--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I am always struck by how difficult it is…" description: "\"I am always struck by how difficult it is for people to see how much cruelty they are bringing not only upon animals but upon themselves and their love..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc5/neal-barnard-16766_animal_i-am-always-struck-by-how-difficult-it-i_1884503.jpg" --- # I am always struck by how difficult it is for people to… ![“I am always struck by how difficult it is for people to see how much cruelty they are bringing not only upon animals but upon themselves and their loved ones and other people, how much we are screwing up the planet, how much we are hurting our own health, how hard it is to change all that, how…” quote by Neal Barnard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc5/neal-barnard-16766_animal_i-am-always-struck-by-how-difficult-it-i_1884503.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc5/neal-barnard-16766_animal_i-am-always-struck-by-how-difficult-it-i_1884503.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc5/neal-barnard-16766_animal_i-am-always-struck-by-how-difficult-it-i_1884503.jpg) > “I am always struck by how difficult it is for people to see how much cruelty they are bringing not only upon animals but upon themselves and their loved ones and other people, how much we are screwing up the planet, how much we are hurting our own health, how hard it is to change all that, how eager people are to make a buck at everybody else's expense - all those things are discouraging.” [Neal Barnard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-barnard/) ## 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 highlights the interconnected harm caused by cruelty toward animals, which also damages human health, the environment, and society, while noting the difficulty of change and profit‑driven exploitation. **In simple terms:** Cruelty to animals harms people, the planet, and health, and profit motives make change hard. Key Takeaway Recognize hidden impacts and prioritize compassionate choices. Themes ethics environment health economics Mood concerned determined Type reflective call‑to‑action When to use this quote - personal diet decisions - corporate sustainability policies - advocacy campaigns - education programs Key Concepts interconnectedness externalities behavioral change Questions to Reflect On - What personal habits contribute to this cycle? - How can societies shift profit motives toward sustainability? A Different Perspective Changing deep‑rooted habits and profit incentives is challenging and may face resistance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Animal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) [Bucks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bucks/) [Cruelty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cruelty/) [Cruelty Bringing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cruelty-bringing-2683757/) [Difficult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/difficult/) [Discouraging](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discouraging/) [Expenses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expenses/) [Hard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard/) [Hurt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hurt/) [Loved ones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loved-ones/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People Cruelty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-cruelty-2683758/) [Planets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/planets/) [Things Discouraging](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-discouraging-2683759/) ## Related quotes > [When you're a kid it's people's cruelty that makes you cry, then when you're an adult it's their kindness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-duncan/when-you-re-a-kid-it-s-people-s-cruelty-that-makes-you-cry-then-when/) [Glen Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-duncan/) > [“I read somewhere that when you're a kid it's people's cruelty that makes you cry, then when you're an adult it's their kindness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-duncan/i-read-somewhere-that-when-you-re-a-kid-it-s-people-s-cruelty-that/) [Glen Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-duncan/) > [For a long time I thought-'I've got to buck up and be strong. I've got to put on a brave face-and get through this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-st-james/for-a-long-time-i-thought-i-ve-got-to-buck-up-and-be-strong-i-ve-got/) [Rebecca St. James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-st-james/) > [I'm a very smart guy. I haven't a feeling or a scruple in the world. All I have the itch for is money. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/i-m-a-very-smart-guy-i-haven-t-a-feeling-or-a-scruple-in-the-world/) [Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/) > [Cuban cigars is a big expense because I do smoke a lot of them, eight to 12 a day, so that would be almost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kinky-friedman/cuban-cigars-is-a-big-expense-because-i-do-smoke-a-lot-of-them-eight/) [Kinky Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kinky-friedman/) > [In the first centuries of Christianity the hungry were fed at a personal sacrifice, the naked were clothed at a personal sacrifice, the homeless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-maurin/in-the-first-centuries-of-christianity-the-hungry-were-fed-at-a/) [Peter Maurin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-maurin/) > [It's not like being a professional basketball player where you're in a big house. Maybe three, four or five guys make a couple million…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-grillo/it-s-not-like-being-a-professional-basketball-player-where-you-re-in/) [Frank Grillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-grillo/) > [Don't ever rob a bank. Enjoy life. Have fun. Choose to be happy now; don't wait until you're 'successful,' because honestly, I was as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-farrelly/don-t-ever-rob-a-bank-enjoy-life-have-fun-choose-to-be-happy-now-don/) [Peter Farrelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-farrelly/) > [If I had a picture of two handcuffed criminals being booked, I would cut the picture in half and get five bucks for each.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/weegee/if-i-had-a-picture-of-two-handcuffed-criminals-being-booked-i-would/) [Weegee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/weegee/) > [The biggest thing is getting the kid in a kart - they have to buy it and that's the biggest thing. You can go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bubba-wallace/the-biggest-thing-is-getting-the-kid-in-a-kart-they-have-to-buy-it/) [Bubba Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bubba-wallace/) > [I give money to Unicef because I like the 'bang for your buck' aspect. Here's $10, go and save 1,000 kids from blindness!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emo-philips/i-give-money-to-unicef-because-i-like-the-bang-for-your-buck-aspect/) [Emo Philips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emo-philips/) > [I want to break up the Wall Street banks. Hillary Clinton doesn't. I want to raise the minimum wage to 15 bucks an hour.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/i-want-to-break-up-the-wall-street-banks-hillary-clinton-doesn-t-i/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [I bet a guy at a bar 50 bucks that I was more dysfunctional than he was. He raped me. So I tipped him.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-bet-a-guy-at-a-bar-50-bucks-that-i-was-more-dysfunctional-than-he/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm just a little old cartoonist, tryin' to make a buck.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-lantz/i-m-just-a-little-old-cartoonist-tryin-to-make-a-buck/) [Walter Lantz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-lantz/) > [As a kid I had buck teeth and braces and acne. I hated what I saw. I'm still not comfortable, but that's why I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-manson/as-a-kid-i-had-buck-teeth-and-braces-and-acne-i-hated-what-i-saw-i-m/) [Marilyn Manson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-manson/) ## More by Neal Barnard > [If we studied human beings which can include human genes, human blood samples, and human behavior, then you can leave the animals out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-barnard/if-we-studied-human-beings-which-can-include-human-genes-human-blood/) [Neal Barnard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-barnard/) > [If some people think, "Why am I eating a dead bird soaked in poop?" I think if some people get disgusted by that, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-barnard/if-some-people-think-why-am-i-eating-a-dead-bird-soaked-in-poop-i/) [Neal Barnard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-barnard/) > [Medicine is often conservative and slow to incorporate something that wasn't there before and that we're afraid people are going to laugh at us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-barnard/medicine-is-often-conservative-and-slow-to-incorporate-something-that/) [Neal Barnard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-barnard/) > [It's much better to say, "If the herd is running, I'm running with those guys." And humans have herd mentality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-barnard/it-s-much-better-to-say-if-the-herd-is-running-i-m-running-with-those/) [Neal Barnard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-barnard/) > [The thinnest people on the planet are those who eat the most carbohydrates.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-barnard/the-thinnest-people-on-the-planet-are-those-who-eat-the-most/) [Neal Barnard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-barnard/) > [People do lose weight on an Atkins diet. The reason they lose weight is because of calorie reduction. If a person's caloric intake has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-barnard/people-do-lose-weight-on-an-atkins-diet-the-reason-they-lose-weight/) [Neal Barnard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-barnard/) > [Overall, our population is in the worst shape it's ever been. Children are in terrible shape. We have absolutely unprecedented numbers of obese and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-barnard/overall-our-population-is-in-the-worst-shape-it-s-ever-been-children/) [Neal Barnard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-barnard/) > [Dogs have a sense of smell much greater than ours and they're much faster than we are. We have fairly dull senses, fairly slow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-barnard/dogs-have-a-sense-of-smell-much-greater-than-ours-and-they-re-much/) [Neal Barnard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-barnard/) > [The Stone Age gave us arrow heads and eventually knives, and that allowed us to kill animals in ways you couldn't before, and once…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-barnard/the-stone-age-gave-us-arrow-heads-and-eventually-knives-and-that/) [Neal Barnard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-barnard/) > [I thought - being a musician doesn't help your medical credibility really. Although I started to rethink that when I learned that Albert Einstein…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-barnard/i-thought-being-a-musician-doesn-t-help-your-medical-credibility/) [Neal Barnard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-barnard/) > [It doesn't do a lot of good for your health to move from red meat to white meat, but it gets you further down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-barnard/it-doesn-t-do-a-lot-of-good-for-your-health-to-move-from-red-meat-to/) [Neal Barnard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-barnard/) > [I think we have to do everything that's useful. We're doctors. Our job is to tell the truth. And it doesn't have to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-barnard/i-think-we-have-to-do-everything-that-s-useful-we-re-doctors-our-job/) [Neal Barnard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-barnard/) > [I was aware of what animals go through because I had driven animals to slaughter and I'd killed animals. And I was aware that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-barnard/i-was-aware-of-what-animals-go-through-because-i-had-driven-animals/) [Neal Barnard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-barnard/) > [A vegan diet takes care of most of what we need to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-barnard/a-vegan-diet-takes-care-of-most-of-what-we-need-to-do/) [Neal Barnard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-barnard/) > [I have been following a vegan diet now since the 1980s, and find it not only healthier, but also much more attractive than the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-barnard/i-have-been-following-a-vegan-diet-now-since-the-1980s-and-find-it/) [Neal Barnard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-barnard/) [Explore all 39 Neal Barnard quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-barnard/) ## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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": "I am always struck by how difficult it is for people to see how much cruelty they are bringing not only upon animals but upon themselves and their loved ones and other people, how much we are screwing up the planet, how much we are hurting our own health, how hard it is to change all that, how eager people are to make a buck at everybody else's expense - all those things are discouraging.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Neal Barnard" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-barnard/i-am-always-struck-by-how-difficult-it-is-for-people-to-see-how-much/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Animal" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-barnard/i-am-always-struck-by-how-difficult-it-is-for-people-to-see-how-much/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc5/neal-barnard-16766_animal_i-am-always-struck-by-how-difficult-it-i_1884503.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc5/neal-barnard-16766_animal_i-am-always-struck-by-how-difficult-it-i_1884503.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc5/neal-barnard-16766_animal_i-am-always-struck-by-how-difficult-it-i_1884503.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I am always struck by how difficult it is for people to see how much cruelty they are bringing not only upon…” — Neal Barnard", "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": "Neal Barnard", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-barnard/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I am always struck by how...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-barnard/i-am-always-struck-by-how-difficult-it-is-for-people-to-see-how-much/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-barnard/i-am-always-struck-by-how-difficult-it-is-for-people-to-see-how-much/#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 } } ] } ```