--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If I hammer my own thumb while doing some…" description: "\"If I hammer my own thumb while doing some DIY, it's not nice, but it's not the end of the world. To care obsessively about similar levels of discomfort..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/42e/julian-baggini-3081_animal_if-i-hammer-my-own-thumb-while-doing-som_732573.png" --- # If I hammer my own thumb while doing some DIY, it's not… ![“If I hammer my own thumb while doing some DIY, it's not nice, but it's not the end of the world. To care obsessively about similar levels of discomfort in animals seems to be a case of mistaken moral priorities.” quote by Julian Baggini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/42e/julian-baggini-3081_animal_if-i-hammer-my-own-thumb-while-doing-som_732573.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/42e/julian-baggini-3081_animal_if-i-hammer-my-own-thumb-while-doing-som_732573.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/42e/julian-baggini-3081_animal_if-i-hammer-my-own-thumb-while-doing-som_732573.png) > “If I hammer my own thumb while doing some DIY, it's not nice, but it's not the end of the world. To care obsessively about similar levels of discomfort in animals seems to be a case of mistaken moral priorities.” [Julian Baggini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-baggini/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Minor personal discomfort should not outweigh larger moral concerns; focus on significant ethical issues over trivial pains. **In simple terms:** Small pains aren’t moral priorities. Key Takeaway Prioritize real ethical matters over minor discomforts. Themes ethics priorities compassion perspective Mood thoughtful serious Type philosophical ethical When to use this quote - animal welfare debates - personal injury - ethical decision making - public policy Key Concepts moral philosophy psychology daily life Questions to Reflect On - What ethical issue matters most to you? - How do you balance personal discomfort with moral duty? A Different Perspective Over‑focusing on minor pains can distract from bigger problems. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Animal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) [Care](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/care/) [Discomfort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discomfort/) [Diy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/diy/) [End of the world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/end-of-the-world/) [Moral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moral/) [Priorities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/priorities/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [There's a very distinct difference between a really wonderful DIY label and a soft drink company, or a car company, or a clothing brand,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-palomo/there-s-a-very-distinct-difference-between-a-really-wonderful-diy/) [Alan Palomo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-palomo/) > [“It's called joining the property market - and it shits on war for stress”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyne-o-connell/it-s-called-joining-the-property-market-and-it-shits-on-war-for-stress/) [Tyne O'Connell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyne-o-connell/) > [“Don’t wait for someone else to do it so you enjoy. You can’t do it yourself. Just try it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/don-t-wait-for-someone-else-to-do-it-so-you-enjoy-you-can-t-do-it/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [“If you see me make sure you say I Don't Do It, U Do It!!!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-see-me-make-sure-you-say-i-don-t-do-it-u-do-it/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I like clothes - I like to play with clothes. I like DIY; I like to make outfit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liu-wen/i-like-clothes-i-like-to-play-with-clothes-i-like-diy-i-like-to-make/) [Liu Wen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liu-wen/) > [“Live full of accomplishments and die empty of your God-given potentials. Release your greatness now.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/live-full-of-accomplishments-and-die-empty-of-your-god-given/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [“If you can't have a seat at the table, build your own table.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-can-t-have-a-seat-at-the-table-build-your-own-table/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [After so many years of whispery, DIY vocals, there's this new generation of voices that are really starting to burst through the seams.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zach-condon/after-so-many-years-of-whispery-diy-vocals-there-s-this-new/) [Zach Condon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zach-condon/) > [“A privileging of individual rights over group goods can lead to serious problems, as we’ve seen with the antivaccination movement.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-matchar/a-privileging-of-individual-rights-over-group-goods-can-lead-to/) [Emily Matchar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-matchar/) > [“To become a better you, look nowhere else for another alarm to blow before you wake up. Get up and rise up.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/to-become-a-better-you-look-nowhere-else-for-another-alarm-to-blow/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [“Support for the arts -- merde! A government-supported artist is an incompetent whore!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/support-for-the-arts-merde-a-government-supported-artist-is-an/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [“The ethos of East Berlin punk infused the city with a radical egalitarianism and a DIY approach to maintaining independence-to conjuring up the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-mohr/the-ethos-of-east-berlin-punk-infused-the-city-with-a-radical/) Tim Mohr > [“ Here's something life doesn't give you: a recipe.You have to make it up as you go along, adjusting accordingly. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-gold/here-s-something-life-doesn-t-give-you-a-recipe-you-have-to-make-it/) Jennifer Gold > [“There is no better insurance than the knowledge of how to do something the right way. There is no greater peace of mind than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-g-west/there-is-no-better-insurance-than-the-knowledge-of-how-to-do/) [Jerry G. West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-g-west/) > [I respect Chris Carrabba as a songwriter and I also respect his past. He's got this fierce, straight edge, kind of hardcore core. There's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephan-jenkins/i-respect-chris-carrabba-as-a-songwriter-and-i-also-respect-his-past/) [Stephan Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephan-jenkins/) ## More by Julian Baggini > [I don't think there is ever a direct connection between the philosophical community and the wider populus. I'm very aware of this because I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-baggini/i-don-t-think-there-is-ever-a-direct-connection-between-the/) [Julian Baggini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-baggini/) > [Anger clearly has its proper place at work, which is neither wholly absent nor ever present. The manager who is an emotional blank is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-baggini/anger-clearly-has-its-proper-place-at-work-which-is-neither-wholly/) [Julian Baggini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-baggini/) > [I don't feel proprietorial about the problems of philosophy. History has taught us that many philosophical issues can grow up, leave home and live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-baggini/i-don-t-feel-proprietorial-about-the-problems-of-philosophy-history/) [Julian Baggini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-baggini/) > [True respect means taking other people's beliefs seriously and assuming they are adult and intelligent enough to be able to cope with it if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-baggini/true-respect-means-taking-other-people-s-beliefs-seriously-and/) [Julian Baggini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-baggini/) > [We do wrong willfully when we fail to think hard about whether what we're doing is right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-baggini/we-do-wrong-willfully-when-we-fail-to-think-hard-about-whether-what/) [Julian Baggini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-baggini/) > [It may not have the virtuous ring of the golden rule, but the maxim 'never say never' is one of the most important in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-baggini/it-may-not-have-the-virtuous-ring-of-the-golden-rule-but-the-maxim/) [Julian Baggini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-baggini/) > [I'm not one of these people who is sour about academia. I'm very lucky not to be in academia, but I am an absolute…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-baggini/i-m-not-one-of-these-people-who-is-sour-about-academia-i-m-very-lucky/) [Julian Baggini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-baggini/) > [“Working out whether or not the claims you make in your premises are true, while important, is simply not enough to ensure that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-baggini/working-out-whether-or-not-the-claims-you-make-in-your-premises-are/) [Julian Baggini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-baggini/) > [Real life is about accepting ups and downs, the good and the bad, the possibility of failure as well as the ambition to succeed.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-baggini/real-life-is-about-accepting-ups-and-downs-the-good-and-the-bad-the/) [Julian Baggini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-baggini/) > [“Philosophy without criticism is like hunting deer without a shotgun, so, if you want people to like you, avoid robust philosophical debate.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-baggini/philosophy-without-criticism-is-like-hunting-deer-without-a-shotgun/) [Julian Baggini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-baggini/) > [Looking out over the port of Dover, with the endless steam of boats coming in and out, every British citizen is reminded that belonging…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-baggini/looking-out-over-the-port-of-dover-with-the-endless-steam-of-boats/) [Julian Baggini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-baggini/) > [If you believe you are right, then you should believe that you can make the case that you're right. This requires you to deal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-baggini/if-you-believe-you-are-right-then-you-should-believe-that-you-can/) [Julian Baggini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-baggini/) > [“You know what a word means when you know how to use it, not what its definition is. That is why we can understand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-baggini/you-know-what-a-word-means-when-you-know-how-to-use-it-not-what-its/) [Julian Baggini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-baggini/) > [Daily life is better when it involves interactions with real people who have a personal investment in their labour, like shopkeepers, than it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-baggini/daily-life-is-better-when-it-involves-interactions-with-real-people/) [Julian Baggini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-baggini/) > [“the meaning of life is not some kind of answer, which, once learned, is forever possessed. For life to stay meaningful it must continue…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-baggini/the-meaning-of-life-is-not-some-kind-of-answer-which-once-learned-is/) [Julian Baggini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-baggini/) [Explore all 140 Julian Baggini quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-baggini/) ## 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": "If I hammer my own thumb while doing some DIY, it's not nice, but it's not the end of the world. To care obsessively about similar levels of discomfort in animals seems to be a case of mistaken moral priorities.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Julian Baggini" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-baggini/if-i-hammer-my-own-thumb-while-doing-some-diy-it-s-not-nice-but-it-s/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Animal" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-baggini/if-i-hammer-my-own-thumb-while-doing-some-diy-it-s-not-nice-but-it-s/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/42e/julian-baggini-3081_animal_if-i-hammer-my-own-thumb-while-doing-som_732573.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/42e/julian-baggini-3081_animal_if-i-hammer-my-own-thumb-while-doing-som_732573.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/42e/julian-baggini-3081_animal_if-i-hammer-my-own-thumb-while-doing-som_732573.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If I hammer my own thumb while doing some DIY, it's not nice, but it's not the end of the world. To care…” — Julian Baggini", "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": "Julian Baggini", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-baggini/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If I hammer my own thumb...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-baggini/if-i-hammer-my-own-thumb-while-doing-some-diy-it-s-not-nice-but-it-s/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-baggini/if-i-hammer-my-own-thumb-while-doing-some-diy-it-s-not-nice-but-it-s/#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 } } ] } ```