--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What struck me whenever I visited a farm…" description: "\"What struck me whenever I visited a farm was how much more sophisticated was the life the animals were capable of living than was assumed by those expl..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/284/jeffrey-moussaieff-masson-2541_animal_what-struck-me-whenever-i-visited-a-farm_3002837.jpg" --- # What struck me whenever I visited a farm was how much more… ![“What struck me whenever I visited a farm was how much more sophisticated was the life the animals were capable of living than was assumed by those exploiting them. The more we are willing to see about their lives, the more we will see. Humans seem to take perverse pleasure in attributing stupidity…” quote by Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/284/jeffrey-moussaieff-masson-2541_animal_what-struck-me-whenever-i-visited-a-farm_3002837.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/284/jeffrey-moussaieff-masson-2541_animal_what-struck-me-whenever-i-visited-a-farm_3002837.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/284/jeffrey-moussaieff-masson-2541_animal_what-struck-me-whenever-i-visited-a-farm_3002837.jpg) > “What struck me whenever I visited a farm was how much more sophisticated was the life the animals were capable of living than was assumed by those exploiting them. The more we are willing to see about their lives, the more we will see. Humans seem to take perverse pleasure in attributing stupidity to animals when it is almost always entirely a question of human ignorance.” [Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-moussaieff-masson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Animals possess complex lives often ignored; recognizing this challenges human superiority and calls for empathy. **In simple terms:** Animals have sophisticated lives. Key Takeaway Acknowledge and respect animal consciousness. Themes animal rights empathy human arrogance Mood thoughtful compassionate Type ethical environmental When to use this quote - wildlife conservation - farm management - educational programs - media representation Key Concepts ethology philosophy Questions to Reflect On - How does recognizing animal complexity affect your behavior? - What responsibilities arise from this awareness? A Different Perspective Economic interests may resist change. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Animal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) [Animals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animals/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Ignorance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ignorance/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Pleasure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pleasure/) [Stupidity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stupidity/) ## Related quotes > [I don't care whether animals are capable of thinking; all I care about is that they are capable of suffering!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-bentham/i-don-t-care-whether-animals-are-capable-of-thinking-all-i-care-about/) [Jeremy Bentham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-bentham/) > [Only the most acute and active animals are capable of boredom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/only-the-most-acute-and-active-animals-are-capable-of-boredom/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [Let us consider how great a commodity of doctrine exists in books; how easily, how secretly, how safely they expose the nakedness of human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-de-bury/let-us-consider-how-great-a-commodity-of-doctrine-exists-in-books-how/) [Richard de Bury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-de-bury/) > [To inquisitive minds like yours and mine the reflection that the quantity of human knowledge bears no proportion to the quantity of human ignorance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/to-inquisitive-minds-like-yours-and-mine-the-reflection-that-the/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [Most books are about aspects of human knowledge - Few people write books about human ignorance, despite the fact that there would be much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/piero-scaruffi/most-books-are-about-aspects-of-human-knowledge-few-people-write/) [Piero Scaruffi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/piero-scaruffi/) > [“While religious faith is the one species of human ignorance that will not admit of even the possibility of correction, it is still sheltered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/while-religious-faith-is-the-one-species-of-human-ignorance-that-will/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [human honesty has its varieties; so does human ignorance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-mcnair-wright/human-honesty-has-its-varieties-so-does-human-ignorance/) [Julia McNair Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-mcnair-wright/) > [Of all the wastes of human ignorance perhaps the most extravagant and costly to human growth has been the waste of the distinctive powers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-garlin-spencer/of-all-the-wastes-of-human-ignorance-perhaps-the-most-extravagant-and/) [Anna Garlin Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-garlin-spencer/) > [The reason that history so often repeats is not only human nature, but also human ignorance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-beck/the-reason-that-history-so-often-repeats-is-not-only-human-nature-but/) [Glenn Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-beck/) > [The only thing worse than human ignorance is human pride in that ignorance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-takei/the-only-thing-worse-than-human-ignorance-is-human-pride-in-that/) [George Takei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-takei/) > [Theology is now little more than a branch of human ignorance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/theology-is-now-little-more-than-a-branch-of-human-ignorance/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [“Why do we care about Lizzie Borden, or Judge Crater, or Lee Harvey Oswald, or the Little Big Horn? 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In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-moussaieff-masson/many-people-have-heard-the-remarkable-example-of-devotion-involving-a/) [Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-moussaieff-masson/) > [“Donald Griffin’s The Question of Animal Awareness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-moussaieff-masson/donald-griffin-s-the-question-of-animal-awareness/) [Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-moussaieff-masson/) > [“Then in a great crash they threw themselves to the floor, ears flopped down, the whites of their eyes showing, looking the way only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-moussaieff-masson/then-in-a-great-crash-they-threw-themselves-to-the-floor-ears-flopped/) [Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-moussaieff-masson/) > [The curiosity of cats is, like their affection, of a purity and intensity rarely seen in humans. 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It deserves to be free to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-moussaieff-masson/a-lion-is-not-a-lion-if-it-is-only-free-to-eat-to-sleep-and-to/) [Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-moussaieff-masson/) > [“What still frightens me is that society is fickle. There was a time when nobody believed in the reality of abuse, and now it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-moussaieff-masson/what-still-frightens-me-is-that-society-is-fickle-there-was-a-time/) [Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-moussaieff-masson/) > [“Voltaire responded that, on the contrary, vivisection showed that the dog has the same organes de sentiment that a human has. "Answer me, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-moussaieff-masson/voltaire-responded-that-on-the-contrary-vivisection-showed-that-the/) [Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-moussaieff-masson/) > [Dogs never lie about love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-moussaieff-masson/dogs-never-lie-about-love/) [Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-moussaieff-masson/) > [Every time I told my cocker spaniel, Taffy, my very first dog, that we were going for a walk, she would launch into a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-moussaieff-masson/every-time-i-told-my-cocker-spaniel-taffy-my-very-first-dog-that-we/) [Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-moussaieff-masson/) > [Perhaps one central reason for loving dogs is that they take us away from this obsession with ourselves. When our thoughts start to go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-moussaieff-masson/perhaps-one-central-reason-for-loving-dogs-is-that-they-take-us-away/) [Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-moussaieff-masson/) > [“Surely we can train ourselves to an empathic imaginative sympathy for another species. Taught what to look for in facial features, gestures, postures, behavior,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-moussaieff-masson/surely-we-can-train-ourselves-to-an-empathic-imaginative-sympathy-for/) [Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-moussaieff-masson/) > [Animals love and suffer, cry and laugh; their hearts rise up in anticipation and fall in despair...they feel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-moussaieff-masson/animals-love-and-suffer-cry-and-laugh-their-hearts-rise-up-in/) [Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-moussaieff-masson/) > [“We are not encouraged, on a daily basis, to pay careful attention to the animals we eat. On the contrary, the meat, dairy, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-moussaieff-masson/we-are-not-encouraged-on-a-daily-basis-to-pay-careful-attention-to/) [Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-moussaieff-masson/) [Explore all 23 Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-moussaieff-masson/) ## 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. 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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": "What struck me whenever I visited a farm was how much more sophisticated was the life the animals were capable of living than was assumed by those exploiting them. The more we are willing to see about their lives, the more we will see. 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