--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Fishes do not roar; they cannot express…" description: "\"Fishes do not roar; they cannot express any sound of suffering; and therefore the angler chooses to think they do not suffer, more than it is convenien..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d86/leigh-hunt-4374_anglers_fishes-do-not-roar-they-cannot-express-a_3061809.png" --- # Fishes do not roar; they cannot express any sound of… ![“Fishes do not roar; they cannot express any sound of suffering; and therefore the angler chooses to think they do not suffer, more than it is convenient for him to fancy. Now it is a poor sport that depends for its existence on the want of a voice in the sufferer, and of imagination in the…” quote by Leigh Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d86/leigh-hunt-4374_anglers_fishes-do-not-roar-they-cannot-express-a_3061809.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d86/leigh-hunt-4374_anglers_fishes-do-not-roar-they-cannot-express-a_3061809.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d86/leigh-hunt-4374_anglers_fishes-do-not-roar-they-cannot-express-a_3061809.png) > “Fishes do not roar; they cannot express any sound of suffering; and therefore the angler chooses to think they do not suffer, more than it is convenient for him to fancy. Now it is a poor sport that depends for its existence on the want of a voice in the sufferer, and of imagination in the sportsman.” [Leigh Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-hunt/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote suggests that observers often assume suffering without evidence, using imagination to justify their own entertainment. **In simple terms:** People imagine suffering for their own benefit. Key Takeaway Question assumptions about others' pain. Themes empathy illusion ethics Mood thoughtful critical Type philosophical ethical When to use this quote - wildlife observation - animal welfare debates - media criticism Key Concepts anthropomorphism spectatorship Questions to Reflect On - Do we project our own feelings onto others? - How can we respect silence? A Different Perspective Assumes all observers are exploitative. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Angler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/angler-953255/) [Angler Chooses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/angler-chooses-5139513/) [Anglers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anglers/) [Convenient](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/convenient/) [Depends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depends/) [Existence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existence/) [Fancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fancy/) [Fish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fish/) [Fishes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fishes/) [Fishes Roar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fishes-roar-5139512/) [Imagination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagination/) [Poor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poor/) [Sound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sound/) [Sports](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sports/) [Sportsman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sportsman/) [Sufferers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sufferers/) [Suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering/) [Suffering Angler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering-angler-5139511/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Voice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/voice/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) ## Related quotes > [A friend of ours, who is an admirer of Isaac Walton, was struck, just as we were, with the likeness of the old angler's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-hunt/a-friend-of-ours-who-is-an-admirer-of-isaac-walton-was-struck-just-as/) [Leigh Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-hunt/) > [And if ye angler take fysshe; surely thenne is there noo man merier than he is in his spyryte.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juliana-berners/and-if-ye-angler-take-fysshe-surely-thenne-is-there-noo-man-merier/) [Juliana Berners](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juliana-berners/) > [The measure of an enthusiasm must be taken between interesting events. It is between bites that the lukewarm angler loses heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-way-teale/the-measure-of-an-enthusiasm-must-be-taken-between-interesting-events/) [Edwin Way Teale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-way-teale/) > [There was never an angler who lived but that there was a fish capable of taking the conceit out of him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zane-grey/there-was-never-an-angler-who-lived-but-that-there-was-a-fish-capable/) [Zane Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zane-grey/) > [The traveler fancies he has seen the country. So he has, the outside of it at least; but the angler only sees the inside.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-kingsley/the-traveler-fancies-he-has-seen-the-country-so-he-has-the-outside-of/) [Charles Kingsley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-kingsley/) > [Fishing is a pleasure of retirement, yet the angler has the power to let the fish live or die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zicheng-hong/fishing-is-a-pleasure-of-retirement-yet-the-angler-has-the-power-to/) [Zicheng Hong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zicheng-hong/) > [A Rod: An attractively painted length of fiberglass that keeps an angler from ever getting too close to a fish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robbie-keane/a-rod-an-attractively-painted-length-of-fiberglass-that-keeps-an/) [Robbie Keane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robbie-keane/) > [There's nothing sweeter than a real friend: Not only is he prompt to lend— An angler delicate, he fishes The very deepest of your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-de-la-fontaine/there-s-nothing-sweeter-than-a-real-friend-not-only-is-he-prompt-to/) [Jean de La Fontaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-de-la-fontaine/) > [No life is so happy and so pleasant as the life of the well-govern'd angler.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/izaak-walton/no-life-is-so-happy-and-so-pleasant-as-the-life-of-the-well-govern-d/) [Izaak Walton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/izaak-walton/) > [The meditative angler is not exempt from sensational periods. There are times when all the uncertainty of his chosen pursuit seems to condense itself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-van-dyke/the-meditative-angler-is-not-exempt-from-sensational-periods-there/) [Henry Van Dyke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-van-dyke/) > [For me, the life of the angler is an almost flawless example of how not to have a good time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/for-me-the-life-of-the-angler-is-an-almost-flawless-example-of-how/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [The fly angler who says they have never, ever fallen while wading , is either a pathogenic liar, or has never been fly-fishing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-moore/the-fly-angler-who-says-they-have-never-ever-fallen-while-wading-is/) [Jimmy Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-moore/) > [All the charm of the angler's life would be lost but for these hours of thought and memory. All along the brook, all day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-cowper-prime/all-the-charm-of-the-angler-s-life-would-be-lost-but-for-these-hours/) [William Cowper Prime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-cowper-prime/) > [The time must come to all of us, who live long, when memory is more than prospect. An angler who has reached this stage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-grey-1st-viscount-grey-of-fallodon/the-time-must-come-to-all-of-us-who-live-long-when-memory-is-more/) [Edward Grey, 1st Viscount Grey of Fallodon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-grey-1st-viscount-grey-of-fallodon/) > [An excellent angler, and now with God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/izaak-walton/an-excellent-angler-and-now-with-god/) [Izaak Walton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/izaak-walton/) ## More by Leigh Hunt > [Oh for a seat in some poetic nook, Just hid with trees and sparkling with a brook!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-hunt/oh-for-a-seat-in-some-poetic-nook-just-hid-with-trees-and-sparkling/) [Leigh Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-hunt/) > [The most tangible of all visible mysteries - fire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-hunt/the-most-tangible-of-all-visible-mysteries-fire/) [Leigh Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-hunt/) > [Jenny kissed me when we met, Jumping from the chair she sat in; Time, you thief, who love to get Sweets into your list,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-hunt/jenny-kissed-me-when-we-met-jumping-from-the-chair-she-sat-in-time/) [Leigh Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-hunt/) > [With spots of sunny openings, and with nooks To lie and read in, sloping into brooks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-hunt/with-spots-of-sunny-openings-and-with-nooks-to-lie-and-read-in/) [Leigh Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-hunt/) > [Light is, perhaps, the most wonderful of all visible things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-hunt/light-is-perhaps-the-most-wonderful-of-all-visible-things/) [Leigh Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-hunt/) > [Stolen kisses are always sweetest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-hunt/stolen-kisses-are-always-sweetest/) [Leigh Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-hunt/) > [We are violets blue, For our sweetness found Careless in the mossy shades, Looking on the ground. Love's dropp'd eyelids and a kiss,-- Such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-hunt/we-are-violets-blue-for-our-sweetness-found-careless-in-the-mossy/) [Leigh Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-hunt/) > [If you are melancholy for the first time, you will find, upon a little inquiry, that others have been melancholy many times, and yet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-hunt/if-you-are-melancholy-for-the-first-time-you-will-find-upon-a-little/) [Leigh Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-hunt/) > [Affection, like melancholy, magnifies trifles; but the magnifying of the one is like looking through a telescope at heavenly objects; that of the other,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-hunt/affection-like-melancholy-magnifies-trifles-but-the-magnifying-of-the/) [Leigh Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-hunt/) > [The person who can be only serious or only cheerful, is but half a man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-hunt/the-person-who-can-be-only-serious-or-only-cheerful-is-but-half-a-man/) [Leigh Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-hunt/) > [Write me as one who loves his fellow men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-hunt/write-me-as-one-who-loves-his-fellow-men/) [Leigh Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-hunt/) > [Danger for danger's sake is senseless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-hunt/danger-for-danger-s-sake-is-senseless/) [Leigh Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-hunt/) > [The only place a new hat can be carried into with safety is a church, for there is plenty of room there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-hunt/the-only-place-a-new-hat-can-be-carried-into-with-safety-is-a-church/) [Leigh Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-hunt/) > [There seems a life in hair, though it be dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-hunt/there-seems-a-life-in-hair-though-it-be-dead/) [Leigh Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-hunt/) > [Happy opinions are the wine of the heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-hunt/happy-opinions-are-the-wine-of-the-heart/) [Leigh Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-hunt/) [Explore all 112 Leigh Hunt quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-hunt/) ## More Anglers quotes > [Some people are under the impression that all that is required to make a good fisherman is the ability to tell lies easily and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-k-jerome/some-people-are-under-the-impression-that-all-that-is-required-to/) [Jerome K. Jerome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-k-jerome/) > [Lust is as it were desire and desire, will which extends beyond the natural will, passionate, not governed by the law and moderation. There…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patriarch-philaret-of-moscow/lust-is-as-it-were-desire-and-desire-will-which-extends-beyond-the/) [Patriarch Philaret of Moscow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patriarch-philaret-of-moscow/) > [What I had mastered was fly-fishing Rule # 1: Remove all hooks from soft tissue under water, where near-freezing temperatures anesthetize exposed nerve endings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-maxwell/what-i-had-mastered-was-fly-fishing-rule-1-remove-all-hooks-from-soft/) [Jessica Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-maxwell/) > [And if ye angler take fysshe; surely thenne is there noo man merier than he is in his spyryte.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juliana-berners/and-if-ye-angler-take-fysshe-surely-thenne-is-there-noo-man-merier/) [Juliana Berners](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juliana-berners/) > [We waded so gently and reverently, or we pulled together so smoothly, that the fishes of thought were not scared from the stream, nor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/we-waded-so-gently-and-reverently-or-we-pulled-together-so-smoothly/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [The time must come to all of us, who live long, when memory is more than prospect. An angler who has reached this stage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-grey-1st-viscount-grey-of-fallodon/the-time-must-come-to-all-of-us-who-live-long-when-memory-is-more/) [Edward Grey, 1st Viscount Grey of Fallodon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-grey-1st-viscount-grey-of-fallodon/) > [All the charm of the angler's life would be lost but for these hours of thought and memory. All along the brook, all day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-cowper-prime/all-the-charm-of-the-angler-s-life-would-be-lost-but-for-these-hours/) [William Cowper Prime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-cowper-prime/) > [Anglers have a way of romanticizing their battles with fish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/anglers-have-a-way-of-romanticizing-their-battles-with-fish/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [Yet compared with the serious things of life, fishing is after all rather trivial. The thoughtful angler must frankly confess this.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-russell/yet-compared-with-the-serious-things-of-life-fishing-is-after-all/) [Harold Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-russell/) > [These poor rich men, we anglers pity them perfectly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/izaak-walton/these-poor-rich-men-we-anglers-pity-them-perfectly/) [Izaak Walton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/izaak-walton/) > [The trout in yonder wimpling burn - That glides, a silver dart, - And, safe beneath the shady thorn, - Defies the anglers art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-burns/the-trout-in-yonder-wimpling-burn-that-glides-a-silver-dart-and-safe/) [Robert Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-burns/) > [Satan, that great angler, hath his sundry baits for sundry tempers of men, which they all catch greedily at, but few perceive the hook…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bradstreet/satan-that-great-angler-hath-his-sundry-baits-for-sundry-tempers-of/) [Anne Bradstreet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bradstreet/) > [The fly angler who says they have never, ever fallen while wading , is either a pathogenic liar, or has never been fly-fishing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-moore/the-fly-angler-who-says-they-have-never-ever-fallen-while-wading-is/) [Jimmy Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-moore/) > [Most anglers, especially tyros, false cast too often. Three false casts should be sufficient for any throw and two is better. One is perfect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-brooks/most-anglers-especially-tyros-false-cast-too-often-three-false-casts/) [Joe Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-brooks/) > [For me, the life of the angler is an almost flawless example of how not to have a good time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/for-me-the-life-of-the-angler-is-an-almost-flawless-example-of-how/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) [Browse all 62 Anglers quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anglers/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Fishes do not roar; they cannot express any sound of suffering; and therefore the angler chooses to think they do not suffer, more than it is convenient for him to fancy. 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