--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's much better to say, \"If the herd is…" description: "\"It's much better to say, \"If the herd is running, I'm running with those guys.\" And humans have herd mentality.\" — Neal Barnard" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43c/neal-barnard-16766_animal_it-s-much-better-to-say-if-the-herd-is-r_404498.jpg" --- # It's much better to say, "If the herd is running, I'm… ![“It's much better to say, "If the herd is running, I'm running with those guys." And humans have herd mentality.” quote by Neal Barnard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43c/neal-barnard-16766_animal_it-s-much-better-to-say-if-the-herd-is-r_404498.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43c/neal-barnard-16766_animal_it-s-much-better-to-say-if-the-herd-is-r_404498.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43c/neal-barnard-16766_animal_it-s-much-better-to-say-if-the-herd-is-r_404498.jpg) > “It's much better to say, "If the herd is running, I'm running with those guys." And humans have herd mentality.” [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. People often follow the crowd, losing individuality and critical thinking. **In simple terms:** Following the crowd reduces personal judgment. Key Takeaway Think independently, not just follow. Themes conformity individuality critical thinking Mood thoughtful analytical Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - marketing decisions - peer pressure - group projects Key Concepts social influence psychology Questions to Reflect On - When is herd mentality beneficial? - How to balance conformity and independence? A Different Perspective Group dynamics can also foster positive collaboration. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Animal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) [Herd mentality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/herd-mentality/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Mentality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mentality/) [Running](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/running/) ## Related quotes > [All isolation is wrong so say the herd. And long didst thou belong to the herd.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/all-isolation-is-wrong-so-say-the-herd-and-long-didst-thou-belong-to/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [I think herd mentality is a good thing overall. Because if every sheep had to figure out the velocity of the wolf and their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-barnard/i-think-herd-mentality-is-a-good-thing-overall-because-if-every-sheep/) [Neal Barnard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-barnard/) > [“Humans are herd animals and we tend to do what everyone else does.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-palmer/humans-are-herd-animals-and-we-tend-to-do-what-everyone-else-does/) [Gabrielle Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-palmer/) > [“He who seeks may easily get lost himself. All solitude is wrong": so say the herd. And long did you belong to the herd.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/he-who-seeks-may-easily-get-lost-himself-all-solitude-is-wrong-so-say/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [I've seen stand up comedy, and after a while you start to notice that a lot of people are doing things that are like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dylan-moran/i-ve-seen-stand-up-comedy-and-after-a-while-you-start-to-notice-that/) [Dylan Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dylan-moran/) > [We are the most amazing creatures that this world has ever produced, but we seem to also have this herd mentality; we seem to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivienne-westwood/we-are-the-most-amazing-creatures-that-this-world-has-ever-produced/) [Vivienne Westwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivienne-westwood/) > [Academia is ruled by a pathological herd mentality. Stick out, and be prepared to get ostracized.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gad-saad/academia-is-ruled-by-a-pathological-herd-mentality-stick-out-and-be/) [Gad Saad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gad-saad/) > [“People would rather live in a community with unreasonable claims, than face loneliness with their truth”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bangambiki-habyarimana/people-would-rather-live-in-a-community-with-unreasonable-claims-than/) [Bangambiki Habyarimana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bangambiki-habyarimana/) > [“Finally—this is what is most terrible of all—the concept of the good man signifies that one sides with all that is weak, sick, failure,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/finally-this-is-what-is-most-terrible-of-all-the-concept-of-the-good/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [“The herd is the larger mass, the mindless portion that wanders off the cliff; the mob is the subset and the moshpit that pushes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/criss-jami/the-herd-is-the-larger-mass-the-mindless-portion-that-wanders-off-the/) [Criss Jami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/criss-jami/) > [The human race is a herd. Here we are, unique, eternal aspects of consciousness with an infinity of potential, and we have allowed ourselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-icke/the-human-race-is-a-herd-here-we-are-unique-eternal-aspects-of/) [David Icke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-icke/) > [“Since the earliest days of our youth, we have been conditioned to accept that the direction of the herd, and authority anywhere — is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-kassem/since-the-earliest-days-of-our-youth-we-have-been-conditioned-to/) [Suzy Kassem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-kassem/) > [“Any judgment born of collective agreement is, by nature, arbitrary, no matter how widely it is accepted.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sov8840/any-judgment-born-of-collective-agreement-is-by-nature-arbitrary-no/) Sov8840 > [Politics is a herd mentality. Politicians don't really lead. Politicians reflect what they think is consensus opinion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-johnson/politics-is-a-herd-mentality-politicians-don-t-really-lead/) [Gary Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-johnson/) > [“Most people say that Shakespeare rocked merely because most people say that Shakespeare rocked.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/most-people-say-that-shakespeare-rocked-merely-because-most-people/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) ## 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/) > [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/) > [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 > [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": "It's much better to say, \"If the herd is running, I'm running with those guys.\" And humans have herd mentality.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Neal Barnard" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-barnard/it-s-much-better-to-say-if-the-herd-is-running-i-m-running-with-those/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Animal" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-barnard/it-s-much-better-to-say-if-the-herd-is-running-i-m-running-with-those/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43c/neal-barnard-16766_animal_it-s-much-better-to-say-if-the-herd-is-r_404498.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43c/neal-barnard-16766_animal_it-s-much-better-to-say-if-the-herd-is-r_404498.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43c/neal-barnard-16766_animal_it-s-much-better-to-say-if-the-herd-is-r_404498.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It's much better to say, \"If the herd is running, I'm running with those guys.\" And humans have herd…” — 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": "It's much better to say, \"If...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-barnard/it-s-much-better-to-say-if-the-herd-is-running-i-m-running-with-those/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-barnard/it-s-much-better-to-say-if-the-herd-is-running-i-m-running-with-those/#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 } } ] } ```