---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Human beings are the only animal that…"
description: "\"“Human beings are the only animal that blushes, laughs, has religion, wages war, and kisses with lips. So in a way, the more you kiss with lips, the mo..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d66/jonathan-safran-foer-136_human-beings_human-beings-are-the-only-animal-that-bl_2886346.png"
---

#  Human beings are the only animal that blushes, laughs, has…

![“Human beings are the only animal that blushes, laughs, has religion, wages war, and kisses with lips. So in a way, the more you kiss with lips, the more human you are.” quote by Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d66/jonathan-safran-foer-136_human-beings_human-beings-are-the-only-animal-that-bl_2886346.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d66/jonathan-safran-foer-136_human-beings_human-beings-are-the-only-animal-that-bl_2886346.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d66/jonathan-safran-foer-136_human-beings_human-beings-are-the-only-animal-that-bl_2886346.png)

> ““Human beings are the only animal that blushes, laughs, has religion, wages war, and kisses with lips. So in a way, the more you kiss with lips, the more human you are.””

[Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Humanity is defined by a blend of physical, emotional, and cultural behaviors, especially intimate acts like kissing.

**In simple terms:** Human traits define us.

Key Takeaway

Recognize shared humanity.

Themes

humanity culture emotion

Mood

thoughtful analytical

Type

philosophical observational

When to use this quote

- social interaction
- cultural rituals
- intimacy
- conflict

Key Concepts

anthropology psychology

Questions to Reflect On

- What makes kissing uniquely human?
- How do these traits shape society?

A Different Perspective

May oversimplify complex identity.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Beings Animal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beings-animal-2448720/) [Human beings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-beings/) [Humanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humanity/) [Kiss Lips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kiss-lips/) [Kisses Lips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kisses-lips-1081115/) [Lips Human](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lips-human-1031471/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/)

## Related quotes

> [Humans are the only animal that blushes, laughs, has religion, wages war, and kisses with lips. So in a way, the more you kiss…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/humans-are-the-only-animal-that-blushes-laughs-has-religion-wages-war/)

[Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/)

> [“Could we kiss for a little bit? ... Humans are the only animal that blushes, laughs, has religion, wages war, and kisses with kips.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/could-we-kiss-for-a-little-bit-humans-are-the-only-animal-that/)

[Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/)

> [“So in a way, the more you kiss with lips, the more human you are.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnathan-safran-foer/so-in-a-way-the-more-you-kiss-with-lips-the-more-human-you-are/)

[Johnathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnathan-safran-foer/)

> [When love first tasted the lips of being human, it started singing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumi/when-love-first-tasted-the-lips-of-being-human-it-started-singing/)

[Rumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumi/)

> [Human beings are a part of the animal kingdom, not apart from it. The separation of "us" and "them" creates a false picture and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-bekoff/human-beings-are-a-part-of-the-animal-kingdom-not-apart-from-it-the/)

[Marc Bekoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-bekoff/)

> [A fascinating mystery of nature is manifested in the universal fact of hunting: the inexorable hierarchy among living beings. Every animal is in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-ortega-y-gasset/a-fascinating-mystery-of-nature-is-manifested-in-the-universal-fact/)

[Jose Ortega y Gasset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-ortega-y-gasset/)

> [“Every animal is a tradition, and together they are a vast part of our heritage as human beings. No animal completely lacks humanity, yet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boria-sax/every-animal-is-a-tradition-and-together-they-are-a-vast-part-of-our/)

[Boria Sax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boria-sax/)

> [Human beings are the only animal that thinks they change who they are simply by moving to a different place. Birds migrate, but it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/human-beings-are-the-only-animal-that-thinks-they-change-who-they-are/)

[Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/)

> [I'm very interested in animal behavior, and the relationship of human beings to other animal behavior.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-tillman/i-m-very-interested-in-animal-behavior-and-the-relationship-of-human/)

[Lynne Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-tillman/)

> [“You’re everything .” He kisses me, his lips much gentler than the rest of him. “You are the beginning and the end of me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-proby/you-re-everything-he-kisses-me-his-lips-much-gentler-than-the-rest-of/)

[Kristen Proby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-proby/)

> [Love is when he kisses your lips when you wake, saying youre beautiful even without make-up, he holds your hand when you walk, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gracesel-balangue-collado/love-is-when-he-kisses-your-lips-when-you-wake-saying-youre-beautiful/)

[Gracesel Balangue Collado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gracesel-balangue-collado/)

> [Whoever gives an honest answer kisses the lips. -Proverbs 24:26](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bible/whoever-gives-an-honest-answer-kisses-the-lips-proverbs-24-26/)

[Bible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bible/)

> [“I will remember the hours of kisses our lips raw with love and how you offered me your cunt your soul your insides and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/i-will-remember-the-hours-of-kisses-our-lips-raw-with-love-and-how/)

[Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/)

> [“She kisses his lips; he kisses hers; they solemnly bless each other. The spare hand does not tremble”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/she-kisses-his-lips-he-kisses-hers-they-solemnly-bless-each-other-the/)

[Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/)

> [I will remember the kisses our lips raw with love and how you gave me everything you had and how I offered you what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/i-will-remember-the-kisses-our-lips-raw-with-love-and-how-you-gave-me/)

[Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/)

## More by Jonathan Safran Foer

> [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/)

> [I try not to remember the life that I didn’t want to lose but lost and have to remember](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/i-try-not-to-remember-the-life-that-i-didn-t-want-to-lose-but-lost/)

[Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/)

> [“I have an aristocratic smile and like to punch people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/i-have-an-aristocratic-smile-and-like-to-punch-people/)

[Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/)

> [He removed several pages of death certificates, which were picked up by another breeze and sent into the trees. Some would fall with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/he-removed-several-pages-of-death-certificates-which-were-picked-up/)

[Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/)

> [I would have done anything for him. Maybe that was my sickness. We made love in nothing places and turned the lights off. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/i-would-have-done-anything-for-him-maybe-that-was-my-sickness-we-made/)

[Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/)

> [“One day I wandered away from her and hid. I liked the way it felt to have someone look for me, to hear my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/one-day-i-wandered-away-from-her-and-hid-i-liked-the-way-it-felt-to/)

[Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/)

> [If nothing matters, there's nothing to save.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/if-nothing-matters-there-s-nothing-to-save/)

[Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/)

> [“It was one of the best days of my life, a day during which I lived my life and didn't think about it at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/it-was-one-of-the-best-days-of-my-life-a-day-during-which-i-lived-my/)

[Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/)

> [“The appearance was misleading- human dreams; rubbish heaps abundant yet ephemeral sudden and splendid, only to wilt and perish”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/the-appearance-was-misleading-human-dreams-rubbish-heaps-abundant-yet/)

[Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/)

> [“the entirety of human society and moral progress represents an explicit transcendence of what’s “natural.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/the-entirety-of-human-society-and-moral-progress-represents-an/)

[Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/)

> [“Food is not so much a symbol of freedom as the first requirement of freedom. We eat foods that are native to America on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/food-is-not-so-much-a-symbol-of-freedom-as-the-first-requirement-of/)

[Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/)

> [“Rationally, factory farming is so obviously wrong, in so many ways. In all of my reading and conversations, I’ve yet to find a credible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/rationally-factory-farming-is-so-obviously-wrong-in-so-many-ways-in/)

[Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/)

> [Just because you're an atheist, that doesn't mean you wouldn't love for things to have reasons for why they are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/just-because-you-re-an-atheist-that-doesn-t-mean-you-wouldn-t-love/)

[Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/)

> [Do you think I'm wonderful? she asked him one day as they leaned against the trunk of a petrified maple. No, he said. Why?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/do-you-think-i-m-wonderful-she-asked-him-one-day-as-they-leaned/)

[Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/)

> [My insides don't match up with my outsides. -Do anyone's inside and outsides match up? -I don't know. I'm only me. -Maybe that's what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/my-insides-don-t-match-up-with-my-outsides-do-anyone-s-inside-and/)

[Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/)

[Explore all 1,117 Jonathan Safran Foer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/)

## More Human beings quotes

> [Houses are like the human beings that inhabit them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/houses-are-like-the-human-beings-that-inhabit-them/)

[Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/)

> [Humans are, as Sartre put it, 'condemned to be free'. To insist that science, or God, objectively defines moral values is to abandon our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenan-malik/humans-are-as-sartre-put-it-condemned-to-be-free-to-insist-that/)

[Kenan Malik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenan-malik/)

> [Human beings have an innate inner drive to be autonomous, self-determined, and connected to one another. And when that drive is liberated, people achieve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-h-pink/human-beings-have-an-innate-inner-drive-to-be-autonomous-self/)

[Daniel H. Pink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-h-pink/)

> [Gambling has held human beings in thrall for millennia. It has been engaged in everywhere, from the dregs of society to the most respectable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-l-bernstein/gambling-has-held-human-beings-in-thrall-for-millennia-it-has-been/)

[Peter L. Bernstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-l-bernstein/)

> [Here's the reality. The image of a white Jesus has been used to justify enslavement, conquest, colonialism, the genocide of indigenous peoples. There are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wise/here-s-the-reality-the-image-of-a-white-jesus-has-been-used-to/)

[Tim Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wise/)

> [What is music? Music is language. A human being wants to express ideas in this language, but not ideas that can be translated into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-webern/what-is-music-music-is-language-a-human-being-wants-to-express-ideas/)

[Anton Webern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-webern/)

> [What we're supposed to do as actors is be able to portray real human beings and emotions. And if you grow up in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-browning/what-we-re-supposed-to-do-as-actors-is-be-able-to-portray-real-human/)

[Emily Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-browning/)

> [I think everybody, or the great majority of human beings, have this aspiration to become other: to live a different identity, at least for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/i-think-everybody-or-the-great-majority-of-human-beings-have-this/)

[Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/)

> [“Is there any holy beings like human beings?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/is-there-any-holy-beings-like-human-beings/)

[Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/)

> [A human being can only absorb a small amount of the mystical kundalini, you can be exposed again and again to it, but it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/a-human-being-can-only-absorb-a-small-amount-of-the-mystical/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [I recognize I am essentially a failed human being in the sense that I can't possibly live up to the expectations of an Almighty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/i-recognize-i-am-essentially-a-failed-human-being-in-the-sense-that-i/)

[George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/)

> [A composer knows that music is written by human beings for human beings and that music is a continuation of life, not something separated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanns-eisler/a-composer-knows-that-music-is-written-by-human-beings-for-human/)

[Hanns Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanns-eisler/)

> [“According to this model, human beings are, at least in one aspect, sensation-receiving machines; and although our receptory apparatus is competent to select and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cruce-stark/according-to-this-model-human-beings-are-at-least-in-one-aspect/)

[Cruce Stark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cruce-stark/)

> [For our purposes as human beings, the mind is the center of everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/for-our-purposes-as-human-beings-the-mind-is-the-center-of-everything/)

[Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/)

> [Human beings seek community, and permanent openness is hard to sustain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-douthat/human-beings-seek-community-and-permanent-openness-is-hard-to-sustain/)

[Ross Douthat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-douthat/)

[Browse all 6,948 Human beings quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-beings/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Human beings are the only animal that blushes, laughs, has religion, wages war, and kisses with lips. So in a way, the more you kiss with lips, the more human you are.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Jonathan Safran Foer"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/human-beings-are-the-only-animal-that-blushes-laughs-has-religion/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Human beings"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/human-beings-are-the-only-animal-that-blushes-laughs-has-religion/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d66/jonathan-safran-foer-136_human-beings_human-beings-are-the-only-animal-that-bl_2886346.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d66/jonathan-safran-foer-136_human-beings_human-beings-are-the-only-animal-that-bl_2886346.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d66/jonathan-safran-foer-136_human-beings_human-beings-are-the-only-animal-that-bl_2886346.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Human beings are the only animal that blushes, laughs, has religion, wages war, and kisses with lips. So in…” — Jonathan Safran Foer",
                "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": "Jonathan Safran Foer",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Human beings are the only animal...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/human-beings-are-the-only-animal-that-blushes-laughs-has-religion/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/human-beings-are-the-only-animal-that-blushes-laughs-has-religion/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
