--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Human beings are the only creatures on…" description: "\"Human beings are the only creatures on earth that claim a God and the only thing that behaves like it hasn't got one.\" — Hunter S. Thompson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b8/hunter-s-thompson-278_behave_human-beings-are-the-only-creatures-on-e_576653.jpg" --- # Human beings are the only creatures on earth that claim a… ![“Human beings are the only creatures on earth that claim a God and the only thing that behaves like it hasn't got one.” quote by Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b8/hunter-s-thompson-278_behave_human-beings-are-the-only-creatures-on-e_576653.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b8/hunter-s-thompson-278_behave_human-beings-are-the-only-creatures-on-e_576653.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b8/hunter-s-thompson-278_behave_human-beings-are-the-only-creatures-on-e_576653.jpg) > “Human beings are the only creatures on earth that claim a God and the only thing that behaves like it hasn't got one.” [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The statement satizes humanity's paradoxical tendency to create and worship a deity while simultaneously denying its existence, highlighting cognitive dissonance. **In simple terms:** Humans claim a God yet act as if none exists, showing inner conflict. Key Takeaway Question the contradictions in belief and behavior. Themes religion philosophy human nature contradiction skepticism Mood critical ironic skeptical Type satirical philosophical When to use this quote - debates on religion - personal belief exploration - literary analysis Key Concepts cognitive dissonance faith atheism cultural critique Questions to Reflect On - What does this paradox reveal about society? - How can we reconcile belief with action? A Different Perspective It may ignore non‑theistic spiritual traditions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earth/) [Human beings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-beings/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) ## Related quotes > [“Human beings are the only creatures on Earth that claim a god and the only living thing that behaves like it hasn't got one”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-rum-diaries/human-beings-are-the-only-creatures-on-earth-that-claim-a-god-and-the-2/) The Rum Diaries > [Human beings are the only creatures on this earth, who knows how many times that despite falling again'n again to stand again](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/human-beings-are-the-only-creatures-on-this-earth-who-knows-how-many/) Mak\_786 > [“Human beings are the only creatures on the planet that tell time and think they have to earn a living.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/human-beings-are-the-only-creatures-on-the-planet-that-tell-time-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Human beings are the only creatures on earth that allow their children to come back home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-cosby/human-beings-are-the-only-creatures-on-earth-that-allow-their/) [Bill Cosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-cosby/) > [Anytime you have anyone who thinks he or she has God in their pocket, you have the potential for disaster, ... Throughout history, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-kimball/anytime-you-have-anyone-who-thinks-he-or-she-has-god-in-their-pocket/) [Charles Kimball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-kimball/) > [When you look at the history of wars, they ultimately revolve around one claim: "My god is better than yours."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yair-lapid/when-you-look-at-the-history-of-wars-they-ultimately-revolve-around/) [Yair Lapid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yair-lapid/) > [After all, we are human beings, and not creatures of infinite possibilities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robertson-davies/after-all-we-are-human-beings-and-not-creatures-of-infinite/) [Robertson Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robertson-davies/) > [“Human beings are the only creatures that allow their children to come back home.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-cosby/human-beings-are-the-only-creatures-that-allow-their-children-to-come/) [Bill Cosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-cosby/) > [“Why did things have to be so complicated with human beings?...Yet if we were not what we were, creatures with at least the awareness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/piers-anthony/why-did-things-have-to-be-so-complicated-with-human-beings-yet-if-we/) [Piers Anthony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/piers-anthony/) > [We share the earth not only with our fellow human beings, but with all the other creatures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/we-share-the-earth-not-only-with-our-fellow-human-beings-but-with-all/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [Human beings are the only creatures who blush - or who need to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/human-beings-are-the-only-creatures-who-blush-or-who-need-to/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [Of all creatures on earth, we humans have the highest level of stupidity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cullen-hightower/of-all-creatures-on-earth-we-humans-have-the-highest-level-of/) [Cullen Hightower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cullen-hightower/) > [We are creatures of the earth and live on this planet through the powers of the sun and moon and through all facets of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moa-kikuchi/we-are-creatures-of-the-earth-and-live-on-this-planet-through-the/) [Moa Kikuchi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moa-kikuchi/) > [Generally speaking, I think it is fair to say that I am a friend to the creatures of the Earth when I am not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hodgman/generally-speaking-i-think-it-is-fair-to-say-that-i-am-a-friend-to/) [John Hodgman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hodgman/) > [“Chirren is the most dangerous creatures on the earth, with the exception of young girls between the ages of fifteen and forty-two.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-mosley/chirren-is-the-most-dangerous-creatures-on-the-earth-with-the/) [Walter Mosley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-mosley/) ## More by Hunter S. Thompson > [“There was also the fact that sending a penniless writer to get $135 worth of beer was — as Khrushchev said of Nixon —…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/there-was-also-the-fact-that-sending-a-penniless-writer-to-get-135/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [“Cases of champagne and scotch lay broken in the street, and everyone I saw had a bottle. They were screaming and dancing, and in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/cases-of-champagne-and-scotch-lay-broken-in-the-street-and-everyone-i/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [No music + Bad TV = Bad mood & no pages.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/no-music-bad-tv-bad-mood-no-pages/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [By disgracing and degrading the presidency of the United States, by fleeing the White House like a diseased cur, Richard Nixon broke the heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/by-disgracing-and-degrading-the-presidency-of-the-united-states-by/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [No one holds command over me. No man. No god. No Prince. What is a claim of age for ones who are immortal? What…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/no-one-holds-command-over-me-no-man-no-god-no-prince-what-is-a-claim/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [“The person who doesn't scatter the morning dew will not comb grey hairs”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/the-person-who-doesn-t-scatter-the-morning-dew-will-not-comb-grey/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [Hope rises and dreams flicker and die. Love plans for tomorrow and loneliness thinks of yesterday. Life is beautiful and living is pain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/hope-rises-and-dreams-flicker-and-die-love-plans-for-tomorrow-and/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [If we get chased out of Iraq with our tail between our legs, that will be the fifth consecutive Third-world country with no hint…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/if-we-get-chased-out-of-iraq-with-our-tail-between-our-legs-that-will/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [At age 22 I set what I insist is an all-time record for distance hitchhiking in Bermuda shorts: 3,700 miles in three weeks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/at-age-22-i-set-what-i-insist-is-an-all-time-record-for-distance/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [Paranoia is just another mask for ignorance. The truth, when you finally chase it down is almost always far worse than your darkest visions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/paranoia-is-just-another-mask-for-ignorance-the-truth-when-you/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [“No doubt they all Got What Was Coming To Them. All those pathetically eager acid freaks who thought they could buy Peace and Understanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/no-doubt-they-all-got-what-was-coming-to-them-all-those-pathetically/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [“For several months they'd been drifting toward political involvement, but the picture was hazy and one of the most confusing elements was their geographical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/for-several-months-they-d-been-drifting-toward-political-involvement/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [He wandered into the Newsroom and asked for a job the same way he’d walk into a barbershop and ask for a haircut, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/he-wandered-into-the-newsroom-and-asked-for-a-job-the-same-way-he-d/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [There's no point in getting into politics at all unless you plan to lash things around.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/there-s-no-point-in-getting-into-politics-at-all-unless-you-plan-to/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [There’s a lot of things wrong with this country, but one of the few things still right with it is that a man can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/there-s-a-lot-of-things-wrong-with-this-country-but-one-of-the-few/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) [Explore all 765 Hunter S. Thompson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) ## More Behave quotes > [If you are well-mannered towards those whose views are similar to yours, you may be said to exhibit a fairly good character. But, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-are-well-mannered-towards-those-whose-views-are-similar-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [To behave creatively in art means behavior with skill; and skill comes from discipline, not derangement. The artist who knows the rules -and proportion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burne-hogarth/to-behave-creatively-in-art-means-behavior-with-skill-and-skill-comes/) Burne Hogarth > [You can behave as badly as you like in America. Nobody notices.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-crisp/you-can-behave-as-badly-as-you-like-in-america-nobody-notices/) [Quentin Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-crisp/) > [For war to man, like childbirth to women, is simplifying in its emotions and activities. All the real problems of life can be put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-s-buck/for-war-to-man-like-childbirth-to-women-is-simplifying-in-its/) [Pearl S. Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-s-buck/) > [“Then Olympus it is. But do try to behave. I know it’s hard for you, but… (Delphine) I won’t piss on the floor. (Jericho)…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/then-olympus-it-is-but-do-try-to-behave-i-know-it-s-hard-for-you-but/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [The possibility of saying anything about a thing rests on the assumption that it preserves its identity, or continues to be the same thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-knight/the-possibility-of-saying-anything-about-a-thing-rests-on-the/) [Frank Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-knight/) > [Why does man behave like perfect idiot? This is the problem I wish to deal with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-szent-gyorgyi/why-does-man-behave-like-perfect-idiot-this-is-the-problem-i-wish-to/) [Albert Szent-Gyorgyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-szent-gyorgyi/) > [This is a time in my life where I'm gonna behave like an elegant human being. Or not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-stritch/this-is-a-time-in-my-life-where-i-m-gonna-behave-like-an-elegant/) [Elaine Stritch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elaine-stritch/) > [Most people, even in simple risky situations, don't behave the way the theory of utility would have them behave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-raiffa/most-people-even-in-simple-risky-situations-don-t-behave-the-way-the/) [Howard Raiffa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-raiffa/) > [As a club, we have an educational purpose: to give back to those people who love Arsenal so that they learn moral values from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arsene-wenger/as-a-club-we-have-an-educational-purpose-to-give-back-to-those-people/) [Arsene Wenger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arsene-wenger/) > [What astonishes many of us is not so much that human nature is fundamentally corrupt; we are astonished rather that it does not behave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morton-irving-seiden/what-astonishes-many-of-us-is-not-so-much-that-human-nature-is/) Morton Irving Seiden > [Do we behave out of fear of punishment, or out of the demands of our heart? For me, it is the latter, as I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/do-we-behave-out-of-fear-of-punishment-or-out-of-the-demands-of-our/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When you are in hard labor, remember that the length of labor is usually proportional to the number of people around. Avoid the presence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-odent/when-you-are-in-hard-labor-remember-that-the-length-of-labor-is/) [Michel Odent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-odent/) > [The superpowers often behave like two heavily armed blind men feeling their way around a room, each believing himself in mortal peril from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-superpowers-often-behave-like-two-heavily-armed-blind-men-feeling/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [For political and bureaucratic reasons, governments at all levels are telling far less to the public than to insiders about how to prepare for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barton-gellman/for-political-and-bureaucratic-reasons-governments-at-all-levels-are/) [Barton Gellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barton-gellman/) Browse all 1,587 Behave quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Human beings are the only creatures on earth that claim a God and the only thing that behaves like it hasn't got one.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Hunter S. Thompson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/human-beings-are-the-only-creatures-on-earth-that-claim-a-god-and-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Behave" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/human-beings-are-the-only-creatures-on-earth-that-claim-a-god-and-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b8/hunter-s-thompson-278_behave_human-beings-are-the-only-creatures-on-e_576653.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b8/hunter-s-thompson-278_behave_human-beings-are-the-only-creatures-on-e_576653.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b8/hunter-s-thompson-278_behave_human-beings-are-the-only-creatures-on-e_576653.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Human beings are the only creatures on earth that claim a God and the only thing that behaves like it hasn't…” — Hunter S. Thompson", "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": "Hunter S. Thompson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Human beings are the only creatures...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/human-beings-are-the-only-creatures-on-earth-that-claim-a-god-and-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/human-beings-are-the-only-creatures-on-earth-that-claim-a-god-and-the/#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 } } ] } ```