--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We need a better way to talk about eating…" description: "\"We need a better way to talk about eating animals. We need a way that brings meat to the center of public discussion in the same way it is often at the..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23f/jonathan-safran-foer-136_agreement_we-need-a-better-way-to-talk-about-eatin_1265708.jpg" --- # We need a better way to talk about eating animals. We need… ![“We need a better way to talk about eating animals. We need a way that brings meat to the center of public discussion in the same way it is often at the center of our plates. This doesn't require that we pretend we are going to have a collective agreement. However strong our intuitions are about…” quote by Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23f/jonathan-safran-foer-136_agreement_we-need-a-better-way-to-talk-about-eatin_1265708.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23f/jonathan-safran-foer-136_agreement_we-need-a-better-way-to-talk-about-eatin_1265708.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23f/jonathan-safran-foer-136_agreement_we-need-a-better-way-to-talk-about-eatin_1265708.jpg) > “We need a better way to talk about eating animals. We need a way that brings meat to the center of public discussion in the same way it is often at the center of our plates. This doesn't require that we pretend we are going to have a collective agreement. However strong our intuitions are about what's right for us personally and even about what's right for others, we all know in advance that our positions will clash with those of our neighbors. What do we do with that most inevitable reality? Drop the conversation, or find a way to reframe it?” [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. We must shift public discourse to place meat consumption at the heart of ethical debate, acknowledging personal and collective conflicts. **In simple terms:** Talk about meat openly, despite disagreements. Key Takeaway Reframe the conversation around meat. Themes ethics food public discourse conflict Mood thoughtful challenging Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - policy debates - family meals - media coverage - educational curricula Key Concepts animal rights cultural norms dialogue Questions to Reflect On - How can we encourage honest dialogue about meat without alienating people? - What narratives make ethical meat discussions more inclusive? A Different Perspective Changing deep‑seated habits is hard and may meet resistance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Agreement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/agreement/) [Animal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) [Animals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animals/) [Better way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/better-way/) [Clash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clash/) [Collectives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/collectives/) [Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Conversation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conversation/) [Discussion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discussion/) [Discussion Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discussion-way-3415810/) [Eating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eating/) [Eating animals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eating-animals/) [Food](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/food/) [Inevitable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inevitable/) [Intuition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intuition/) [Meat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meat/) [Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs/) [Neighbor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/neighbor/) [Plates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plates/) [Position](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/position/) [Public Discussion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/public-discussion-2157999/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) [Strong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strong/) [Talk Eating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/talk-eating-734741/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) ## Related quotes > [We need a better way to talk about eating animals, a way that doesn't ignore or even just shruggingly accept things like habits, cravings,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/we-need-a-better-way-to-talk-about-eating-animals-a-way-that-doesn-t-2/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [We need a better way to talk about eating animals, a way that doesn't ignore, or even just shruggingly accept things like habits, cravings,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/we-need-a-better-way-to-talk-about-eating-animals-a-way-that-doesn-t/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [“Centuries later, John Rawls wrote of the same possibility: “The benefits from discussion lie in the fact that even representative legislators are limited in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cass-r-sunstein/centuries-later-john-rawls-wrote-of-the-same-possibility-the-benefits/) [Cass R. Sunstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cass-r-sunstein/) > [A Discussion Is The Way For Gaining Knowledge... An Argument Is The Way For Gaining Enemies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pacifiersucker/a-discussion-is-the-way-for-gaining-knowledge-an-argument-is-the-way/) [Pacifiersucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pacifiersucker/) > [Ninety-nine percent of all land animals eaten or used to produce milk and eggs in the United States are factory farmed. So although there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/ninety-nine-percent-of-all-land-animals-eaten-or-used-to-produce-milk/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [Humans are the only animals that have children on purpose, keep in touch (or don't), care about birthdays, waste and lose time, brush their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/humans-are-the-only-animals-that-have-children-on-purpose-keep-in/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [“Ultimately, the controversy around PETA may have less to do with the organization than with those of us who stand in judgment of it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/ultimately-the-controversy-around-peta-may-have-less-to-do-with-the/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [Animal agriculture makes a 40% greater contribution to global warming than all transportation in the world combined; it is the number one cause of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/animal-agriculture-makes-a-40-greater-contribution-to-global-warming/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [“Food matters and animals matter and eating animals matters even more. The question of eating animals is ultimately driven by our intuitions about what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/food-matters-and-animals-matter-and-eating-animals-matters-even-more/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [“We are the ones of whom it will be fairly asked, What did you do when you learned the truth of about eating animals?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/we-are-the-ones-of-whom-it-will-be-fairly-asked-what-did-you-do-when/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [“If we are not given the option to live without violence, we are given the choice to center our meals around harvest or slaughter,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/if-we-are-not-given-the-option-to-live-without-violence-we-are-given-2/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [“Given that eating animals is in absolutely no way necessary for my family — unlike some in the world, we have easy access to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/given-that-eating-animals-is-in-absolutely-no-way-necessary-for-my/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [When we eat factory-farmed meat we live, literally, on tortured flesh. Increasingly, that tortured flesh is becoming our own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/when-we-eat-factory-farmed-meat-we-live-literally-on-tortured-flesh/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [If we are not given the option to live without violence, we are given the choice to center our meals around harvest or slaughter,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/if-we-are-not-given-the-option-to-live-without-violence-we-are-given/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [Almost always when I told someone I was writing a book about "eating animals", they assumed, even without knowing anything about my views, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/almost-always-when-i-told-someone-i-was-writing-a-book-about-eating/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) ## 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 Agreement quotes > [Therefore, I see whatever exists as good, death is to me like life, sin like holiness, wisdom like foolishness, everything has to be as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/therefore-i-see-whatever-exists-as-good-death-is-to-me-like-life-sin/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [There's no way to have a peace agreement unless the mediator or negotiator looks at both sides from an equal basis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/there-s-no-way-to-have-a-peace-agreement-unless-the-mediator-or/) [Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/) > [Biochemists and biologists who adhere blindly to the Darwinism theory search for results that will be in agreement with their theories and consequently orient…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-paul-grasse/biochemists-and-biologists-who-adhere-blindly-to-the-darwinism-theory/) [Pierre-Paul Grasse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-paul-grasse/) > [In coming to that agreement, my party had a clear philosophy throughout. In Northern Ireland, we should have institutions that respected the differences of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hume/in-coming-to-that-agreement-my-party-had-a-clear-philosophy/) [John Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hume/) > [Identity is not negotiable. An identity you have achieved by agreement is always a prison.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-john-harrison/identity-is-not-negotiable-an-identity-you-have-achieved-by-agreement/) [M. John Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-john-harrison/) > [I am formally accountable to the steering board of the PIC, and I meet with nine ambassadors from the PIC every week. I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paddy-ashdown/i-am-formally-accountable-to-the-steering-board-of-the-pic-and-i-meet/) [Paddy Ashdown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paddy-ashdown/) > [Because countries often have differing political and economic systems, agreements are needed to protect those invested in trade.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-suzuki/because-countries-often-have-differing-political-and-economic-systems/) [David Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-suzuki/) > [As long as I sit at Henry Clay's desk, I will remember his lifelong desire to forge agreement, but I will also keep close…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rand-paul/as-long-as-i-sit-at-henry-clay-s-desk-i-will-remember-his-lifelong/) [Rand Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rand-paul/) > [Gaia's main problems are not industrialization, ozone depletion, overpopulation, or resource depletion. Gaia's main problem is the lack of mutual understanding and mutual agreement…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/gaia-s-main-problems-are-not-industrialization-ozone-depletion/) [Ken Wilber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/) > [We recognize that NAFTA is a three-country agreement, and we need a three-country negotiation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chrystia-freeland/we-recognize-that-nafta-is-a-three-country-agreement-and-we-need-a/) [Chrystia Freeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chrystia-freeland/) > [At Ohio State University, to avoid being guilty of 'sexual assault' or 'sexual violence,' you and your partner now apparently have to agree on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/at-ohio-state-university-to-avoid-being-guilty-of-sexual-assault-or/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [Whatever you perceive, you always make a story with yourself as the main character, and that dictates your life. Then when you read 'The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-angel-ruiz/whatever-you-perceive-you-always-make-a-story-with-yourself-as-the/) [Miguel Angel Ruiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-angel-ruiz/) > [ Look at what I am proposing, and we \[wih Bernie Sanders\] have a vigorous agreement here. We both want to reign in the excesses… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/look-at-what-i-am-proposing-and-we-wih-bernie-sanders-have-a-vigorous/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [I spoke on the phone with President Rouhani of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The two of us discussed our ongoing efforts to reach…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-spoke-on-the-phone-with-president-rouhani-of-the-islamic-republic/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Netanyahu made all sorts of claims. This was going to be a terrible deal. This was going to result in Iran getting 50 billion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/netanyahu-made-all-sorts-of-claims-this-was-going-to-be-a-terrible/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) [Browse all 1,138 Agreement quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/agreement/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We need a better way to talk about eating animals. We need a way that brings meat to the center of public discussion in the same way it is often at the center of our plates. This doesn't require that we pretend we are going to have a collective agreement. However strong our intuitions are about what's right for us personally and even about what's right for others, we all know in advance that our positions will clash with those of our neighbors. What do we do with that most inevitable reality? Drop the conversation, or find a way to reframe it?", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jonathan Safran Foer" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/we-need-a-better-way-to-talk-about-eating-animals-we-need-a-way-that/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Agreement" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/we-need-a-better-way-to-talk-about-eating-animals-we-need-a-way-that/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23f/jonathan-safran-foer-136_agreement_we-need-a-better-way-to-talk-about-eatin_1265708.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23f/jonathan-safran-foer-136_agreement_we-need-a-better-way-to-talk-about-eatin_1265708.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23f/jonathan-safran-foer-136_agreement_we-need-a-better-way-to-talk-about-eatin_1265708.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We need a better way to talk about eating animals. We need a way that brings meat to the center of public…” — 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": "We need a better way to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/we-need-a-better-way-to-talk-about-eating-animals-we-need-a-way-that/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/we-need-a-better-way-to-talk-about-eating-animals-we-need-a-way-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 } } ] } ```