--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Various philosophers and religious…" description: "\"Various philosophers and religious leaders tried to convince their disciples and followers that animals are nothing more than machines without a soul, ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14b/isaac-bashevis-singer-2215_animal_various-philosophers-and-religious-leade_1675634.jpg" --- # Various philosophers and religious leaders tried to… ![“Various philosophers and religious leaders tried to convince their disciples and followers that animals are nothing more than machines without a soul, without feelings. However, anyone who has ever lived with an animal-be it a dog, a bird, or even a mouse-knows that this theory is a brazen lie…” quote by Isaac Bashevis Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14b/isaac-bashevis-singer-2215_animal_various-philosophers-and-religious-leade_1675634.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14b/isaac-bashevis-singer-2215_animal_various-philosophers-and-religious-leade_1675634.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14b/isaac-bashevis-singer-2215_animal_various-philosophers-and-religious-leade_1675634.jpg) > “Various philosophers and religious leaders tried to convince their disciples and followers that animals are nothing more than machines without a soul, without feelings. However, anyone who has ever lived with an animal-be it a dog, a bird, or even a mouse-knows that this theory is a brazen lie, invented to justify cruelty.” [Isaac Bashevis Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-bashevis-singer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote argues that viewing animals as soulless machines is a false belief created to excuse cruelty, because personal experience with animals shows they have feelings. **In simple terms:** Animals feel and deserve compassion, not mere machines. Key Takeaway Recognize animal sentience and oppose cruelty. Themes ethics animal rights compassion Mood empathetic reflective Type ethical philosophical When to use this quote - pet ownership - veterinary care - animal research - wildlife conservation Key Concepts sentience anthropomorphism moral justification Questions to Reflect On - Do you notice animal emotions in daily life? - How does acknowledging sentience change our behavior? A Different Perspective The claim may overlook scientific perspectives on consciousness. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Animal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) [Animals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animals/) [Bird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bird/) [Cruelty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cruelty/) [Disciple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disciple/) [Dog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dog/) [Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/) [Followers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/followers/) [Leader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leader/) [Leadership](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leadership/) [Lying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lying/) [Machines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/machines/) [Philosopher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosopher/) [Philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy/) [Religious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religious/) [Religious leaders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religious-leaders/) [Soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soul/) [Vegetarianism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vegetarianism/) ## Related quotes > [Opinions which justify cruelty are inspired by cruel impulses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/opinions-which-justify-cruelty-are-inspired-by-cruel-impulses/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [“But you couldn't really start over. That was a huge, modern lie invented by talk-show hosts. Sure you could change things that improved your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-brundage/but-you-couldn-t-really-start-over-that-was-a-huge-modern-lie/) [Elizabeth Brundage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-brundage/) > [There is no god, so how can I consider myself a god? God is the greatest lie invented by man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/there-is-no-god-so-how-can-i-consider-myself-a-god-god-is-the/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [One single idea may have greater weight than all the men, animals, and machines for a century.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/one-single-idea-may-have-greater-weight-than-all-the-men-animals-and/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [For fidelity, devotion, love, many a two-legged animal is below the dog and the horse. Happy would it be for thousands of people if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/for-fidelity-devotion-love-many-a-two-legged-animal-is-below-the-dog/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [The artificial intelligence approach may not be altogether the right one to make to the problem of designing automatic assembly devices. Animals and machines…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-wilkes/the-artificial-intelligence-approach-may-not-be-altogether-the-right/) [Maurice Wilkes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-wilkes/) > [Man is, beyond dispute, the most excellent of created beings, and the vilest animal is a dog; but the sages agree that a grateful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saadi/man-is-beyond-dispute-the-most-excellent-of-created-beings-and-the/) [Saadi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saadi/) > [Answer me, you who believe that animals are only machines. Has nature arranged for this animal to have all the machinery of feelings only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/answer-me-you-who-believe-that-animals-are-only-machines-has-nature/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [In a dog social cue from a master can override where he saw the being placed. That won’t happen unless we have bred a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/temple-grandin/in-a-dog-social-cue-from-a-master-can-override-where-he-saw-the-being/) [Temple Grandin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/temple-grandin/) > [Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame, With conquering limbs astride from land to land; Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-lazarus/not-like-the-brazen-giant-of-greek-fame-with-conquering-limbs-astride/) [Emma Lazarus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-lazarus/) > [One side thinks the president'€™s request for war-making powers is too brazen and even reckless. The other side thinks it is too spineless and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-baker/one-side-thinks-the-president-s-request-for-war-making-powers-is-too/) [Peter Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-baker/) > [I know of no sentence that can induce such immediate and brazen lying as the one that begins, 'Have you read - .'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilson-mizner/i-know-of-no-sentence-that-can-induce-such-immediate-and-brazen-lying/) [Wilson Mizner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilson-mizner/) > [“You want a wild ride, J.J.? I'll give it to you, hard and slow until you scream my name.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joya-ryan/you-want-a-wild-ride-j-j-i-ll-give-it-to-you-hard-and-slow-until-you/) [Joya Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joya-ryan/) > [“This is laid down with a groove funkier and blacker than anything Prince of Michael Jackson--or any other black artist of the recent years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bret-easton-ellis/this-is-laid-down-with-a-groove-funkier-and-blacker-than-anything/) [Bret Easton Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bret-easton-ellis/) > [I had rather be a Kitten, and cry mew, Than one of these same Meeter Ballad-mongers: I had rather heare a Brazen Candlestick turn'd,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/i-had-rather-be-a-kitten-and-cry-mew-than-one-of-these-same-meeter/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) ## More by Isaac Bashevis Singer > [Every body resisted (the slaughterer) in its own fashion, tried to escape and seemed to argue with the Creator to its last breath.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-bashevis-singer/every-body-resisted-the-slaughterer-in-its-own-fashion-tried-to/) [Isaac Bashevis Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-bashevis-singer/) > [People often say that humans have always eaten animals, as if this is a justification for continuing the practice. According to this logic, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-bashevis-singer/people-often-say-that-humans-have-always-eaten-animals-as-if-this-is/) [Isaac Bashevis Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-bashevis-singer/) > [As long as people will shed the blood of innocent creatures there can be no peace, no liberty, no harmony between people. 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It seemed to the rabbi that his eyes were asking, Who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-bashevis-singer/the-rabbi-thought-he-saw-an-expression-of-perplexity-in-the-golem-s/) [Isaac Bashevis Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-bashevis-singer/) > [“If you hear I'm dead, don't come to my funeral.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-bashevis-singer/if-you-hear-i-m-dead-don-t-come-to-my-funeral/) [Isaac Bashevis Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-bashevis-singer/) > [If you keep saying things are going to be bad, you have a good chance of being a prophet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-bashevis-singer/if-you-keep-saying-things-are-going-to-be-bad-you-have-a-good-chance/) [Isaac Bashevis Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-bashevis-singer/) > [Men want all women to lie down as whores and get up as virgins.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-bashevis-singer/men-want-all-women-to-lie-down-as-whores-and-get-up-as-virgins/) [Isaac Bashevis Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-bashevis-singer/) > [A story to me means a plot where there is some surprise... Because this is how life is full of surprises.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-bashevis-singer/a-story-to-me-means-a-plot-where-there-is-some-surprise-because-this/) [Isaac Bashevis Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-bashevis-singer/) > [Night is a time of rigor, but also of mercy. There are truths which one can see only when it’s dark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-bashevis-singer/night-is-a-time-of-rigor-but-also-of-mercy-there-are-truths-which-one/) [Isaac Bashevis Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-bashevis-singer/) > [No doubt the world is entirely an imaginary world, but it is only once removed from the true world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-bashevis-singer/no-doubt-the-world-is-entirely-an-imaginary-world-but-it-is-only-once/) [Isaac Bashevis Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-bashevis-singer/) > [It is a general rule that when the grain of truth cannot be found, men will swallow great helpings of falsehood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-bashevis-singer/it-is-a-general-rule-that-when-the-grain-of-truth-cannot-be-found-men/) [Isaac Bashevis Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-bashevis-singer/) > [As often as Herman had witnessed the slaughter of animals and fish, he always had the same thought: in their behaviour towards creatures, all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-bashevis-singer/as-often-as-herman-had-witnessed-the-slaughter-of-animals-and-fish-he/) [Isaac Bashevis Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-bashevis-singer/) > [Sometimes love is stronger than a man's convictions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-bashevis-singer/sometimes-love-is-stronger-than-a-man-s-convictions/) [Isaac Bashevis Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-bashevis-singer/) [Explore all 169 Isaac Bashevis Singer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-bashevis-singer/) ## 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. 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": "Various philosophers and religious leaders tried to convince their disciples and followers that animals are nothing more than machines without a soul, without feelings. 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