--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Whatever my own practice may be, I have…" description: "\"“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 ani..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7e/henry-david-thoreau-20_eating-animals_whatever-my-own-practice-may-be-i-have-n_2809016.jpg" --- # Whatever my own practice may be, I have no doubt that it… ![“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 as the savage tribes have left off eating each other when they came in contact with the more civilized.” quote by Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7e/henry-david-thoreau-20_eating-animals_whatever-my-own-practice-may-be-i-have-n_2809016.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7e/henry-david-thoreau-20_eating-animals_whatever-my-own-practice-may-be-i-have-n_2809016.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7e/henry-david-thoreau-20_eating-animals_whatever-my-own-practice-may-be-i-have-n_2809016.jpg) > ““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 as 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. He predicts humanity will eventually stop eating animals as societies evolve, similar to how savage tribes stopped cannibalism when encountering civilization. **In simple terms:** Future societies may abandon meat eating. Key Takeaway Consider ethical food choices. Themes ethics evolution civilization Mood thoughtful hopeful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - dietary decisions - policy advocacy - education Key Concepts environmental ethics anthropology Questions to Reflect On - Will technological advances affect this shift? - What moral arguments are most persuasive? A Different Perspective Cultural resistance may slow change. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Animals Surely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animals-surely-3506291/) [Eating animals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eating-animals/) [Eating Came](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eating-came-3506292/) [Food](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/food/) [Human race](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-race/) [Leave Eating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leave-eating-2608479/) [Tribes Left](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tribes-left-3506290/) ## Related quotes > [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/) > [“Is it not a reproach that man is a carnivorous animal? True, he can and does live, in a great measure, by preying on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/is-it-not-a-reproach-that-man-is-a-carnivorous-animal-true-he-can-and/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [Imagine for a moment if we once again knew, strictly as a matter of course, these few unremarkable things: What it is we're eating.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/imagine-for-a-moment-if-we-once-again-knew-strictly-as-a-matter-of-2/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [“imagine for a moment if we once again knew, strictly as a matter of course, these few unremarkable things: What it is we’re eating.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/imagine-for-a-moment-if-we-once-again-knew-strictly-as-a-matter-of/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [I still go to a salon where a gal does my hair, and I don't know if it's because I'm a celebrity but by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenifer-lewis/i-still-go-to-a-salon-where-a-gal-does-my-hair-and-i-don-t-know-if-it/) [Jenifer Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenifer-lewis/) > [“Those who have not learned to read the ancient classics in the language in which they were written must have a very imperfect knowledge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/those-who-have-not-learned-to-read-the-ancient-classics-in-the/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [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/) > [“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/) > [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/) > [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/) > [“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/) > [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/) > [“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/) > [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/) > [“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/) ## 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/) > [“Is it not a reproach that man is a carnivorous animal? True, he can and does live, in a great measure, by preying on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/is-it-not-a-reproach-that-man-is-a-carnivorous-animal-true-he-can-and/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [“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/) [Browse all 81 Eating animals quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eating-animals/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“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 as the savage tribes have left off eating each other when they came in contact with the more civilized.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Henry David Thoreau" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/whatever-my-own-practice-may-be-i-have-no-doubt-that-it-is-part-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Eating animals" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/whatever-my-own-practice-may-be-i-have-no-doubt-that-it-is-part-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7e/henry-david-thoreau-20_eating-animals_whatever-my-own-practice-may-be-i-have-n_2809016.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7e/henry-david-thoreau-20_eating-animals_whatever-my-own-practice-may-be-i-have-n_2809016.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7e/henry-david-thoreau-20_eating-animals_whatever-my-own-practice-may-be-i-have-n_2809016.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Whatever my own practice may be, I have no doubt that it is part of the destiny of the human race, in its…” — Henry David Thoreau", "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": "Henry David Thoreau", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Whatever my own practice may be,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/whatever-my-own-practice-may-be-i-have-no-doubt-that-it-is-part-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/whatever-my-own-practice-may-be-i-have-no-doubt-that-it-is-part-of/#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 } } ] } ```