--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Is it not a reproach that man is a…" description: "\"“Is it not a reproach that man is a carnivorous animal? True, he can and does live, in a great measure, by preying on other animals; but this is a mise..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e49/henry-david-thoreau-20_eating-animals_is-it-not-a-reproach-that-man-is-a-carni_481716.jpg" --- # Is it not a reproach that man is a carnivorous animal?… ![“Is it not a reproach that man is a carnivorous animal? True, he can and does live, in a great measure, by preying on other animals; but this is a miserable way - as anyone who will go to snaring rabbits, or slaughtering lambs, may learn - and he shall be regarded as a benefactor of his race who…” quote by Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e49/henry-david-thoreau-20_eating-animals_is-it-not-a-reproach-that-man-is-a-carni_481716.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e49/henry-david-thoreau-20_eating-animals_is-it-not-a-reproach-that-man-is-a-carni_481716.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e49/henry-david-thoreau-20_eating-animals_is-it-not-a-reproach-that-man-is-a-carni_481716.jpg) > ““Is it not a reproach that man is a carnivorous animal? True, he can and does live, in a great measure, by preying on other animals; but this is a miserable way - as anyone who will go to snaring rabbits, or slaughtering lambs, may learn - and he shall be regarded as a benefactor of his race who shall teach man to confine himself to a more innocent and wholesome diet. Whatever my own practice may be, I have no doubt that it is part of the destiny of the human race, in its gradual improvement, to leave off eating animals, as surely the savage tribes have left off eating each other when they came in contact with the more civilized.”” [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Thoreau argues that eating meat is morally questionable and that humanity should evolve toward a compassionate, plant‑based diet as part of moral progress. **In simple terms:** Eating meat is ethically wrong; humans should become vegetarian. Key Takeaway Adopt a kinder diet. Themes ethics diet progress compassion Mood thoughtful inspirational Type philosophical ethical When to use this quote - personal health choices - environmental activism - educational campaigns - policy advocacy Key Concepts moral philosophy animal rights human evolution Questions to Reflect On - What would change in society if everyone became vegetarian? - How can we balance tradition with ethical eating? A Different Perspective Transition may face cultural resistance and nutritional concerns. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Eating animals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eating-animals/) [Human race](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-race/) ## Related quotes > [There is no doubt, that man is not built to be a carnivorous animal. What a sweet, pleasing and innocent sight is the spectacle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ray/there-is-no-doubt-that-man-is-not-built-to-be-a-carnivorous-animal/) [John Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ray/) > [The family spirit has rendered man carnivorous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-picabia/the-family-spirit-has-rendered-man-carnivorous/) [Francis Picabia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-picabia/) > [Man is a carnivorous production, And must have meals, at least one meal a day; He cannot live, like woodcocks, upon suction, But, like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-byron/man-is-a-carnivorous-production-and-must-have-meals-at-least-one-meal/) [Lord Byron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-byron/) > [I’m getting all warm and fuzzy inside at the prospect of these demon things roaming the street, preying on us. (Tate)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/i-m-getting-all-warm-and-fuzzy-inside-at-the-prospect-of-these-demon/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [I do think you feel a little bit like you are preying on people's lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-watson/i-do-think-you-feel-a-little-bit-like-you-are-preying-on-people-s/) [Emily Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-watson/) > [I have no doubt that it is part of the destiny of the human race in its gradual improvement, to leave off eating animals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/i-have-no-doubt-that-it-is-part-of-the-destiny-of-the-human-race-in/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [“Whatever my own practice may be, I have no doubt that it is part of the destiny of the human race, in its gradual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/whatever-my-own-practice-may-be-i-have-no-doubt-that-it-is-part-of/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [The case for meat-eaters - if eating meat is a sin, then why are some plants carnivorous?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siddharth-katragadda/the-case-for-meat-eaters-if-eating-meat-is-a-sin-then-why-are-some/) [Siddharth Katragadda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siddharth-katragadda/) > [Had I managed to fall into some sort of carnivorous plant? Yeah, bleed on the man-eating plant. Always a good plan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-rowland/had-i-managed-to-fall-into-some-sort-of-carnivorous-plant-yeah-bleed/) [Diana Rowland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-rowland/) > [“We generally accept that it's natural for carnivorous wild animals to kill other animals in order to live. But people don't often think (or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-bekoff/we-generally-accept-that-it-s-natural-for-carnivorous-wild-animals-to/) [Marc Bekoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-bekoff/) > [CARNIVOROUS, adj. Addicted to the cruelty of devouring the timorous vegetarian, his heirs and assigns.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/carnivorous-adj-addicted-to-the-cruelty-of-devouring-the-timorous/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [“My Manager forced me to put my beetle in my own ear, a clear waste and an act that gave me nightmares: of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-vandermeer/my-manager-forced-me-to-put-my-beetle-in-my-own-ear-a-clear-waste-and/) [Jeff VanderMeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-vandermeer/) > [“Only in summer-phase is it carnivorous.” If there was an award for understatement, I thought, the Tyr would trounce all competition.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-friedman/only-in-summer-phase-is-it-carnivorous-if-there-was-an-award-for/) [C.S. Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-friedman/) > [Lions and other carnivorous animals do a lot of things besides eat meat. They live outdoors, not in houses; they don't wear clothes or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-gannon/lions-and-other-carnivorous-animals-do-a-lot-of-things-besides-eat/) [Sharon Gannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-gannon/) > [Lions and other carnivorous animals do eat meat, but that doesn't mean we should. They would die if they didn't eat meat. Human beings,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-gannon/lions-and-other-carnivorous-animals-do-eat-meat-but-that-doesn-t-mean/) [Sharon Gannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-gannon/) ## More by Henry David Thoreau > [If ever I did a man any goodof course it was something exceptional and insignificant compared with the good or evil which I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/if-ever-i-did-a-man-any-goodof-course-it-was-something-exceptional/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [Our inventions are wont to be pretty toys, which distract our attention from serious things. They are but improved means to an unimproved end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/our-inventions-are-wont-to-be-pretty-toys-which-distract-our/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [“Men say they know many things; But lo! they have taken wings, — The arts and sciences, And a thousand appliances; The wind that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/men-say-they-know-many-things-but-lo-they-have-taken-wings-the-arts/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [I am not afraid of praise, for I have practiced it on myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/i-am-not-afraid-of-praise-for-i-have-practiced-it-on-myself/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [“All voting is a sort of gaming, like checkers or back gammon, with a slight moral tinge to it, a playing with right and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/all-voting-is-a-sort-of-gaming-like-checkers-or-back-gammon-with-a/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [“This spending of the best part of one's life earning money in order to enjoy a questionable liberty during the least valuable part of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/this-spending-of-the-best-part-of-one-s-life-earning-money-in-order/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [As for doing good; that is one of the professions which is full. Moreover I have tried it fairly and, strange as it may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/as-for-doing-good-that-is-one-of-the-professions-which-is-full/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [A traveler who looks at things with an impartial eye may see what the oldest inhabitant has not observed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/a-traveler-who-looks-at-things-with-an-impartial-eye-may-see-what-the/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [In proportion as our inward life fails, we go more constantly and desperately to the post office. You may depend on it, that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/in-proportion-as-our-inward-life-fails-we-go-more-constantly-and/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [I had three chairs in my house; one for solitude, two for friendship, three for society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/i-had-three-chairs-in-my-house-one-for-solitude-two-for-friendship/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [The still youthful energies of the globe have only to be directed in their proper channel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/the-still-youthful-energies-of-the-globe-have-only-to-be-directed-in/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [Concord's little arch does not span all our fate, nor is what transpires under it law for the universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/concord-s-little-arch-does-not-span-all-our-fate-nor-is-what/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [The lumberers rarely trouble themselves to put out their fires, such is the dampness of the primitive forest; and this is one cause, no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/the-lumberers-rarely-trouble-themselves-to-put-out-their-fires-such/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [“When he has obtained those things which are necessary to life, there is another alternative than to obtain the superfluities; and that is, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/when-he-has-obtained-those-things-which-are-necessary-to-life-there/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [Wealth is measured by the level of experience in all aspects of life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/wealth-is-measured-by-the-level-of-experience-in-all-aspects-of-life/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) [Explore all 3,376 Henry David Thoreau quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) ## More Eating animals quotes > [“The justifications for eating animals and for not eating them are often identical: we are not them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnathan-safran-foer/the-justifications-for-eating-animals-and-for-not-eating-them-are/) [Johnathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnathan-safran-foer/) > [Almost always when I told someone I was writing a book about "eating animals", they assumed, even without knowing anything about my views, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/almost-always-when-i-told-someone-i-was-writing-a-book-about-eating/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [“I thought I could wait to tell you until everything was figured out,” she says. “I didn’t think you’d have any contact with actual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-a-cole/i-thought-i-could-wait-to-tell-you-until-everything-was-figured-out/) [Olivia A. Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivia-a-cole/) > [Have you ever known an alcoholic, a cigarette smoker, or a heroin user to be rational when it came to alcohol, cigarettes, or heroin?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-yourofsky/have-you-ever-known-an-alcoholic-a-cigarette-smoker-or-a-heroin-user/) [Gary Yourofsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-yourofsky/) > [“The carnistic schema, which twists information so that nonsense seems to make perfect sense, also explains why we fail to see the absurdities of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melanie-joy/the-carnistic-schema-which-twists-information-so-that-nonsense-seems/) [Melanie Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melanie-joy/) > [I love people and animals so my mission is to get people healthier by not eating animals or animal products.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tabitha-brown/i-love-people-and-animals-so-my-mission-is-to-get-people-healthier-by/) [Tabitha Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tabitha-brown/) > [Humans are the only animals that have children on purpose, keep in touch (or don't), care about birthdays, waste and lose time, brush their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/humans-are-the-only-animals-that-have-children-on-purpose-keep-in/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [“Ultimately, the controversy around PETA may have less to do with the organization than with those of us who stand in judgment of it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/ultimately-the-controversy-around-peta-may-have-less-to-do-with-the/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [Even as a child, I felt very guilty about eating animals and never knew that there was something to do about it. And as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mayim-bialik/even-as-a-child-i-felt-very-guilty-about-eating-animals-and-never/) [Mayim Bialik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mayim-bialik/) > [“As I learned about the consequences of my food choices and as I recognized that I didn't have to eat animals, and that eating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-baur/as-i-learned-about-the-consequences-of-my-food-choices-and-as-i/) [Gene Baur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-baur/) > [The raising of animals for food and all that it entails is the single most destructive force impacting our planet's fragile ecosystems. Our planet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-gannon/the-raising-of-animals-for-food-and-all-that-it-entails-is-the-single/) [Sharon Gannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-gannon/) > [We have to realize that treating animals well is in our best interests, too. Cruelty is indivisible; when you are cruel to an animal,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-balcombe/we-have-to-realize-that-treating-animals-well-is-in-our-best/) [Jonathan Balcombe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-balcombe/) > [“Given that eating animals is in absolutely no way necessary for my family — unlike some in the world, we have easy access to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/given-that-eating-animals-is-in-absolutely-no-way-necessary-for-my/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [I don't feel I'm taking the moral high ground, telling people to stop eating animals because I've done it. It just works for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-ward/i-don-t-feel-i-m-taking-the-moral-high-ground-telling-people-to-stop/) [Bill Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-ward/) > [Ninety-nine percent of all land animals eaten or used to produce milk and eggs in the United States are factory farmed. So although there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/ninety-nine-percent-of-all-land-animals-eaten-or-used-to-produce-milk/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) [Browse all 81 Eating animals quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eating-animals/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Is it not a reproach that man is a carnivorous animal? 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