Bull Quote by Ernest Hemingway
““If the bulls were allowed to increase their knowledge as the bullfighter does, and if those bulls which are not killed in the allotted fifteen minutes in the ring were not afterwards killed in the corrals but were allowed to be fought again, they would kill all the bullfighters, if the bullfighters fought them according to the rules- Bullfighting is based on the fact that it is the first meeting between the wild animal and a dismounted man. This is the fundamental premise of modern bullfighting—that the bull has never been in the ring before. In the early days of bullfighting bulls were allowed to be fought which had been in the ring before and so many men were killed in the bull ring that on 20th November 1567, Pope Pius the Fifth issued a Papal edict excommunicating all Christian princes who should permit bullfights in their countries and denying Christian burial to any person killed in the bull ring. The Church only agreed to tolerate bullfighting, which continued steadily in Spain in spite of the edict, when it was agreed that the bulls should only appear once in the ring.””
About This Quote
Bullfighting survives because the animal is only faced once, preventing it from learning to defeat the fighter.
In simple terms: Bullfighting relies on the bull's inexperience.
Key Takeaway
Preserve novelty to maintain advantage.
Themes
tradition
risk
power dynamics
Mood
reflective
critical
Type
philosophical
cultural
When to use this quote
- spectator sports
- cultural traditions
- ethical debates
Key Concepts
animal behavior
human dominance
ritual combat
Questions to Reflect On
- Should tradition outweigh animal suffering?
- How does novelty affect fairness?
A Different Perspective
Ignores animal welfare concerns.
