--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In you, humanity is precarious; and so…" description: "\"In you, humanity is precarious; and so, in dread and in shame, you kill the animal in you. And its slaughter poisons you.\" — Olaf Stapledon" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e5/olaf-stapledon-9950_animal_in-you-humanity-is-precarious-and-so-in_2780751.jpg" --- # In you, humanity is precarious; and so, in dread and in… ![“In you, humanity is precarious; and so, in dread and in shame, you kill the animal in you. And its slaughter poisons you.” quote by Olaf Stapledon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e5/olaf-stapledon-9950_animal_in-you-humanity-is-precarious-and-so-in_2780751.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e5/olaf-stapledon-9950_animal_in-you-humanity-is-precarious-and-so-in_2780751.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e5/olaf-stapledon-9950_animal_in-you-humanity-is-precarious-and-so-in_2780751.jpg) > “In you, humanity is precarious; and so, in dread and in shame, you kill the animal in you. And its slaughter poisons you.” [Olaf Stapledon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olaf-stapledon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Humanity's fragile nature leads to self‑destruction, contaminating our soul. **In simple terms:** Self‑destruction poisons humanity. Key Takeaway Cultivate inner compassion. Themes existential self‑destruction morality Mood somber thoughtful Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - mental health - ethical education - community service Key Concepts human nature spiritual decay Questions to Reflect On - What drives self‑destructive behavior? - How to heal collective wounds? A Different Perspective May overlook external factors. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Animal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) [Animal Slaughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal-slaughter-1331485/) [Animals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animals/) [Dread](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dread/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Humanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humanity/) [Humanity Precarious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humanity-precarious-3308018/) [Nature of man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-of-man/) [Olaf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/olaf/) [Poison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poison/) [Precarious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/precarious/) [Precarious Dread](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/precarious-dread-3308019/) [Shame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shame/) [Slaughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slaughter/) [Slaughter Poisons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slaughter-poisons-3308020/) ## Related quotes > [As a matter of principle, humanity is precarious: each person can only believe what he recognizes to be true internally and, at the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-merleau-ponty/as-a-matter-of-principle-humanity-is-precarious-each-person-can-only/) [Maurice Merleau-Ponty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-merleau-ponty/) > [“Humanity is not an aggregate of individuals, a community of thinkers, each of whom is guaranteed from the outset to be able to reach…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-merleau-ponty/humanity-is-not-an-aggregate-of-individuals-a-community-of-thinkers/) [Maurice Merleau-Ponty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-merleau-ponty/) > [“In the case of animal slaughter, to throw your hands in the air is to wrap your fingers around a knife handle.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/in-the-case-of-animal-slaughter-to-throw-your-hands-in-the-air-is-to/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [Not responding is a response--we are equally responsible for what we don't do. 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Not even lovers, and scarcely even the geniuses…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olaf-stapledon/individuals-of-the-earlier-species-had-suffered-from-an-almost/) [Olaf Stapledon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olaf-stapledon/) > [Even when all the worlds have frozen or exploded, and all the suns gone dead and cold, there'll still be time. Oh, God, what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olaf-stapledon/even-when-all-the-worlds-have-frozen-or-exploded-and-all-the-suns/) [Olaf Stapledon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olaf-stapledon/) > [The expansion of the whole cosmos was but the shrinkage of all its physical units and of the wavelengths of light.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olaf-stapledon/the-expansion-of-the-whole-cosmos-was-but-the-shrinkage-of-all-its/) [Olaf Stapledon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olaf-stapledon/) > [trust me, Anita, if you get dead, especially if he blames himself in any way, he will be a force of destruction looking for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/trust-me-anita-if-you-get-dead-especially-if-he-blames-himself-in-any/) [Laurell K. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/) > [Edward smiled, I smiled, even Bernardo smiled. Olaf just looked sinister.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/edward-smiled-i-smiled-even-bernardo-smiled-olaf-just-looked-sinister/) [Laurell K. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/) ## More by Olaf Stapledon > [ No visiting angel, or explorer from another planet, could have guessed that this bland orb \[Earth\] teemed with vermin, with world-mastering, self-torturing, incipiently angelic… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olaf-stapledon/no-visiting-angel-or-explorer-from-another-planet-could-have-guessed/) [Olaf Stapledon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olaf-stapledon/) > [In fact man's career has been less like a mountain torrent hurtling from rock to rock, than a great sluggish river, broken very seldom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olaf-stapledon/in-fact-man-s-career-has-been-less-like-a-mountain-torrent-hurtling/) [Olaf Stapledon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olaf-stapledon/) > [I loathe the urchin's cruelty to the cat, but I will not loathe the urchin. 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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": "In you, humanity is precarious; and so, in dread and in shame, you kill the animal in you. 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