--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Mother, recently I have discovered the…" description: "\"Mother, recently I have discovered the one way in which human beings differ completely from other animals. Man has, I know, language, knowledge, princi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e3d/osamu-dazai-2813_animal_mother-recently-i-have-discovered-the-on_873137.jpg" --- # Mother, recently I have discovered the one way in which… ![“Mother, recently I have discovered the one way in which human beings differ completely from other animals. Man has, I know, language, knowledge, principles, and social order, but don't all the other animals have them too, granted the difference of degree? Perhaps the animals even have religions…” quote by Osamu Dazai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e3d/osamu-dazai-2813_animal_mother-recently-i-have-discovered-the-on_873137.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e3d/osamu-dazai-2813_animal_mother-recently-i-have-discovered-the-on_873137.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e3d/osamu-dazai-2813_animal_mother-recently-i-have-discovered-the-on_873137.jpg) > “Mother, recently I have discovered the one way in which human beings differ completely from other animals. Man has, I know, language, knowledge, principles, and social order, but don't all the other animals have them too, granted the difference of degree? Perhaps the animals even have religions. Man boasts of being the lord of all creation, but it would seem as if essentially he does not differ in the least from other animals. But, Mother, there was one way I thought of. Perhaps you won't understand. It's a faculty absolutely unique to man - having secrets. Can you see what I mean?” [Osamu Dazai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/osamu-dazai/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He argues that the uniquely human faculty is the ability to keep secrets, distinguishing us from animals despite shared traits. **In simple terms:** Secrets are uniquely human and set us apart. Key Takeaway Recognize the power and responsibility of secrecy. Themes philosophy human nature secrecy identity Mood thoughtful introspective Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - personal relationships - political negotiations - confidential business dealings - ethical dilemmas - self‑reflection Key Concepts existentialism privacy social order Questions to Reflect On - What ethical limits should guide the keeping of secrets? - How does secrecy shape personal and societal identity? A Different Perspective Secrecy can erode trust and create isolation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Animal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) [Animals Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animals-man-291350/) [Animals Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animals-mother-974662/) [Animals Religions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animals-religions-974663/) [Beings Differ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beings-differ-974661/) [Boast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boast/) [Creation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creation/) [Degrees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/degrees/) [Differ Animals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/differ-animals-974313/) [Differences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/differences/) [Doe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doe/) [Faculty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faculty/) [Granted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/granted/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Lord](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lord/) [Mean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mean/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother/) [Order](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/order/) [Principles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/principles/) [Secret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secret/) [Social](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social/) [Social order](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social-order/) [Unique](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unique/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) ## Related quotes > [There is no need to suppose that human beings differ very much one from another; but it is true that the ones who come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thucydides/there-is-no-need-to-suppose-that-human-beings-differ-very-much-one/) [Thucydides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thucydides/) > [When someone you love truly dies, you have to find them over and over again in the world, and I think you do that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/when-someone-you-love-truly-dies-you-have-to-find-them-over-and-over/) [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) > [Does man differ from the other animals? 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Whatever I do depresses me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/osamu-dazai/of-late-a-gloomy-rain-has-been-falling-almost-incessantly-whatever-i/) [Osamu Dazai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/osamu-dazai/) > [“All I feel are the assaults of apprehension and terror at the thought that I am the only one who is entirely unlike the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/osamu-dazai/all-i-feel-are-the-assaults-of-apprehension-and-terror-at-the-thought/) [Osamu Dazai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/osamu-dazai/) > [Last year nothing happened The year before nothing happened And the year before that nothing happened.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/osamu-dazai/last-year-nothing-happened-the-year-before-nothing-happened-and-the/) [Osamu Dazai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/osamu-dazai/) > [“Disqualified as a human being.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/osamu-dazai/disqualified-as-a-human-being/) [Osamu Dazai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/osamu-dazai/) > [“Logic, inevitably, is the love of logic. 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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": "Mother, recently I have discovered the one way in which human beings differ completely from other animals. Man has, I know, language, knowledge, principles, and social order, but don't all the other animals have them too, granted the difference of degree? Perhaps the animals even have religions. Man boasts of being the lord of all creation, but it would seem as if essentially he does not differ in the least from other animals. But, Mother, there was one way I thought of. Perhaps you won't understand. It's a faculty absolutely unique to man - having secrets. 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