--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I was between 2 and 3 years old, I…" description: "\"When I was between 2 and 3 years old, I got to know my first non-human being. The non-human was a cocker spaniel named Baba. We weren't friends, Baba a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cb/octavia-e-butler-2861_being_when-i-was-between-2-and-3-years-old-i-g_1580992.jpg" --- # When I was between 2 and 3 years old, I got to know my… ![“When I was between 2 and 3 years old, I got to know my first non-human being. The non-human was a cocker spaniel named Baba. We weren't friends, Baba and I, nor enemies. He wasn't my dog. He belonged to the people my mother worked for, and he lived in the house with them and us.” quote by Octavia E. Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cb/octavia-e-butler-2861_being_when-i-was-between-2-and-3-years-old-i-g_1580992.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cb/octavia-e-butler-2861_being_when-i-was-between-2-and-3-years-old-i-g_1580992.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cb/octavia-e-butler-2861_being_when-i-was-between-2-and-3-years-old-i-g_1580992.jpg) > “When I was between 2 and 3 years old, I got to know my first non-human being. The non-human was a cocker spaniel named Baba. We weren't friends, Baba and I, nor enemies. He wasn't my dog. He belonged to the people my mother worked for, and he lived in the house with them and us.” [Octavia E. Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-e-butler/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Early childhood encounters with animals shape empathy and understanding beyond human relationships. **In simple terms:** Early animal bonds teach empathy. Key Takeaway Value nonhuman connections for deeper empathy. Themes empathy human-animal bond childhood Mood reflective nostalgic Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - family life - pet ownership - early education Key Concepts attachment theory inter-species relationships Questions to Reflect On - How did this early bond influence your view of others? - What can we learn from nonhuman friendships? A Different Perspective Human perspectives can dominate, limiting animal agency. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Animal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) [Being](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being/) [Belonged](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belonged/) [Between](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/between/) [Dog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dog/) [Dog Belonged](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dog-belonged-5972172/) [Enemies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enemies/) [Enemy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enemy/) [First](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first/) [Friends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friends/) [Got](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/got/) [He](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/he/) [House](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/house/) [Human Cocker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-cocker-5972173/) [Human Non](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-non-1500765/) [Know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know/) [Lived](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lived/) [Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother/) [Named](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/named/) [Non Human](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/non-human-1329736/) [Nor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nor/) [Old](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Spaniel Named](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spaniel-named-5972174/) [Them](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/them/) [Us](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/us/) [Were](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/were/) [Worked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worked/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/) ## Related quotes > [One cannot distinguish between human and non-human acts. 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Its product…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-non-profit-institution-neither-supplies-goods-or-services-nor/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“This is an encounter between the human and the non-human, it is something like a behavior of the world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-merleau-ponty/this-is-an-encounter-between-the-human-and-the-non-human-it-is/) [Maurice Merleau-Ponty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-merleau-ponty/) > [I think our lack of intimacy with the land has initiated a lack of intimacy with each other. What we perceive as non- human,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/i-think-our-lack-of-intimacy-with-the-land-has-initiated-a-lack-of/) [Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/) > [The process of making natural history films is to try to prevent the animal knowing you are there, so you get glimpses of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-attenborough/the-process-of-making-natural-history-films-is-to-try-to-prevent-the/) [David Attenborough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-attenborough/) > [I have a complicated relationship with non-human animals. I've never really been close to one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-zucker/i-have-a-complicated-relationship-with-non-human-animals-i-ve-never/) [Rachel Zucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-zucker/) > [This is the simple discovery which we must confront. We were given a place in the creation, with a beauty beyond telling, and we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-jensen/this-is-the-simple-discovery-which-we-must-confront-we-were-given-a/) [Robert Jensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-jensen/) > [Nature is not silent, and never was a name more derisively inappropriate than when we speak of these non-human creatures who hoot and crow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winifred-holtby/nature-is-not-silent-and-never-was-a-name-more-derisively/) [Winifred Holtby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winifred-holtby/) > [I love that India has declared dolphins non-human people with all laws that apply to human. I'm fascinated with the alien-ness of that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-fuller/i-love-that-india-has-declared-dolphins-non-human-people-with-all/) [Bryan Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-fuller/) > [“Oh my god! Madison, what is with you and non-human guys?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cherie-colyer/oh-my-god-madison-what-is-with-you-and-non-human-guys/) [Cherie Colyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cherie-colyer/) > [Man must move to things, to non-human matter- There is nowhere else to go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-hooton/man-must-move-to-things-to-non-human-matter-there-is-nowhere-else-to/) [Harry Hooton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-hooton/) > [There it is, the sea, the most incomprehensible of non-human existences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarice-lispector/there-it-is-the-sea-the-most-incomprehensible-of-non-human-existences/) [Clarice Lispector](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarice-lispector/) > [Mathematics is realm altogether, one that is cold, hard, objective, necessary, clear and thus utterly non-human. Nonetheless, it is enormously useful as a means,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-roochnik/mathematics-is-realm-altogether-one-that-is-cold-hard-objective/) [David Roochnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-roochnik/) ## More by Octavia E. Butler > [The lovely thing about writing is, well, two things. One, writing fiction allows us to bring an order to our lives that doesn't exist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-e-butler/the-lovely-thing-about-writing-is-well-two-things-one-writing-fiction/) [Octavia E. Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-e-butler/) > [“It’s too easy to follow bad but attractive leaders, embrace pleasurable but destructive habits, ignore looming disaster because maybe it won’t happen after all—or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-e-butler/it-s-too-easy-to-follow-bad-but-attractive-leaders-embrace/) [Octavia E. Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-e-butler/) > [“He rubbed his head again. 'Five years is longer than it sounds. So much longer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-e-butler/he-rubbed-his-head-again-five-years-is-longer-than-it-sounds-so-much/) [Octavia E. Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-e-butler/) > [“Se sono tuoi, stabilisci tu le regole. A chi importa che cosa ne pensano i giocattoli? Spazza via l'intera famiglia di un giocattolo, poi…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-e-butler/se-sono-tuoi-stabilisci-tu-le-regole-a-chi-importa-che-cosa-ne/) [Octavia E. Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-e-butler/) > [I don't know how much of a market there is for space opera. Just because it's in the movies doesn't mean magazines are buying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-e-butler/i-don-t-know-how-much-of-a-market-there-is-for-space-opera-just/) [Octavia E. Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-e-butler/) > [“Freedom is dangerous but it's precious, too. You can't just throw it away or let it slip away. You can't sell it for bread…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-e-butler/freedom-is-dangerous-but-it-s-precious-too-you-can-t-just-throw-it/) [Octavia E. Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-e-butler/) > [“Sometimes I wrote things because I couldn't say them, couldn't sort out my feelings about them, couldn't keep them bottled inside me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-e-butler/sometimes-i-wrote-things-because-i-couldn-t-say-them-couldn-t-sort/) [Octavia E. Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-e-butler/) > [“In the book of Job, God says he made everything and he knows everything so no one has any right to question what he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-e-butler/in-the-book-of-job-god-says-he-made-everything-and-he-knows/) [Octavia E. Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-e-butler/) > [“But there’s no power in having strength and brains, and yet waiting for God to fix things for you or take revenge for you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-e-butler/but-there-s-no-power-in-having-strength-and-brains-and-yet-waiting/) [Octavia E. Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-e-butler/) > [“After a few years of watching the human species make things unnecessarily difficult for itself I have little hope that it will do anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-e-butler/after-a-few-years-of-watching-the-human-species-make-things/) [Octavia E. Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-e-butler/) > [“Self is. Self is body and bodily perception. Self is thought, memory, belief. Self creates. Self destroys. Self learns, discovers, becomes. Self shapes. Self…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-e-butler/self-is-self-is-body-and-bodily-perception-self-is-thought-memory/) [Octavia E. Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-e-butler/) > [At school I was always taller than the rest of my class, and because I was an only child, I was comfortable with adults…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-e-butler/at-school-i-was-always-taller-than-the-rest-of-my-class-and-because-i/) [Octavia E. Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-e-butler/) > [“It was milk that had sickened her. Animal milk! These people cooked many things with animal milk!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-e-butler/it-was-milk-that-had-sickened-her-animal-milk-these-people-cooked/) [Octavia E. Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-e-butler/) > [Religion is everywhere. There are no human societies without it, whether they acknowledge it as a religion or not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-e-butler/religion-is-everywhere-there-are-no-human-societies-without-it/) [Octavia E. Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-e-butler/) > [“There is nothing new under the sun, but there are new suns.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-e-butler/there-is-nothing-new-under-the-sun-but-there-are-new-suns/) [Octavia E. Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-e-butler/) [Explore all 131 Octavia E. Butler quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-e-butler/) ## 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": "When I was between 2 and 3 years old, I got to know my first non-human being. The non-human was a cocker spaniel named Baba. We weren't friends, Baba and I, nor enemies. He wasn't my dog. He belonged to the people my mother worked for, and he lived in the house with them and us.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Octavia E. 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