--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I find it abhorrent to see a whale being…" description: "\"I find it abhorrent to see a whale being slaughtered and do nothing but bear witness.\" — Paul Watson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbd/paul-watson-1855_abhorrent_i-find-it-abhorrent-to-see-a-whale-being_1810502.jpg" --- # I find it abhorrent to see a whale being slaughtered and… ![“I find it abhorrent to see a whale being slaughtered and do nothing but bear witness.” quote by Paul Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbd/paul-watson-1855_abhorrent_i-find-it-abhorrent-to-see-a-whale-being_1810502.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbd/paul-watson-1855_abhorrent_i-find-it-abhorrent-to-see-a-whale-being_1810502.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbd/paul-watson-1855_abhorrent_i-find-it-abhorrent-to-see-a-whale-being_1810502.jpg) > “I find it abhorrent to see a whale being slaughtered and do nothing but bear witness.” [Paul Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-watson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Witnessing cruelty without action is morally intolerable; it demands responsibility and intervention. **In simple terms:** Seeing cruelty demands action. Key Takeaway Act to protect, not just observe. Themes environment ethics activism Mood determined urgent Type activist ethical When to use this quote - conservation campaigns - policy advocacy - public awareness - direct rescue Key Concepts moral responsibility animal rights Questions to Reflect On - What can you realistically do to help? - How does inaction affect your conscience? A Different Perspective Action may be limited by legal or safety constraints. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Being](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being/) [Nothing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nothing/) [Whale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whale/) ## Related quotes > [People sometimes feel frustrated about what's going on in our oceans and environment, and 'Whale Wars' shows that ordinary people can take action and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-watson/people-sometimes-feel-frustrated-about-what-s-going-on-in-our-oceans/) [Paul Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-watson/) > [The fact is, Japan's whaling is illegal, so just because there is a natural disaster in Japan is no reason for us to stop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-watson/the-fact-is-japan-s-whaling-is-illegal-so-just-because-there-is-a/) [Paul Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-watson/) > [The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society recognizes that the deaths of four sealers is a tragedy, but Sea Shepherd also recognizes that the slaughter of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-watson/the-sea-shepherd-conservation-society-recognizes-that-the-deaths-of/) [Paul Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-watson/) > [Putting Zodiacs in front of whaling vessels doesn't do it anymore. Done that, been there, seen that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-watson/putting-zodiacs-in-front-of-whaling-vessels-doesn-t-do-it-anymore/) [Paul Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-watson/) > [Whales are killed today to supply the limited demand for whale meat or to be used in pet foods or as fodder for fur-bearing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-watson/whales-are-killed-today-to-supply-the-limited-demand-for-whale-meat/) [Paul Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-watson/) > [In December 2012, the U.S. 9th district court granted a temporary injunction to the Japanese whalers that ordered the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society U.S.A.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-watson/in-december-2012-the-u-s-9th-district-court-granted-a-temporary/) [Paul Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-watson/) > [To me extremism is targeting endangered whales in a whale sanctuary in violation of a moratorium. That, to me, is extreme.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-watson/to-me-extremism-is-targeting-endangered-whales-in-a-whale-sanctuary/) [Paul Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-watson/) > [Does Greenpeace think it can stop whaling in Antarctica by publicly eating whale meat and declaring it delicious? What are these people thinking?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-watson/does-greenpeace-think-it-can-stop-whaling-in-antarctica-by-publicly/) [Paul Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-watson/) > [In 'Deadliest Catch,' we have men in ships in rough seas catching crabs. With 'Whale Wars,' we have men and women from a dozen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-watson/in-deadliest-catch-we-have-men-in-ships-in-rough-seas-catching-crabs/) [Paul Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-watson/) > [Costa Rica and Germany have simply been pawns in the Japanese quest to silence Sea Shepherd in an attempt to stop our annual opposition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-watson/costa-rica-and-germany-have-simply-been-pawns-in-the-japanese-quest/) [Paul Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-watson/) > [I will not watch a whale die. I've not seen a whale die since I left Greenpeace in 1977.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-watson/i-will-not-watch-a-whale-die-i-ve-not-seen-a-whale-die-since-i-left/) [Paul Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-watson/) > [This isn't a hunt that's going to kill just four or five gray whales. The repercussions of this will have an effect on tens…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-watson/this-isn-t-a-hunt-that-s-going-to-kill-just-four-or-five-gray-whales/) [Paul Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-watson/) > [As long as there is a Southern Ocean whale sanctuary, Sea Shepherd crew will continue to patrol and defend it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-watson/as-long-as-there-is-a-southern-ocean-whale-sanctuary-sea-shepherd/) [Paul Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-watson/) > [Back in 1980, whale watching surpassed whaling as an industry. Now it's worth about four times as much. Whale watching provides far, far more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-watson/back-in-1980-whale-watching-surpassed-whaling-as-an-industry-now-it-s/) [Paul Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-watson/) > [All of the great whales are endangered.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-watson/all-of-the-great-whales-are-endangered/) [Paul Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-watson/) ## More by Paul Watson > [Social change comes through people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-watson/social-change-comes-through-people/) [Paul Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-watson/) > [Sea Shepherd is to terrorism what Groucho was to Marxism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-watson/sea-shepherd-is-to-terrorism-what-groucho-was-to-marxism/) [Paul Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-watson/) > [You don't get anywhere unless you've had a little bit of a complicated life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-watson/you-don-t-get-anywhere-unless-you-ve-had-a-little-bit-of-a/) [Paul Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-watson/) > [Here's the thing: Nobody gets extradited for a crime where nobody's been hurt, where no property's been damaged.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-watson/here-s-the-thing-nobody-gets-extradited-for-a-crime-where-nobody-s/) [Paul Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-watson/) > [The shark is the apex predator in the sea. Sharks have molded evolution for 450 million years. All fish species that are prey to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-watson/the-shark-is-the-apex-predator-in-the-sea-sharks-have-molded/) [Paul Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-watson/) > [We are literally eating the oceans alive and there are simply not enough fish to continue to feed an ever expanding population of humanity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-watson/we-are-literally-eating-the-oceans-alive-and-there-are-simply-not/) [Paul Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-watson/) > [I want to stay in the ocean. I'm not going to be able to do that from some holding cell in Japan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-watson/i-want-to-stay-in-the-ocean-i-m-not-going-to-be-able-to-do-that-from/) [Paul Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-watson/) > [It is true that many of the Sea Shepherd crewmembers are inexperienced, but the fact is that these volunteers bring a passion to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-watson/it-is-true-that-many-of-the-sea-shepherd-crewmembers-are/) [Paul Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-watson/) > [We have intelligent species on our planet that we are not even trying to communicate with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-watson/we-have-intelligent-species-on-our-planet-that-we-are-not-even-trying/) [Paul Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-watson/) > [I don't think you really have to retire from what you do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-watson/i-don-t-think-you-really-have-to-retire-from-what-you-do/) [Paul Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-watson/) > [If you want to know where you would have stood on slavery before the Civil War, don’t look at where you stand on slavery…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-watson/if-you-want-to-know-where-you-would-have-stood-on-slavery-before-the/) [Paul Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-watson/) > [People sometimes feel frustrated about what's going on in our oceans and environment, and 'Whale Wars' shows that ordinary people can take action and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-watson/people-sometimes-feel-frustrated-about-what-s-going-on-in-our-oceans/) [Paul Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-watson/) > [The only language that the Japanese whaling industry understands is economics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-watson/the-only-language-that-the-japanese-whaling-industry-understands-is/) [Paul Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-watson/) > [I'm not pessimistic about anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-watson/i-m-not-pessimistic-about-anything/) [Paul Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-watson/) > [I don't eat fish because there is no such thing as sustainable fishing in the world right now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-watson/i-don-t-eat-fish-because-there-is-no-such-thing-as-sustainable/) [Paul Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-watson/) [Explore all 203 Paul Watson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-watson/) ## More Abhorrent quotes > [“Strange isn't it? How it's the direction we are viewed from that makes us attractive or abhorrent.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/galen-beckett/strange-isn-t-it-how-it-s-the-direction-we-are-viewed-from-that-makes/) [Galen Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/galen-beckett/) > [Individual web pages as they first appeared in the early 1990s had the flavour of person-hood. MySpace preserved some of that flavour, though a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaron-lanier/individual-web-pages-as-they-first-appeared-in-the-early-1990s-had/) [Jaron Lanier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaron-lanier/) > [Nothing can be more abhorrent to democracy than to imprison a person or keep him in prison because he is unpopular. 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The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/watchman-nee/we-may-love-to-say-many-things-but-if-these-are-not-uttered-in-the/) [Watchman Nee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/watchman-nee/) > [As abhorrent as some of this content can be, I do think that it gets down to this principle of giving people a voice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-zuckerberg/as-abhorrent-as-some-of-this-content-can-be-i-do-think-that-it-gets/) [Mark Zuckerberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-zuckerberg/) > [Man was born into barbarism when killing his fellow man was a normal condition of existence. He became endowed with a conscience. And he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/man-was-born-into-barbarism-when-killing-his-fellow-man-was-a-normal/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [We don't have an appreciable American left any more in the United States. 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