--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We have doomed the wolf not for what it…" description: "\"We have doomed the wolf not for what it is, but for what we deliberately and mistakenly perceive it to be –the mythologized epitome of a savage ruthles..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee6/farley-mowat-17763_animal_we-have-doomed-the-wolf-not-for-what-it_2886080.png" --- # We have doomed the wolf not for what it is, but for what… ![“We have doomed the wolf not for what it is, but for what we deliberately and mistakenly perceive it to be –the mythologized epitome of a savage ruthless killer – which is, in reality, no more than a reflected image of ourself.” quote by Farley Mowat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee6/farley-mowat-17763_animal_we-have-doomed-the-wolf-not-for-what-it_2886080.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee6/farley-mowat-17763_animal_we-have-doomed-the-wolf-not-for-what-it_2886080.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee6/farley-mowat-17763_animal_we-have-doomed-the-wolf-not-for-what-it_2886080.png) > “We have doomed the wolf not for what it is, but for what we deliberately and mistakenly perceive it to be –the mythologized epitome of a savage ruthless killer – which is, in reality, no more than a reflected image of ourself.” [Farley Mowat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/farley-mowat/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human fear creates monstrous myths about wolves, reflecting our own flaws. **In simple terms:** We project our darkness onto wolves, seeing them as evil. Key Takeaway Recognize projections and seek truth. Themes myth self-reflection environment Mood somber reflective Type environmental literary When to use this quote - conservation work - media analysis - personal bias Key Concepts psychology ecology Questions to Reflect On - What fears shape your view of nature? - How can you challenge harmful narratives? A Different Perspective Myths can also protect cultural identity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Animal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) [Killers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/killers/) [Lion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lion/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) [Savages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/savages/) ## Related quotes > [In Hollywood Westerns even in the Thirties and Forties, history was mythologized to accommodate some kind of moral code. And what really affects me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-jarmusch/in-hollywood-westerns-even-in-the-thirties-and-forties-history-was/) [Jim Jarmusch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-jarmusch/) > [The artistic process seems to be mythologized quite a lot into something far greater than it actually is. 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Patton was the epitome of what a leader should be like - or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-sinek/notoriously-outspoken-his-sentences-always-punctuated-with/) [Simon Sinek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-sinek/) ## More by Farley Mowat > [Without a function, we cease to be. So, I will write till I die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/farley-mowat/without-a-function-we-cease-to-be-so-i-will-write-till-i-die/) [Farley Mowat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/farley-mowat/) > [“I'll braid you one.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/farley-mowat/i-ll-braid-you-one/) [Farley Mowat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/farley-mowat/) > [I write every day. I'm always in the process of writing my last book, until the next one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/farley-mowat/i-write-every-day-i-m-always-in-the-process-of-writing-my-last-book/) [Farley Mowat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/farley-mowat/) > [“I wonder now… were my tears for Alex and Al and all the others who had gone and who were yet to go? Or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/farley-mowat/i-wonder-now-were-my-tears-for-alex-and-al-and-all-the-others-who-had/) [Farley Mowat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/farley-mowat/) > [“Somewhere to the eastward a wolf howled; lightly, questioningly. I knew the voice, for I had heard it many times before. It was George,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/farley-mowat/somewhere-to-the-eastward-a-wolf-howled-lightly-questioningly-i-knew/) [Farley Mowat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/farley-mowat/) > [Ah me son, we don't be takin' nothin' from the sea. 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These are arbitrary distinctions...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/farley-mowat/don-t-make-a-big-distinction-between-fiction-and-non-fiction-these/) [Farley Mowat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/farley-mowat/) > [On my 70th birthday, I was asked how I felt about mankind's prospects. This is my reply: We are behaving like yeasts in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/farley-mowat/on-my-70th-birthday-i-was-asked-how-i-felt-about-mankind-s-prospects/) [Farley Mowat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/farley-mowat/) [Explore all 36 Farley Mowat quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/farley-mowat/) ## 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. 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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": "We have doomed the wolf not for what it is, but for what we deliberately and mistakenly perceive it to be –the mythologized epitome of a savage ruthless killer – which is, in reality, no more than a reflected image of ourself.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Farley Mowat" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/farley-mowat/we-have-doomed-the-wolf-not-for-what-it-is-but-for-what-we/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Animal" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/farley-mowat/we-have-doomed-the-wolf-not-for-what-it-is-but-for-what-we/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee6/farley-mowat-17763_animal_we-have-doomed-the-wolf-not-for-what-it_2886080.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee6/farley-mowat-17763_animal_we-have-doomed-the-wolf-not-for-what-it_2886080.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee6/farley-mowat-17763_animal_we-have-doomed-the-wolf-not-for-what-it_2886080.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We have doomed the wolf not for what it is, but for what we deliberately and mistakenly perceive it to be…” — Farley Mowat", "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": "Farley Mowat", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/farley-mowat/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "We have doomed the wolf not...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/farley-mowat/we-have-doomed-the-wolf-not-for-what-it-is-but-for-what-we/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/farley-mowat/we-have-doomed-the-wolf-not-for-what-it-is-but-for-what-we/#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 } } ] } ```