--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Seriously, I think everybody needs to be…" description: "\"Seriously, I think everybody needs to be more disciplined; nobody needs any meat. But from a perspective of how many animals suffer, it's probably bett..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d5/ingrid-newkirk-3962_animal_seriously-i-think-everybody-needs-to-be_2538472.png" --- # Seriously, I think everybody needs to be more disciplined… ![“Seriously, I think everybody needs to be more disciplined; nobody needs any meat. But from a perspective of how many animals suffer, it's probably better to kill and eat one whale than it is to eat fish, chickens, cows, lambs and eggs.” quote by Ingrid Newkirk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d5/ingrid-newkirk-3962_animal_seriously-i-think-everybody-needs-to-be_2538472.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d5/ingrid-newkirk-3962_animal_seriously-i-think-everybody-needs-to-be_2538472.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d5/ingrid-newkirk-3962_animal_seriously-i-think-everybody-needs-to-be_2538472.png) > “Seriously, I think everybody needs to be more disciplined; nobody needs any meat. But from a perspective of how many animals suffer, it's probably better to kill and eat one whale than it is to eat fish, chickens, cows, lambs and eggs.” [Ingrid Newkirk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ingrid-newkirk/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker argues that killing a single large animal causes less overall suffering than consuming many smaller animals, suggesting a hierarchy of harm. **In simple terms:** One large animal may cause less total suffering than many small ones. Key Takeaway Consider the total animal suffering when choosing food. Themes animal rights ethics diet suffering Mood thoughtful provocative Type philosophical debate When to use this quote - dietary choices - policy debates - restaurant menus - personal meals Key Concepts utilitarianism species hierarchy food ethics Questions to Reflect On - Is it ethical to compare suffering across species? - How do ecological consequences factor into food choices? A Different Perspective The claim assumes all animals experience suffering equally and ignores ecological impacts. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Animal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) [Chickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chickens/) [Cows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cows/) [Eat Whale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eat-whale-1411735/) [Eggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eggs/) [Fishes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fishes/) [Food](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/food/) [Lambs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lambs/) [Meat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meat/) [Meat Perspective](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meat-perspective-1411738/) [Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs/) [Needs Meat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs-meat-1411736/) [Perspective](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perspective/) [Suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Whale Eat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whale-eat-1411737/) [Whales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whales/) ## Related quotes > [You can’t take everything on. That’s why when people ask how does this film fit into my oeuvre. I say 'I don’t know. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-fincher/you-can-t-take-everything-on-that-s-why-when-people-ask-how-does-this/) [David Fincher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-fincher/) > [I'm a little lamb who's lost in the wood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ira-gershwin/i-m-a-little-lamb-who-s-lost-in-the-wood/) [Ira Gershwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ira-gershwin/) > [That's one of those questions I'm asked more often than anything else. Will my dog go to heaven? And I say well, the lion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/that-s-one-of-those-questions-i-m-asked-more-often-than-anything-else/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [Of all trees, I observe God hath chosen the vine, a low plant that creeps upon the helpful wall; of all beasts, the soft…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-feltham/of-all-trees-i-observe-god-hath-chosen-the-vine-a-low-plant-that/) [Owen Feltham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-feltham/) > [Lions and Lambs, love and force, light and fire, good and evil: all things climb the same mountain, the mountain of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikos-kazantzakis/lions-and-lambs-love-and-force-light-and-fire-good-and-evil-all/) [Nikos Kazantzakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikos-kazantzakis/) > [“No, amusing me only, I wonder if they realize how they are used?" "Not a bit. They think they are the emperors of creation."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/no-amusing-me-only-i-wonder-if-they-realize-how-they-are-used-not-a/) [Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/) > [“It is an interesting thing, love ,” the Princess stated. “It can turn lambs into heroes, and heroes into lambs.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-william-peercy/it-is-an-interesting-thing-love-the-princess-stated-it-can-turn-lambs/) [James William Peercy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-william-peercy/) > [We approach the house and I wave at Jimmy. "And if he thinks he's eating with us, he's got another thing coming," my dad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melina-marchetta/we-approach-the-house-and-i-wave-at-jimmy-and-if-he-thinks-he-s/) [Melina Marchetta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melina-marchetta/) > [“Gamboling is happiness in motion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-jarvis-ellison/gamboling-is-happiness-in-motion/) [Joan Jarvis Ellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-jarvis-ellison/) > [I went to the butchers to buy a leg of lamb. "Is it Scotch?", I asked. "Why?" the butcher said in reply. "Are you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chic-murray/i-went-to-the-butchers-to-buy-a-leg-of-lamb-is-it-scotch-i-asked-why/) [Chic Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chic-murray/) > [“A shepherdess makes quite a mess, but little lambs are lovely.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-wesley/a-shepherdess-makes-quite-a-mess-but-little-lambs-are-lovely/) [Kathryn Wesley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-wesley/) > [White and shining virgin of all human virtues, ark of the covenant between earth and heaven, tender and strong companion partaking of the lion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/honor-de-balzac/white-and-shining-virgin-of-all-human-virtues-ark-of-the-covenant/) [Honore de Balzac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/honor-de-balzac/) > [He is indeed the 'Lamb.' There is nothing harsh or haughty or retaliative about Him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-sidlow-baxter/he-is-indeed-the-lamb-there-is-nothing-harsh-or-haughty-or/) [J. Sidlow Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-sidlow-baxter/) > [If the civil magistrate be a Christian, a disciple or follower of the meek Lamb of God, he is bound to be far from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-williams/if-the-civil-magistrate-be-a-christian-a-disciple-or-follower-of-the/) [Roger Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-williams/) > [Don't ask who's influenced me. A lion is made up of the lambs he's digested, and I've been reading all my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-de-gaulle/don-t-ask-who-s-influenced-me-a-lion-is-made-up-of-the-lambs-he-s/) [Charles de Gaulle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-de-gaulle/) ## More by Ingrid Newkirk > [When it comes to having a central nervous system, and the ability to feel pain, hunger, and thirst, a rat is a pig is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ingrid-newkirk/when-it-comes-to-having-a-central-nervous-system-and-the-ability-to/) [Ingrid Newkirk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ingrid-newkirk/) > [We all have prejudices to dispel: the need to get away from thinking that 'I' am important and special and 'you' are not, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ingrid-newkirk/we-all-have-prejudices-to-dispel-the-need-to-get-away-from-thinking/) [Ingrid Newkirk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ingrid-newkirk/) > [The extinction of Homo Sapiens would mean survival for millions, if not billions, of Earth-dwelling species. Phasing out the human race will solve every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ingrid-newkirk/the-extinction-of-homo-sapiens-would-mean-survival-for-millions-if/) [Ingrid Newkirk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ingrid-newkirk/) > [Pet ownership is slavery. Animals are not ours to eat, wear, experiment on, or be entertained by.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ingrid-newkirk/pet-ownership-is-slavery-animals-are-not-ours-to-eat-wear-experiment/) [Ingrid Newkirk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ingrid-newkirk/) > [Perhaps measuring animal intelligence by comparing it to human intelligence isn't the best litmus test.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ingrid-newkirk/perhaps-measuring-animal-intelligence-by-comparing-it-to-human/) [Ingrid Newkirk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ingrid-newkirk/) > [One hates to be absolute, but in my view, there is no such thing as humane meat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ingrid-newkirk/one-hates-to-be-absolute-but-in-my-view-there-is-no-such-thing-as/) [Ingrid Newkirk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ingrid-newkirk/) > [It's interesting that one of the definitions of the word 'human' is 'sympathetic.' More and more people are beginning to show that they understand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ingrid-newkirk/it-s-interesting-that-one-of-the-definitions-of-the-word-human-is/) [Ingrid Newkirk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ingrid-newkirk/) > […we would like an end to pet shops and the breeding of animals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ingrid-newkirk/we-would-like-an-end-to-pet-shops-and-the-breeding-of-animals/) [Ingrid Newkirk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ingrid-newkirk/) > [Never doubt that one person can make a difference.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ingrid-newkirk/never-doubt-that-one-person-can-make-a-difference/) [Ingrid Newkirk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ingrid-newkirk/) > [Probably everything we do is a publicity stunt ... we are not here to gather members, to please, to placate, to make friends. We're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ingrid-newkirk/probably-everything-we-do-is-a-publicity-stunt-we-are-not-here-to/) [Ingrid Newkirk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ingrid-newkirk/) > [The bottom line is that people dont have the right to manipulate or to breed dogs and cats ... If people want toys, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ingrid-newkirk/the-bottom-line-is-that-people-dont-have-the-right-to-manipulate-or/) [Ingrid Newkirk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ingrid-newkirk/) > [Even painless research is fascism, supremacism, because the act of confinement is traumatizing in itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ingrid-newkirk/even-painless-research-is-fascism-supremacism-because-the-act-of/) [Ingrid Newkirk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ingrid-newkirk/) > [All of us in society are supposed to believe that cruelty to animals is wrong and that it is a good thing to prevent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ingrid-newkirk/all-of-us-in-society-are-supposed-to-believe-that-cruelty-to-animals/) [Ingrid Newkirk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ingrid-newkirk/) > [I think if you're against cruelty and you look at what happens to animals in slaughterhouses and on factory farms, you have to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ingrid-newkirk/i-think-if-you-re-against-cruelty-and-you-look-at-what-happens-to/) [Ingrid Newkirk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ingrid-newkirk/) > [Humans have grown like a cancer. We're the biggest blight on the face of the earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ingrid-newkirk/humans-have-grown-like-a-cancer-we-re-the-biggest-blight-on-the-face/) [Ingrid Newkirk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ingrid-newkirk/) [Explore all 118 Ingrid Newkirk quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ingrid-newkirk/) ## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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. But we all learn about love in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-knapp/i-m-38-and-i-m-single-and-i-m-having-my-most-intense-and-gratifying/) [Caroline Knapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-knapp/) > [Practically all animals which move fast in a homogeneous medium have found means of giving their body a streamlined shape, thereby reducing friction to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/practically-all-animals-which-move-fast-in-a-homogeneous-medium-have/) [Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/) > [A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/a-horse-a-horse-my-kingdom-for-a-horse/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“it is a federal system of sadistic torture, vivisection, and animal genocide, which has been carried on for decades under the fraudulent guise of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-tobias/it-is-a-federal-system-of-sadistic-torture-vivisection-and-animal/) [Michael Tobias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-tobias/) > [“What does it mean to be a self-conscious animal? The idea is ludicrous, if it is not monstrous. It means to know that one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-becker/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-self-conscious-animal-the-idea-is-ludicrous/) [Ernest Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-becker/) > [We must love animals in such a powerful way that we should reject to eat them!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/we-must-love-animals-in-such-a-powerful-way-that-we-should-reject-to/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [“The universe contains any amount of horrible ways to be woken up, such as the noise of the mob breaking down the front door,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/the-universe-contains-any-amount-of-horrible-ways-to-be-woken-up-such/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [This brings me back to the image of Kafka standing before a fish in the Berlin aquarium, a fish on which his gaze fell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/this-brings-me-back-to-the-image-of-kafka-standing-before-a-fish-in/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [That dog, I say that dog is lower than a snake full of buckshot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/foghorn-leghorn/that-dog-i-say-that-dog-is-lower-than-a-snake-full-of-buckshot/) [Foghorn Leghorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/foghorn-leghorn/) > [I bet plants go like 'Weeeeeeeee!' whenever they're swallowed by a giraffe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-bet-plants-go-like-weeeeeeeee-whenever-they-re-swallowed-by-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Animal rights without veganism is like human rights with slavery. 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": "Seriously, I think everybody needs to be more disciplined; nobody needs any meat. 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