--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was aware of what animals go through…" description: "\"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 there were certain ethica..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e7/neal-barnard-16766_animal_i-was-aware-of-what-animals-go-through-b_881862.jpg" --- # I was aware of what animals go through because I had… ![“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 there were certain ethical issues, but they weren't preying on my mind very heavily.” quote by Neal Barnard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e7/neal-barnard-16766_animal_i-was-aware-of-what-animals-go-through-b_881862.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e7/neal-barnard-16766_animal_i-was-aware-of-what-animals-go-through-b_881862.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e7/neal-barnard-16766_animal_i-was-aware-of-what-animals-go-through-b_881862.jpg) > “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 there were certain ethical issues, but they weren't preying on my mind very heavily.” [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. Personal involvement in animal harm heightens ethical awareness, yet denial can persist. **In simple terms:** Killing animals makes you think about ethics, but you may ignore it. Key Takeaway Confront and actions to align behavior with values. Themes ethics animal rights cognitive dissonance responsibility Mood thoughtful serious Type advice reflective When to use this quote - dietary choices - activism - career decisions - education programs Key Concepts moral psychology behavioral change compassion Questions to Reflect On - What steps can you take to reduce dissonance? - How does awareness translate into action? A Different Perspective Denial may block meaningful change. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Animal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) [Animals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animals/) [Animals Aware](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animals-aware-781984/) [Animals Slaughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animals-slaughter-1059669/) [Aware Animals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aware-animals-1059668/) [Certain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certain/) [Certain Ethical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certain-ethical-1059667/) [Driven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/driven/) [Ethical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ethical/) [Ethical issues](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ethical-issues/) [Issues](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/issues/) [Killed Animals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/killed-animals-461342/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Slaughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slaughter/) ## Related quotes > [“People on corporate conveyor belts, like animals in slaughter-chutes are all part of the same big massacre of joy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/people-on-corporate-conveyor-belts-like-animals-in-slaughter-chutes/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [To believe in'the greater good' isto operate, necessarily, in a certain ethical suspension.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/to-believe-in-the-greater-good-isto-operate-necessarily-in-a-certain/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [To believe in 'the greater good' is to operate, necessarily, in a certain ethical suspension.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/to-believe-in-the-greater-good-is-to-operate-necessarily-in-a-certain/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [We’re built to deal with death, disease, failure, struggle, heartbreak, problems. It’s what separates us from the animals and why we envy and love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-maron/we-re-built-to-deal-with-death-disease-failure-struggle-heartbreak/) [Marc Maron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-maron/) > [It is what makes us human, what distinguishes us from other animals. We can be aware of being aware.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-kabat-zinn/it-is-what-makes-us-human-what-distinguishes-us-from-other-animals-we/) [Jon Kabat-Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-kabat-zinn/) > [The beliefs I was raised with - to respect animals and to be aware of nature, to understand that we share this planet with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stella-mccartney/the-beliefs-i-was-raised-with-to-respect-animals-and-to-be-aware-of/) [Stella McCartney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stella-mccartney/) > [Hence the same instant which killed the animals froze the country where they lived. This event was sudden, instantaneous, without any gradual development.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-cuvier/hence-the-same-instant-which-killed-the-animals-froze-the-country/) [Georges Cuvier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-cuvier/) > [My brother acquired his first gun when he was very young, from a recently-fled drug dealer's residence. Now, he lived in a rural orange-grove…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-straight/my-brother-acquired-his-first-gun-when-he-was-very-young-from-a/) [Susan Straight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-straight/) > [“The historian William Cronon explains that packing plants 'distanced their customers most of all from the act of killing… The more people became accustomed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-wise/the-historian-william-cronon-explains-that-packing-plants-distanced/) [Steven Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-wise/) > [“The only person who killed almost as many animals as the Prince was his good friend Gaston”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serena-valentino/the-only-person-who-killed-almost-as-many-animals-as-the-prince-was/) [Serena Valentino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/serena-valentino/) > [What I think was hardest for me to realize was that he had tried each time to stop himself. He had killed animals, taking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/what-i-think-was-hardest-for-me-to-realize-was-that-he-had-tried-each/) [Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/) > [Nower days a person life is not important then the animal life. As more people are being killed more then the animals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simphiwe-scientist-dumi/nower-days-a-person-life-is-not-important-then-the-animal-life-as/) [Simphiwe Scientist Dumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simphiwe-scientist-dumi/) > [The most important ethical issues and the most difficult ones are the human ones because a reporter has enormous power to hurt people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-bernstein/the-most-important-ethical-issues-and-the-most-difficult-ones-are-the/) [Carl Bernstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-bernstein/) > [We can't simply do our science and not worry about the ethical issues.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-joy/we-can-t-simply-do-our-science-and-not-worry-about-the-ethical-issues/) [Bill Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-joy/) > [“While turning off the Desoto Solar Farm in the area where President Obama was touring was the right thing to do, I did have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/while-turning-off-the-desoto-solar-farm-in-the-area-where-president/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) ## 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/) > [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/) > [If beef is your idea of 'real food for real people,' you'd better live real close to a real good hospital.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-barnard/if-beef-is-your-idea-of-real-food-for-real-people-you-d-better-live/) [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 was aware of what animals go through because I had driven animals to slaughter and I'd killed animals. 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