--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The human animal differs from the lesser…" description: "\"The human animal differs from the lesser primates in his passion for lists.\" — H. Allen Smith" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/240/h-allen-smith-43090_animal_the-human-animal-differs-from-the-lesser_589236.jpg" --- # The human animal differs from the lesser primates in his… ![“The human animal differs from the lesser primates in his passion for lists.” quote by H. Allen Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/240/h-allen-smith-43090_animal_the-human-animal-differs-from-the-lesser_589236.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/240/h-allen-smith-43090_animal_the-human-animal-differs-from-the-lesser_589236.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/240/h-allen-smith-43090_animal_the-human-animal-differs-from-the-lesser_589236.jpg) > “The human animal differs from the lesser primates in his passion for lists.” [H. Allen Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-allen-smith/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Humans uniquely love making lists, distinguishing them from other primates. **In simple terms:** People love lists. Key Takeaway Use lists to organize thoughts. Themes organization human nature psychology habit Mood reflective analytical Type observational philosophical When to use this quote - planning projects - shopping - studying - goal tracking Key Concepts cognitive bias information processing cultural practices Questions to Reflect On - Why do we find comfort in lists? - When can lists hinder creativity? A Different Perspective Lists can become obsessive and limit flexibility. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Animal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) [Animals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animals/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Passion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passion/) [Primates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/primates/) ## Related quotes > [The only way to stave off boredom, in a complex domesticated primate like humankind, is to increase one's intelligence. This is not appealing to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-anton-wilson/the-only-way-to-stave-off-boredom-in-a-complex-domesticated-primate/) [Robert Anton Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-anton-wilson/) > [I actually taught perceptual psychology at N.Y.U. when I was younger. I was interested in the aesthetic impulse in lower primates. But what really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arne-glimcher/i-actually-taught-perceptual-psychology-at-n-y-u-when-i-was-younger-i/) [Arne Glimcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arne-glimcher/) > [I am a vegetarian because I realized that even little chickens suffer pain and fear, experience a range of feelings and emotions, and are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-mccartney/i-am-a-vegetarian-because-i-realized-that-even-little-chickens-suffer/) [Paul McCartney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-mccartney/) > [Primates stand at a turning point in the course of evolution. Primates are to the biologist what viruses are to the biochemist. They can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-jolly/primates-stand-at-a-turning-point-in-the-course-of-evolution-primates/) [Alison Jolly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-jolly/) > [We are just another primate but a very confused, malleable one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-sapolsky/we-are-just-another-primate-but-a-very-confused-malleable-one/) [Robert M. Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-sapolsky/) > [Marriage probably originated as a straightforward food-for-sex deal among foraging primates. 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Galdikas > [The only option is politeness-remember always that you are dealing with other primates.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-ford/the-only-option-is-politeness-remember-always-that-you-are-dealing/) [Paul Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-ford/) > [Corruption, the most infallible symptom of constitutional liberty, was successfully practised; honours, gifts, and immunities were offered and accepted as the price of an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/corruption-the-most-infallible-symptom-of-constitutional-liberty-was/) [Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/) > [I had bought two male chimps from a primate colony in Holland. They lived next to each other in separate cages for several months…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christiaan-barnard/i-had-bought-two-male-chimps-from-a-primate-colony-in-holland-they/) [Christiaan Barnard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christiaan-barnard/) > [The Jackdaw sat in the Cardinal's chair! Bishop and Abbot and Prior were there, Many a monk and many a friar, Many a knight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-harris-barham/the-jackdaw-sat-in-the-cardinal-s-chair-bishop-and-abbot-and-prior/) [Richard Harris Barham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-harris-barham/) > [No, nothing is sacred. And even if there were to be something called sacred, we mere primates wouldn't be able to decide which book…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/no-nothing-is-sacred-and-even-if-there-were-to-be-something-called/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [Unlike the primate hand, the elephant's grasping organ is also its nose. Elephants use their trunks not only to reach food but also to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/unlike-the-primate-hand-the-elephant-s-grasping-organ-is-also-its/) [Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/) > [God was created by evolution, inside the imagination of a primate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-fowler/god-was-created-by-evolution-inside-the-imagination-of-a-primate/) [Steve Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-fowler/) ## More by H. Allen Smith > [We believe in healthy, hearty laughter -- at the expense of the whole human race, if needs be. Needs be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-allen-smith/we-believe-in-healthy-hearty-laughter-at-the-expense-of-the-whole/) [H. Allen Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-allen-smith/) > [On Monday mornings I am dedicated to the proposition that all men are created jerks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-allen-smith/on-monday-mornings-i-am-dedicated-to-the-proposition-that-all-men-are/) [H. Allen Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-allen-smith/) > [Cats are people, and the sooner the world accepts that fact, the better off the world will be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-allen-smith/cats-are-people-and-the-sooner-the-world-accepts-that-fact-the-better/) [H. Allen Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-allen-smith/) > [There's such a thing as too much point on a pencil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-allen-smith/there-s-such-a-thing-as-too-much-point-on-a-pencil/) [H. Allen Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-allen-smith/) > [Personally, I never admired communists because they operate on the theory that human beings are nice people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-allen-smith/personally-i-never-admired-communists-because-they-operate-on-the/) [H. Allen Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-allen-smith/) > [Hate-on-the-highway is an institution occupying a high place in our modern civilization…The godawful glares that drivers exchange as they pass each other, the mutual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-allen-smith/hate-on-the-highway-is-an-institution-occupying-a-high-place-in-our/) [H. Allen Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-allen-smith/) > [Put it back in the horse!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-allen-smith/put-it-back-in-the-horse/) [H. Allen Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-allen-smith/) > [Never buy anything with a handle on it. It means work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-allen-smith/never-buy-anything-with-a-handle-on-it-it-means-work/) [H. Allen Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-allen-smith/) [Explore all 9 H. Allen Smith quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-allen-smith/) ## 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. 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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 human animal differs from the lesser primates in his passion for lists.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "H. 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