward/i-certainly-know-that-on-our-first-tour-of-america-in-1968-david/) [Justin Hayward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-hayward/) ## More by Ellsworth Huntington > [The evidence points to central Asia as man's original home, for the general movement of human migrations has been outward from that region and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellsworth-huntington/the-evidence-points-to-central-asia-as-man-s-original-home-for-the/) [Ellsworth Huntington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellsworth-huntington/) > [After washing there was no place to pour the water except out of the window onto the heads of the people in the streets,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellsworth-huntington/after-washing-there-was-no-place-to-pour-the-water-except-out-of-the/) [Ellsworth Huntington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellsworth-huntington/) > [Although farming of any sort was almost as impossible in the plains as in the dry regions of winter rains farther west, the abundance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellsworth-huntington/although-farming-of-any-sort-was-almost-as-impossible-in-the-plains/) [Ellsworth Huntington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellsworth-huntington/) > [America forms the longest and straightest bone in the earth's skeleton.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellsworth-huntington/america-forms-the-longest-and-straightest-bone-in-the-earth-s-skeleton/) [Ellsworth Huntington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellsworth-huntington/) > [It seems strange that almost no other traces of the strong vikings are found in America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellsworth-huntington/it-seems-strange-that-almost-no-other-traces-of-the-strong-vikings/) [Ellsworth Huntington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellsworth-huntington/) > [Again and again, to be sure, on the way to America, and under many other circumstances, man has passed through the most adverse climates…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellsworth-huntington/again-and-again-to-be-sure-on-the-way-to-america-and-under-many-other/) [Ellsworth Huntington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellsworth-huntington/) > [Year by year we are learning that in this restless, strenuous American life of ours vacations are essential.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellsworth-huntington/year-by-year-we-are-learning-that-in-this-restless-strenuous-american/) [Ellsworth Huntington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellsworth-huntington/) > [Except on their southern borders the great northern forests are not good as a permanent home for man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellsworth-huntington/except-on-their-southern-borders-the-great-northern-forests-are-not/) [Ellsworth Huntington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellsworth-huntington/) > [From first to last the civilization of America has been bound up with its physical environment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellsworth-huntington/from-first-to-last-the-civilization-of-america-has-been-bound-up-with/) [Ellsworth Huntington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellsworth-huntington/) > [It will be a vast boon to mankind when we learn to prophesy the precise dates when cycles of various kinds will reach definite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellsworth-huntington/it-will-be-a-vast-boon-to-mankind-when-we-learn-to-prophesy-the/) [Ellsworth Huntington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellsworth-huntington/) > [Fertile soil, level plains, easy passage across the mountains, coal, iron, and other metals imbedded in the rocks, and a stimulating climate, all shower…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellsworth-huntington/fertile-soil-level-plains-easy-passage-across-the-mountains-coal-iron/) [Ellsworth Huntington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellsworth-huntington/) > [History in its broadest aspect is a record of man's migrations from one environment to another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellsworth-huntington/history-in-its-broadest-aspect-is-a-record-of-man-s-migrations-from/) [Ellsworth Huntington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellsworth-huntington/) > [We are learning, too, that the love of beauty is one of Nature's greatest healers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellsworth-huntington/we-are-learning-too-that-the-love-of-beauty-is-one-of-nature-s/) [Ellsworth Huntington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellsworth-huntington/) > [As a matter of fact, an ordinary desert supports a much greater variety of plants than does either a forest or a prairie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellsworth-huntington/as-a-matter-of-fact-an-ordinary-desert-supports-a-much-greater/) [Ellsworth Huntington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellsworth-huntington/) > [Man could not stay there forever. He was bound to spread to new regions, partly because of his innate migratory tendency and partly because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellsworth-huntington/man-could-not-stay-there-forever-he-was-bound-to-spread-to-new/) [Ellsworth Huntington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellsworth-huntington/) [Explore all 37 Ellsworth Huntington quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellsworth-huntington/) ## 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": "The buffalo is a surprisingly stupid animal.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ellsworth Huntington" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellsworth-huntington/the-buffalo-is-a-surprisingly-stupid-animal/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Animal" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellsworth-huntington/the-buffalo-is-a-surprisingly-stupid-animal/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/132/ellsworth-huntington-17558_animal_the-buffalo-is-a-surprisingly-stupid-ani_1573155.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/132/ellsworth-huntington-17558_animal_the-buffalo-is-a-surprisingly-stupid-ani_1573155.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/132/ellsworth-huntington-17558_animal_the-buffalo-is-a-surprisingly-stupid-ani_1573155.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The buffalo is a surprisingly stupid animal.” — Ellsworth Huntington", "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": "Ellsworth Huntington", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellsworth-huntington/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The buffalo is a surprisingly stupid...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellsworth-huntington/the-buffalo-is-a-surprisingly-stupid-animal/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellsworth-huntington/the-buffalo-is-a-surprisingly-stupid-animal/#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 } } ] } ```