--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A man who has been an animal has…" description: "\"A man who has been an animal has infinitely more knowledge of that animal than a man who has merely dissected one.\" — Jack Sharkey" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bdb/jack-sharkey-80272_animal_a-man-who-has-been-an-animal-has-infinit_1087288.png" --- # A man who has been an animal has infinitely more knowledge… ![“A man who has been an animal has infinitely more knowledge of that animal than a man who has merely dissected one.” quote by Jack Sharkey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bdb/jack-sharkey-80272_animal_a-man-who-has-been-an-animal-has-infinit_1087288.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bdb/jack-sharkey-80272_animal_a-man-who-has-been-an-animal-has-infinit_1087288.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bdb/jack-sharkey-80272_animal_a-man-who-has-been-an-animal-has-infinit_1087288.png) > “A man who has been an animal has infinitely more knowledge of that animal than a man who has merely dissected one.” Jack Sharkey ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A person who lives as an animal gains deeper, experiential insight than someone who only studies it academically. **In simple terms:** Living as the animal teaches more than dissecting it. Key Takeaway Seek lived experience over mere observation. Themes experience knowledge embodiment Mood curious reflective Type analytical philosophical When to use this quote - wildlife research - animal husbandry - personal growth - fieldwork Key Concepts ethology embodied learning Questions to Reflect On - How does daily immersion change perception? - What limits arise from only observing? A Different Perspective Practical experience may be limited by bias or lack of systematic analysis. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Animal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) [Animals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animals/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) ## Related quotes > [“It has been argued that man is not an animal, but I tell you, the animal in man is what makes man an animal.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-okafor/it-has-been-argued-that-man-is-not-an-animal-but-i-tell-you-the/) Lawrence Okafor > [Historically the biggest killer of Man has not been animal but Man him self.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/historically-the-biggest-killer-of-man-has-not-been-animal-but-man/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A little knowledge that acts is worth infinitely more than much knowledge that is idle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-little-knowledge-that-acts-is-worth-infinitely-more-than-much/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The animal man lives in the senses. If he does not get enough to eat, he is miserable; or if something happens to his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/the-animal-man-lives-in-the-senses-if-he-does-not-get-enough-to-eat/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [MAN IS FUNDAMENTALLY AN ANIMAL. Animals, as distinct from man, are not machine-like, not sadistic; their societies, within the same species, are incomparably more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilhelm-reich/man-is-fundamentally-an-animal-animals-as-distinct-from-man-are-not/) [Wilhelm Reich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilhelm-reich/) > [The glutton is much more than an animal and much less than a man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/honor-de-balzac/the-glutton-is-much-more-than-an-animal-and-much-less-than-a-man/) [Honore de Balzac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/honor-de-balzac/) > [“An animal A man A boy…I have had the distinct experience to love them all..,. Quite frankly, the difference between them is not how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author-saidah-brown/an-animal-a-man-a-boy-i-have-had-the-distinct-experience-to-love-them/) [Author Saidah Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/author-saidah-brown/) > [“Society is only a thin veneer that masks the animal that man really is’, or”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dirk-patton/society-is-only-a-thin-veneer-that-masks-the-animal-that-man-really/) [Dirk Patton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dirk-patton/) > [“Man is a political animal. A man who lives alone is either a Beast or a God”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/man-is-a-political-animal-a-man-who-lives-alone-is-either-a-beast-or/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [“Nah. Hero, for sure. Think about it. In his first adventure, he took the form of a snake to free two prisoners being held…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-hill/nah-hero-for-sure-think-about-it-in-his-first-adventure-he-took-the/) [Joe Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-hill/) > [We talk of wild animals, but the wildest animal is man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/we-talk-of-wild-animals-but-the-wildest-animal-is-man/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [“No animal but man throws themselves willingly into the flames, Copper. Relish the sight. You'll not see it again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierce-brown/no-animal-but-man-throws-themselves-willingly-into-the-flames-copper/) [Pierce Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierce-brown/) > [Women love a sick child or a healthy animal; A man who is both itches them like an incubus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-hacker/women-love-a-sick-child-or-a-healthy-animal-a-man-who-is-both-itches/) [Marilyn Hacker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-hacker/) > [A man, and a cat, and a dog, are all animals. These particular examples, as man, or dog, or cat, are parts of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/a-man-and-a-cat-and-a-dog-are-all-animals-these-particular-examples/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [“What if virtue, work, all our striving and sweat was simply not enough to make the animal man a happy creature?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darrin-m-mcmahon/what-if-virtue-work-all-our-striving-and-sweat-was-simply-not-enough/) Darrin M. McMahon ## More by Jack Sharkey > [Here lies Gomez Addams -- he was good for nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-sharkey/here-lies-gomez-addams-he-was-good-for-nothing/) Jack Sharkey > [Jack Sprat could eat no fat,His wife could eat no lean. A real sweet pair of neurotics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-sharkey/jack-sprat-could-eat-no-fat-his-wife-could-eat-no-lean-a-real-sweet/) Jack Sharkey Explore all 3 Jack Sharkey quotes ## 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": "A man who has been an animal has infinitely more knowledge of that animal than a man who has merely dissected one.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jack Sharkey" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-sharkey/a-man-who-has-been-an-animal-has-infinitely-more-knowledge-of-that/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Animal" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-sharkey/a-man-who-has-been-an-animal-has-infinitely-more-knowledge-of-that/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bdb/jack-sharkey-80272_animal_a-man-who-has-been-an-animal-has-infinit_1087288.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bdb/jack-sharkey-80272_animal_a-man-who-has-been-an-animal-has-infinit_1087288.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bdb/jack-sharkey-80272_animal_a-man-who-has-been-an-animal-has-infinit_1087288.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A man who has been an animal has infinitely more knowledge of that animal than a man who has merely…” — Jack Sharkey", "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": "Jack Sharkey", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-sharkey/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A man who has been an...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-sharkey/a-man-who-has-been-an-animal-has-infinitely-more-knowledge-of-that/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-sharkey/a-man-who-has-been-an-animal-has-infinitely-more-knowledge-of-that/#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 } } ] } ```