--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I cannot see the short, white curls Upon…" description: "\"I cannot see the short, white curls Upon the forehead of an Ox, But what I see them dripping with That poor thing's blood, and hear the ax; When I see ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43d/mark-twain-22_aim_i-cannot-see-the-short-white-curls-upon_1119937.jpg" --- # I cannot see the short, white curls Upon the forehead of… ![“I cannot see the short, white curls Upon the forehead of an Ox, But what I see them dripping with That poor thing's blood, and hear the ax; When I see calves and lambs, I see Them led to death; I see no bird Or rabbit cross the open field But what a sudden shot is heard; A shout that tells me men…” quote by Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43d/mark-twain-22_aim_i-cannot-see-the-short-white-curls-upon_1119937.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43d/mark-twain-22_aim_i-cannot-see-the-short-white-curls-upon_1119937.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43d/mark-twain-22_aim_i-cannot-see-the-short-white-curls-upon_1119937.jpg) > “I cannot see the short, white curls Upon the forehead of an Ox, But what I see them dripping with That poor thing's blood, and hear the ax; When I see calves and lambs, I see Them led to death; I see no bird Or rabbit cross the open field But what a sudden shot is heard; A shout that tells me men aim true, For death or wound, doth chill me through. W.H. Davies I have been studying the traits and dispositions of the "lower animals" (so called) and contrasting them with the traits and dispositions of man. I find the result humiliating to me.” [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker observes the brutal reality of animal slaughter, feeling horror at the violence inflicted upon innocent creatures. **In simple terms:** Seeing animals killed makes the speaker feel horror. Key Takeaway Recognize and oppose cruelty. Themes violence compassion humanity Mood sad reflective Type poetic philosophical When to use this quote - farm work - food consumption - wildlife observation - activism Key Concepts ethics animal rights mortality Questions to Reflect On - What actions can reduce animal suffering? - How does witnessing cruelty affect our values? A Different Perspective The vivid imagery may sensationalize suffering, potentially desensitizing readers. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Aim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aim/) [Animal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) [Animals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animals/) [Animals Called](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animals-called-3024815/) [Bird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bird/) [Blood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blood/) [Calves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/calves/) [Calves Lambs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/calves-lambs-3024814/) [Chill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chill/) [Contrasting Traits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contrasting-traits-3024816/) [Creatures](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creatures/) [Crosses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crosses/) [Curls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/curls/) [Disposition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disposition/) [Dripping](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dripping/) [Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fields/) [Forehead Ox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forehead-ox-3024813/) [Foreheads](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/foreheads/) [Has beens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/has-beens/) [Heard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heard/) [Humiliating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humiliating/) [Lambs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lambs/) [Lower Animals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lower-animals-1167580/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Open fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/open-fields/) [Poor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poor/) [Rabbits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rabbits/) [Results](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/results/) [Shots](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shots/) [Study](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/study/) [Traits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/traits/) [White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/white/) [Wounds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wounds/) ## Related quotes > [I cannot see the short, white curls Upon the forehead of an Ox, But what I see them dripping with That poor thing's blood,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-h-davies/i-cannot-see-the-short-white-curls-upon-the-forehead-of-an-ox-but-2/) [W. H. Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-h-davies/) > [I have been studying the traits and dispositions of the "lower animals" (so called) and contrasting them with the traits and dispositions of man.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/i-have-been-studying-the-traits-and-dispositions-of-the-lower-animals/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [I have been scientifically studying the traits and dispositions of the "lower animals" (so-called,) and contrasting them with the traits and dispositions of man.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/i-have-been-scientifically-studying-the-traits-and-dispositions-of/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [If you love animals called pets, why do you eat animals called dinner?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-love-animals-called-pets-why-do-you-eat-animals-called-dinner/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I had forgotten that your majesty is not conversant with the dialect of the Cock-neighs (so the man-animals were called; I presume because their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-had-forgotten-that-your-majesty-is-not-conversant-with-the-dialect/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The lower animals, like man, manifestly feel pleasure and pain, happiness and misery. Happiness is never better exhibited than by young animals, such as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/the-lower-animals-like-man-manifestly-feel-pleasure-and-pain/) [Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/) > [There are a few animals that have won themselves a bad reputation even though they have little or no effect on man. They have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-yves-cousteau/there-are-a-few-animals-that-have-won-themselves-a-bad-reputation/) [Jacques Yves Cousteau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-yves-cousteau/) > [The reasons for legal intervention in favour of children apply not less strongly to the case of those unfortunate slaves and victims of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/the-reasons-for-legal-intervention-in-favour-of-children-apply-not/) [John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/) > [Fear, love, and hunger were the agents that developed the wits of the lower animals, as they were, of course, the prime factors in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burroughs/fear-love-and-hunger-were-the-agents-that-developed-the-wits-of-the/) [John Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burroughs/) > [There is no mode of action, no form of emotion, that we do not share with the lower animals. It is only by language…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/there-is-no-mode-of-action-no-form-of-emotion-that-we-do-not-share/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“More and more frequently, we will find ourselves in the position of the lower animals—with a mental apparatus that is unequipped to deal thoroughly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-heath/more-and-more-frequently-we-will-find-ourselves-in-the-position-of/) [Joseph Heath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-heath/) > [“That whereby man differs from the lower animals is but small. Most people throw it away; only”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/that-whereby-man-differs-from-the-lower-animals-is-but-small-most/) [Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/) > [For origin and development of human faculty we must look to these processes of association in lower animals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-thorndike/for-origin-and-development-of-human-faculty-we-must-look-to-these/) [Edward Thorndike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-thorndike/) > [The behavior of men to the lower animals, and their behavior to each other, bear a constant relationship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/the-behavior-of-men-to-the-lower-animals-and-their-behavior-to-each/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [Man should regard lower animals as being in the same dependent condition as minors under his government ... For a man to torture an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-buckner/man-should-regard-lower-animals-as-being-in-the-same-dependent/) [Ed Buckner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-buckner/) ## More by Mark Twain > [Sing like no one's listening, love like you've never been hurt, dance like nobody's watching, and live like its heaven on earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/sing-like-no-one-s-listening-love-like-you-ve-never-been-hurt-dance/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [If you had made the acquiring of ignorance the study of your life, you could not have graduated with higher honor than you could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/if-you-had-made-the-acquiring-of-ignorance-the-study-of-your-life-you/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [“The Creator sat upon the throne, thinking. Behind him stretched the illimitable continent of heaven, steeped in a glory of light and color; before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/the-creator-sat-upon-the-throne-thinking-behind-him-stretched-the/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [It's easy to quit smoking. I've done it hundreds of times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/it-s-easy-to-quit-smoking-i-ve-done-it-hundreds-of-times/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [“It is never wrong to do the right thing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/it-is-never-wrong-to-do-the-right-thing/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [A man accustomed to American food and American domestic cookery would not starve to death suddenly in Europe, but I think he would gradually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/a-man-accustomed-to-american-food-and-american-domestic-cookery-would/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [There is nothing training can't cannot do. Nothing is above its reach.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/there-is-nothing-training-can-t-cannot-do-nothing-is-above-its-reach/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [I never write Metropolis for seven cents because I can get the same price for city. I never write policeman because I can get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/i-never-write-metropolis-for-seven-cents-because-i-can-get-the-same/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [The higher animals get their teeth without pain or inconvenience. Man gets his through months and months of cruel torture; he will never get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/the-higher-animals-get-their-teeth-without-pain-or-inconvenience-man/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [“As far as I can see, Italy, for fifteen hundred years, has turned all her energies, all her finances, and all her industry to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/as-far-as-i-can-see-italy-for-fifteen-hundred-years-has-turned-all/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [Begin with the determination to succeed and the work is half done already.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/begin-with-the-determination-to-succeed-and-the-work-is-half-done/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [Many public-school children seem to know only two dates—1492 and 4th of July; and as a rule they don't know what happened on either…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/many-public-school-children-seem-to-know-only-two-dates-1492-and-4th/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [If we could imagine such a man, that is a man who could invent the fly and send him out on his mission and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/if-we-could-imagine-such-a-man-that-is-a-man-who-could-invent-the-fly/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [You perceive, now, that these things are all impossible except in a dream. You perceive that they are pure and puerile insanities, the silly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/you-perceive-now-that-these-things-are-all-impossible-except-in-a/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [Lord save us all from a hope tree that has lost the faculty of putting out blossoms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/lord-save-us-all-from-a-hope-tree-that-has-lost-the-faculty-of/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) [Explore all 3,277 Mark Twain quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) ## More Aim quotes > [If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zig-ziglar/if-you-aim-at-nothing-you-will-hit-it-every-time/) [Zig Ziglar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zig-ziglar/) > [A good aim surveys the present state of experience of pupils, and forming a tentative plan of treatment, keeps the plan constantly in view…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/a-good-aim-surveys-the-present-state-of-experience-of-pupils-and/) [John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/) > [The Christian man must aim at that complete obedience to God in which life finds its highest happiness, its greatest good, its perfect consummation,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-barclay/the-christian-man-must-aim-at-that-complete-obedience-to-god-in-which/) [William Barclay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-barclay/) > [ He \[an earnest young reporter\] seemed to share the view of many intelligent, well-educated, well-meaning people that, while adult literature may aim to be… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/he-an-earnest-young-reporter-seemed-to-share-the-view-of-many/) [Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/) > [In Bosnia, little children shot in the head by a guy who thinks it's okay to aim his gun at a child.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christiane-amanpour/in-bosnia-little-children-shot-in-the-head-by-a-guy-who-thinks-it-s/) [Christiane Amanpour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christiane-amanpour/) > [Design certainly has a cosmetic, aesthetic aim. It always aims at making things beautiful. But relevance is just as important. I often say, 'If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yves-behar/design-certainly-has-a-cosmetic-aesthetic-aim-it-always-aims-at/) [Yves Behar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yves-behar/) > [My aim was to make money for the bank. You lose track of the amounts involved when you are engaged in this kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-kerviel/my-aim-was-to-make-money-for-the-bank-you-lose-track-of-the-amounts/) [Jerome Kerviel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-kerviel/) > [My only aim is to clock a time that everyone remembers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hima-das/my-only-aim-is-to-clock-a-time-that-everyone-remembers/) [Hima Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hima-das/) > [My main aim has always been to do good quality films with roles that have some substance. With Power and Beauty there were loads…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natasha-henstridge/my-main-aim-has-always-been-to-do-good-quality-films-with-roles-that/) [Natasha Henstridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natasha-henstridge/) > [ I really enjoyed it - being involved in watching rushes and playback \[in "The Invisible Woman"\]. Ralph \[Fiennes\] was very open to my input,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felicity-jones/i-really-enjoyed-it-being-involved-in-watching-rushes-and-playback-in/) [Felicity Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felicity-jones/) > [My aim is to be counted among the top players.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/babar-azam/my-aim-is-to-be-counted-among-the-top-players/) [Babar Azam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/babar-azam/) > [The single aim of my life is that every child is: free to be a child, free to grow and develop, free to eat,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kailash-satyarthi/the-single-aim-of-my-life-is-that-every-child-is-free-to-be-a-child/) [Kailash Satyarthi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kailash-satyarthi/) > [The aim of good prose words is to mean what they say. The aim of good poetical words is to mean what they do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/the-aim-of-good-prose-words-is-to-mean-what-they-say-the-aim-of-good/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [Prescribing hard work for the soft, or easy work for the hardy, is generally nonsense. What is always needed in any aim is right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idries-shah/prescribing-hard-work-for-the-soft-or-easy-work-for-the-hardy-is/) [Idries Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idries-shah/) > [To be normal is the ultimate aim of the unsuccessful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/to-be-normal-is-the-ultimate-aim-of-the-unsuccessful/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) [Browse all 3,047 Aim quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aim/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I cannot see the short, white curls Upon the forehead of an Ox, But what I see them dripping with That poor thing's blood, and hear the ax; When I see calves and lambs, I see Them led to death; I see no bird Or rabbit cross the open field But what a sudden shot is heard; A shout that tells me men aim true, For death or wound, doth chill me through. W.H. Davies I have been studying the traits and dispositions of the \"lower animals\" (so called) and contrasting them with the traits and dispositions of man. I find the result humiliating to me.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mark Twain" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/i-cannot-see-the-short-white-curls-upon-the-forehead-of-an-ox-but/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Aim" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/i-cannot-see-the-short-white-curls-upon-the-forehead-of-an-ox-but/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43d/mark-twain-22_aim_i-cannot-see-the-short-white-curls-upon_1119937.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43d/mark-twain-22_aim_i-cannot-see-the-short-white-curls-upon_1119937.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43d/mark-twain-22_aim_i-cannot-see-the-short-white-curls-upon_1119937.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I cannot see the short, white curls Upon the forehead of an Ox, But what I see them dripping with That poor…” — Mark Twain", "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": "Mark Twain", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I cannot see the short, white...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/i-cannot-see-the-short-white-curls-upon-the-forehead-of-an-ox-but/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/i-cannot-see-the-short-white-curls-upon-the-forehead-of-an-ox-but/#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 } } ] } ```