--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When a man wants to murder a tiger, it's…" description: "\"When a man wants to murder a tiger, it's called sport; when the tiger wants to murder him it's called ferocity.\" — George Bernard Shaw" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bce/george-bernard-shaw-68_ferocity_when-a-man-wants-to-murder-a-tiger-it-s_1961994.jpg" --- # When a man wants to murder a tiger, it's called sport… ![“When a man wants to murder a tiger, it's called sport; when the tiger wants to murder him it's called ferocity.” quote by George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bce/george-bernard-shaw-68_ferocity_when-a-man-wants-to-murder-a-tiger-it-s_1961994.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bce/george-bernard-shaw-68_ferocity_when-a-man-wants-to-murder-a-tiger-it-s_1961994.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bce/george-bernard-shaw-68_ferocity_when-a-man-wants-to-murder-a-tiger-it-s_1961994.jpg) > “When a man wants to murder a tiger, it's called sport; when the tiger wants to murder him it's called ferocity.” [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. It contrasts human sport of hunting with the animal's instinctive defense, highlighting perspective on violence. **In simple terms:** Hunting is sport, being hunted is ferocity. Key Takeaway Recognize perspective in conflict. Themes violence perspective ethics Mood thoughtful critical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - hunting debates - wildlife conservation - self‑defense discussions Key Concepts human dominance animal instinct Questions to Reflect On - What defines sport versus survival? - How do power dynamics shape our moral judgments? A Different Perspective Oversimplifies complex moral issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Called Ferocity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/called-ferocity-3243803/) [Ferocity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ferocity/) [Murder Tiger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/murder-tiger-3243805/) [Sports](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sports/) [Tiger Called](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tiger-called-3243804/) [Tiger Wants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tiger-wants-2310548/) ## Related quotes > [When a man wants to murder a tiger he calls it sport; when a tiger wants to murder him he calls it ferocity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/when-a-man-wants-to-murder-a-tiger-he-calls-it-sport-when-a-tiger/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [“When a man says money can do anything that settles it: he hasn't got any. When a man wants to murder a tiger he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/when-a-man-says-money-can-do-anything-that-settles-it-he-hasn-t-got/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [My idea is this, that when you only love a little you're naturally not jealous — or are only jealous also a little, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-james/my-idea-is-this-that-when-you-only-love-a-little-you-re-naturally-not/) [Henry James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-james/) > [ I've had a chance to meet some of my civil rights heroes and, more recently, members of the young generation around \[Barack\] Obama, people… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/i-ve-had-a-chance-to-meet-some-of-my-civil-rights-heroes-and-more/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) > [“The rabid ferocity of his reaction had confirmed Mother’s warnings, but I didn’t yet comprehend the depth of the revulsion that I inspired or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/the-rabid-ferocity-of-his-reaction-had-confirmed-mother-s-warnings/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“Every impediment only served to make the inferno within them burn with greater ferocity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-holiday/every-impediment-only-served-to-make-the-inferno-within-them-burn/) [Ryan Holiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-holiday/) > [I do not dream of a gentle revolution. My passion runs to the violence of supersession, the ferocity of a life that renounces nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raoul-vaneigem/i-do-not-dream-of-a-gentle-revolution-my-passion-runs-to-the-violence/) [Raoul Vaneigem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raoul-vaneigem/) > [How can such episodes of such savage cruelty happen? The heart of man is an abyss out of which sometimes emerge plots of unspeakable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-john-paul-ii/how-can-such-episodes-of-such-savage-cruelty-happen-the-heart-of-man/) [Pope John Paul II](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-john-paul-ii/) > [Those who march with us will certainly face abuse, misunderstanding, bitter animosity, and possibly the ferocity of struggle and of danger. In return, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-mosley/those-who-march-with-us-will-certainly-face-abuse-misunderstanding/) [Oswald Mosley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-mosley/) > [ \[It is nice\] to explore someone's will to survive, the ferocity of loyalty, how far you would go to protect the ones you love...… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-aselton/it-is-nice-to-explore-someone-s-will-to-survive-the-ferocity-of/) [Katie Aselton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-aselton/) > [ I wish \[my wife\] would \[work\] because - especially now the kind of - I mean, honesty is hardly the word. She writes with… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nat-hentoff/i-wish-my-wife-would-work-because-especially-now-the-kind-of-i-mean/) [Nat Hentoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nat-hentoff/) > [I am trying so very hard to stay in the moment despite the ferocity of my ambition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/i-am-trying-so-very-hard-to-stay-in-the-moment-despite-the-ferocity/) [Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/) > [...to swear with a ferocity that can only be described as a talent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/to-swear-with-a-ferocity-that-can-only-be-described-as-a-talent/) [Markus Zusak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-zusak/) > [There was a period... when I used to say, with as much ferocity as I could muster, 'I hate Henry James, and I wish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-ozick/there-was-a-period-when-i-used-to-say-with-as-much-ferocity-as-i/) [Cynthia Ozick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-ozick/) > [Why on earth should we be at each other's throats? Why do people insist on defending their ideas and opinions with such ferocity, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-g-farrell-2/why-on-earth-should-we-be-at-each-other-s-throats-why-do-people/) [J. G. Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-g-farrell-2/) ## More by George Bernard Shaw > [I love little children too but I don't cut off their heads and stick them in vases.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/i-love-little-children-too-but-i-don-t-cut-off-their-heads-and-stick/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [Blasphemy and sedition (meaning the truth about Church and State).](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/blasphemy-and-sedition-meaning-the-truth-about-church-and-state/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [In the arts of life, man invents nothing; but in the arts of death he outdoes Nature herself, and produces by chemistry and machinery…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/in-the-arts-of-life-man-invents-nothing-but-in-the-arts-of-death-he/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [“My religious convictions and scientific views cannot at present be more specifically defined than as those of a believer in creative evolution. I desire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/my-religious-convictions-and-scientific-views-cannot-at-present-be/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [What a man believes may be ascertained, not from his creed, but from the assumptions on which he habitually acts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/what-a-man-believes-may-be-ascertained-not-from-his-creed-but-from/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [You are my inspiration and my folly. You are my light across the sea, my million nameless joys, and my day's wage. You are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/you-are-my-inspiration-and-my-folly-you-are-my-light-across-the-sea/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [Men have to do some awfully mean things to keep up their respectability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/men-have-to-do-some-awfully-mean-things-to-keep-up-their/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [The schoolmaster is the person who takes the children off the parents' hands for a consideration. That is to say, he establishes a child…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/the-schoolmaster-is-the-person-who-takes-the-children-off-the-parents/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [As long as I have a want, I have a reason for living. Satisfaction is death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/as-long-as-i-have-a-want-i-have-a-reason-for-living-satisfaction-is/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [The camera can represent flesh so superbly that, if I dared, I would never photograph a figure without asking that figure to take its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/the-camera-can-represent-flesh-so-superbly-that-if-i-dared-i-would/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [A man who is not a communist at the age of twenty is a fool. Any man who is still communist at the age…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/a-man-who-is-not-a-communist-at-the-age-of-twenty-is-a-fool-any-man/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [But to admire a strong person and to live under that strong person’s thumb are two different things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/but-to-admire-a-strong-person-and-to-live-under-that-strong-person-s/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [Socialism is the same as Communism, only better English.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/socialism-is-the-same-as-communism-only-better-english/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [The person who is ignorant enough to believe that his nourishment depends on meat is in a horrible dilemma.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/the-person-who-is-ignorant-enough-to-believe-that-his-nourishment/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [In the arts of peace Man is a bungler.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/in-the-arts-of-peace-man-is-a-bungler/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) [Explore all 1,640 George Bernard Shaw quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) ## More Ferocity quotes > [Why on earth should we be at each other's throats? Why do people insist on defending their ideas and opinions with such ferocity, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-g-farrell-2/why-on-earth-should-we-be-at-each-other-s-throats-why-do-people/) [J. G. Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-g-farrell-2/) > [There was a period... when I used to say, with as much ferocity as I could muster, 'I hate Henry James, and I wish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-ozick/there-was-a-period-when-i-used-to-say-with-as-much-ferocity-as-i/) [Cynthia Ozick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-ozick/) > [...to swear with a ferocity that can only be described as a talent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/to-swear-with-a-ferocity-that-can-only-be-described-as-a-talent/) [Markus Zusak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-zusak/) > [I am trying so very hard to stay in the moment despite the ferocity of my ambition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/i-am-trying-so-very-hard-to-stay-in-the-moment-despite-the-ferocity/) [Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/) > [ I wish \[my wife\] would \[work\] because - especially now the kind of - I mean, honesty is hardly the word. She writes with… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nat-hentoff/i-wish-my-wife-would-work-because-especially-now-the-kind-of-i-mean/) [Nat Hentoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nat-hentoff/) > [ \[It is nice\] to explore someone's will to survive, the ferocity of loyalty, how far you would go to protect the ones you love...… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-aselton/it-is-nice-to-explore-someone-s-will-to-survive-the-ferocity-of/) [Katie Aselton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-aselton/) > [Those who march with us will certainly face abuse, misunderstanding, bitter animosity, and possibly the ferocity of struggle and of danger. In return, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-mosley/those-who-march-with-us-will-certainly-face-abuse-misunderstanding/) [Oswald Mosley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-mosley/) > [How can such episodes of such savage cruelty happen? The heart of man is an abyss out of which sometimes emerge plots of unspeakable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-john-paul-ii/how-can-such-episodes-of-such-savage-cruelty-happen-the-heart-of-man/) [Pope John Paul II](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-john-paul-ii/) > [I do not dream of a gentle revolution. My passion runs to the violence of supersession, the ferocity of a life that renounces nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raoul-vaneigem/i-do-not-dream-of-a-gentle-revolution-my-passion-runs-to-the-violence/) [Raoul Vaneigem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raoul-vaneigem/) > [“Every impediment only served to make the inferno within them burn with greater ferocity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-holiday/every-impediment-only-served-to-make-the-inferno-within-them-burn/) [Ryan Holiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-holiday/) > [“The rabid ferocity of his reaction had confirmed Mother’s warnings, but I didn’t yet comprehend the depth of the revulsion that I inspired or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/the-rabid-ferocity-of-his-reaction-had-confirmed-mother-s-warnings/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [ I've had a chance to meet some of my civil rights heroes and, more recently, members of the young generation around \[Barack\] Obama, people… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/i-ve-had-a-chance-to-meet-some-of-my-civil-rights-heroes-and-more/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) > [My idea is this, that when you only love a little you're naturally not jealous — or are only jealous also a little, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-james/my-idea-is-this-that-when-you-only-love-a-little-you-re-naturally-not/) [Henry James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-james/) > [“...writing with ferocity is a gift, provided that ferocity is a monomaniacal devotion to pursuing the truth ...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/writing-with-ferocity-is-a-gift-provided-that-ferocity-is-a/) [John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/) > [Does our ferocity not derive from the fact that our instincts are all too interested in other people? If we attended more to ourselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emile-m-cioran/does-our-ferocity-not-derive-from-the-fact-that-our-instincts-are-all/) [Emile M. Cioran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emile-m-cioran/) [Browse all 61 Ferocity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ferocity/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When a man wants to murder a tiger, it's called sport; when the tiger wants to murder him it's called ferocity.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "George Bernard Shaw" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/when-a-man-wants-to-murder-a-tiger-it-s-called-sport-when-the-tiger/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ferocity" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/when-a-man-wants-to-murder-a-tiger-it-s-called-sport-when-the-tiger/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bce/george-bernard-shaw-68_ferocity_when-a-man-wants-to-murder-a-tiger-it-s_1961994.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bce/george-bernard-shaw-68_ferocity_when-a-man-wants-to-murder-a-tiger-it-s_1961994.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bce/george-bernard-shaw-68_ferocity_when-a-man-wants-to-murder-a-tiger-it-s_1961994.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When a man wants to murder a tiger, it's called sport; when the tiger wants to murder him it's called…” — George Bernard Shaw", "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": "George Bernard Shaw", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When a man wants to murder...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/when-a-man-wants-to-murder-a-tiger-it-s-called-sport-when-the-tiger/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/when-a-man-wants-to-murder-a-tiger-it-s-called-sport-when-the-tiger/#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 } } ] } ```