--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I had a linguistics professor who said…" description: "\"I had a linguistics professor who said that it's man's ability to use language that makes him the dominant species on the planet. That may be. But I th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d16/jeff-stilson-49610_animals_i-had-a-linguistics-professor-who-said-t_1934455.png" --- # I had a linguistics professor who said that it's man's… ![“I had a linguistics professor who said that it's man's ability to use language that makes him the dominant species on the planet. That may be. But I think there's another thing that separates us from animals. We aren't afraid of vacuum cleaners.” quote by Jeff Stilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d16/jeff-stilson-49610_animals_i-had-a-linguistics-professor-who-said-t_1934455.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d16/jeff-stilson-49610_animals_i-had-a-linguistics-professor-who-said-t_1934455.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d16/jeff-stilson-49610_animals_i-had-a-linguistics-professor-who-said-t_1934455.png) > “I had a linguistics professor who said that it's man's ability to use language that makes him the dominant species on the planet. That may be. But I think there's another thing that separates us from animals. We aren't afraid of vacuum cleaners.” [Jeff Stilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-stilson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Language gives humans dominance, but fearlessness (e.g., of vacuum cleaners) also sets us apart. **In simple terms:** Language and fearlessness define humanity. Key Takeaway Embrace curiosity over fear. Themes anthropology psychology language Mood thoughtful analytical Type observational philosophical When to use this quote - education - innovation - risk‑taking Key Concepts human dominance fear response technology interaction Questions to Reflect On - How does fear shape technological adoption? - Can fear be a useful survival tool? A Different Perspective Fearlessness may be context‑dependent. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Animals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animals/) [Dominant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dominant/) [Dominant Species](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dominant-species-476230/) [Funny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/funny/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Linguistics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/linguistics/) [Man Ability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man-ability/) [Species](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/species/) [Species Planet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/species-planet-476231/) ## Related quotes > [I had a linguistics professor who said that it's man's ability to use language that makes him the dominant species on the planet.That may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-stilson/i-had-a-linguistics-professor-who-said-that-it-s-man-s-ability-to-use-2/) [Jeff Stilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-stilson/) > [We have intelligent species on our planet that we are not even trying to communicate with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-watson/we-have-intelligent-species-on-our-planet-that-we-are-not-even-trying/) [Paul Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-watson/) > [We are the only species on this planet without full employment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hawken/we-are-the-only-species-on-this-planet-without-full-employment/) [Paul Hawken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hawken/) > [They've destroyed their environment, by and large. They've eliminated most other species on the planet, which is just an indication of their sloppiness and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/they-ve-destroyed-their-environment-by-and-large-they-ve-eliminated/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [You do know you could find yourself charged with being a dominant species while under the influence of impulse-driven consumerism, don't you?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/you-do-know-you-could-find-yourself-charged-with-being-a-dominant/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [About two million years ago, man appeared. He has become the dominant species on the earth. All other living things, animal and plant, live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-wald/about-two-million-years-ago-man-appeared-he-has-become-the-dominant/) [George Wald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-wald/) > [“The small alien walked past the car. “CO2 level up 0.5 percent,” it rasped, giving him a meaningful look. “You do know you could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/the-small-alien-walked-past-the-car-co2-level-up-0-5-percent-it/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [To survive as a species on this planet, we're going to have to see ourselves as Earthlings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-jemison/to-survive-as-a-species-on-this-planet-we-re-going-to-have-to-see/) [Mae Jemison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-jemison/) > [The fate of hundreds of thousands of species on this planet may be decided in the next decade. To slow the rush to extinction,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eban-goodstein/the-fate-of-hundreds-of-thousands-of-species-on-this-planet-may-be/) [Eban Goodstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eban-goodstein/) > [All other species on this planet are gene machines only. They don't imitate at all well; we alone are gene machines and meme machines…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-blackmore/all-other-species-on-this-planet-are-gene-machines-only-they-don-t/) [Susan Blackmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-blackmore/) > [I absolutely believe the species, the planet and the Universe can't survive if we function on hate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/i-absolutely-believe-the-species-the-planet-and-the-universe-can-t/) [Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/) > [Our loyalties are to the species and the planet. We speak for Earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/our-loyalties-are-to-the-species-and-the-planet-we-speak-for-earth/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [The fate of the vast majority of species on this planet has been extinction, eventually.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-roberts/the-fate-of-the-vast-majority-of-species-on-this-planet-has-been/) [Alice Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-roberts/) > [“One species on the planet, and one species only, has reached the point of being able to have an impact on the evolutionary fortunes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-truett-anderson/one-species-on-the-planet-and-one-species-only-has-reached-the-point/) [Walter Truett Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-truett-anderson/) > [We are the only species on the planet without full employment. Brilliant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hawken/we-are-the-only-species-on-the-planet-without-full-employment/) [Paul Hawken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hawken/) ## More by Jeff Stilson > [I'm not married. I hope to be someday so I can stop exercising.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-stilson/i-m-not-married-i-hope-to-be-someday-so-i-can-stop-exercising/) [Jeff Stilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-stilson/) > [Women are more verbal than men. That's why when you see an elderly couple together, it's always the man who has the hearing aid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-stilson/women-are-more-verbal-than-men-that-s-why-when-you-see-an-elderly/) [Jeff Stilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-stilson/) > [There's only one thing that separates us from animals: We aren't afraid of vacuum cleaners.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-stilson/there-s-only-one-thing-that-separates-us-from-animals-we-aren-t/) [Jeff Stilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-stilson/) > [I had a linguistics professor who said that it's man's ability to use language that makes him the dominant species on the planet.That may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-stilson/i-had-a-linguistics-professor-who-said-that-it-s-man-s-ability-to-use-2/) [Jeff Stilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-stilson/) > [I don't watch football anymore, I gave that up. 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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/) > [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/) > [It’s a small thing to help one animal, but to that one animal it’s a big thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-baur/it-s-a-small-thing-to-help-one-animal-but-to-that-one-animal-it-s-a/) [Gene Baur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-baur/) > [We animals are the most complicated things in the known universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/we-animals-are-the-most-complicated-things-in-the-known-universe/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [“All these creatures spend their time explaining, realizing happily that they agree with each other.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/all-these-creatures-spend-their-time-explaining-realizing-happily/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [We're not very dangerous animals; we don't have a horn like a rhino or quills like a porcupine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-fisher/we-re-not-very-dangerous-animals-we-don-t-have-a-horn-like-a-rhino-or/) [Helen Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-fisher/) > [We need, in a special way, to work twice as hard to help people understand that animals are fellow creatures, that we must protect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesar-chavez/we-need-in-a-special-way-to-work-twice-as-hard-to-help-people/) [Cesar Chavez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesar-chavez/) > [“Plenty of animals had pets, but few were more devoted than the mouse, who owned a baby corn snake—“A rescue snake, she’d be quick…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/plenty-of-animals-had-pets-but-few-were-more-devoted-than-the-mouse/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) > [No creature can attain a higher grade of nature without ceasing to exist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ananda-coomaraswamy/no-creature-can-attain-a-higher-grade-of-nature-without-ceasing-to/) [Ananda Coomaraswamy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ananda-coomaraswamy/) > [Most people are sensitized to animals through their cats and dogs, but for me it was a flounder. I used to go fishing with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-mathews/most-people-are-sensitized-to-animals-through-their-cats-and-dogs-but/) [Dan Mathews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-mathews/) [Browse all 6,813 Animals quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animals/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I had a linguistics professor who said that it's man's ability to use language that makes him the dominant species on the planet. That may be. But I think there's another thing that separates us from animals. 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