--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My own view is that being a vegetarian or…" description: "\"My own view is that being a vegetarian or vegan is not an end in itself, but a means towards reducing both human and animal suffering and leaving a hab..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4de/peter-singer-1001_animal_my-own-view-is-that-being-a-vegetarian-o_1535755.jpg" --- # My own view is that being a vegetarian or vegan is not an… ![“My own view is that being a vegetarian or vegan is not an end in itself, but a means towards reducing both human and animal suffering and leaving a habitable planet to future generations.” quote by Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4de/peter-singer-1001_animal_my-own-view-is-that-being-a-vegetarian-o_1535755.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4de/peter-singer-1001_animal_my-own-view-is-that-being-a-vegetarian-o_1535755.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4de/peter-singer-1001_animal_my-own-view-is-that-being-a-vegetarian-o_1535755.jpg) > “My own view is that being a vegetarian or vegan is not an end in itself, but a means towards reducing both human and animal suffering and leaving a habitable planet to future generations.” [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Choosing a plant‑based diet is a practical way to lessen suffering and protect the environment for future people. **In simple terms:** Eating plants reduces harm and helps the planet. Key Takeaway Adopt a diet that aligns with ethical and ecological goals. Themes ethics environment diet compassion Mood thoughtful determined Type ethical practical When to use this quote - family meals - school cafeterias - policy advocacy - personal health plans Key Concepts utilitarianism sustainability animal rights Questions to Reflect On - How can you balance personal health with ethical eating? - What policies could support broader dietary shifts? A Different Perspective May overlook nutritional needs or cultural traditions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Animal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) [Animal suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal-suffering/) [Being](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being/) [Food](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/food/) [Future](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/future/) [Future generations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/future-generations/) [Generations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/generations/) [Human](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human/) [Planet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/planet/) [Suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering/) [Vegan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vegan/) [Vegetarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vegetarian/) ## Related quotes > [It is my view that the vegetarian manner of living, by its purely physical effect on the human temperament, would most beneficially influence the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/it-is-my-view-that-the-vegetarian-manner-of-living-by-its-purely/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [Although I have been prevented by outward circumstances from observing a strictly vegetarian diet, I have long been an adherent to the cause in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/although-i-have-been-prevented-by-outward-circumstances-from/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [I don't eat meat. I've been a vegetarian since 1971. I've gradually become increasingly vegan. I am largely vegan, but I'm a flexible vegan.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/i-don-t-eat-meat-i-ve-been-a-vegetarian-since-1971-i-ve-gradually/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [Typically, defenders of experiments on animals do not deny that animals suffer. They cannot deny the animals' suffering, because they need to stress the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/typically-defenders-of-experiments-on-animals-do-not-deny-that/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [Why are you a vegetarian? I'm a vegetarian, because killing animals is cruel. They should just leave free. What a Vegan? A vegan, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasmine-laura/why-are-you-a-vegetarian-i-m-a-vegetarian-because-killing-animals-is/) [Jasmine Laura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasmine-laura/) > [“Carefully planned vegetarian and vegan diets can provide adequate nutrients for optimum health(11). Evidence suggests that infants and children can be successfully reared on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-t-mcevoy/carefully-planned-vegetarian-and-vegan-diets-can-provide-adequate/) Claire T. McEvoy > [“American Dietetic Association (ADA) surveyed all the studies on food and health, they concluded not just that a vegetarian or vegan diet is as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-freston/american-dietetic-association-ada-surveyed-all-the-studies-on-food/) [Kathy Freston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-freston/) > [I call myself a vegetarian with vegan tendencies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leona-lewis/i-call-myself-a-vegetarian-with-vegan-tendencies/) [Leona Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leona-lewis/) > [Leandros's favorite place had turned out not to be vegetarian, but vegan, which was for people who preferred their suicide slow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-thurman/leandros-s-favorite-place-had-turned-out-not-to-be-vegetarian-but/) [Rob Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-thurman/) > [“It is the position of the American Dietetic Association that appropriately planned vegetarian diets, including total vegetarian or vegan diets, are healthful, nutritionally adequate,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/magnus-vinding/it-is-the-position-of-the-american-dietetic-association-that/) Magnus Vinding > [“It is difficult to ascertain what role these articles play in marginalizing the vegetarian experience when there are so many more pressing issues that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunaura-taylor/it-is-difficult-to-ascertain-what-role-these-articles-play-in/) Sunaura Taylor > [When travelling, I make a point of eating a proper diet no matter where I am in the world. It is getting much easier…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-player/when-travelling-i-make-a-point-of-eating-a-proper-diet-no-matter/) [Gary Player](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-player/) > [The more animal products you remove from your diet, the better you feel. The difference between vegetarian and vegan is huge. I feel so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-anderson/the-more-animal-products-you-remove-from-your-diet-the-better-you/) [Pamela Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-anderson/) > [I'm pretty healthy so I think that helps a lot. I've been that way for a long time - 20 solid years of eating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jared-leto/i-m-pretty-healthy-so-i-think-that-helps-a-lot-i-ve-been-that-way-for/) [Jared Leto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jared-leto/) > [How self-centered, how arrogant... Imagine the awesome privilege of living in a society where you get to choose what you eat at each and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherman-alexie/how-self-centered-how-arrogant-imagine-the-awesome-privilege-of/) [Sherman Alexie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherman-alexie/) ## More by Peter Singer > [I have never really been fond of animals. I certainly wasn't an 'animal lover' when I became involved in the movement. I just came…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/i-have-never-really-been-fond-of-animals-i-certainly-wasn-t-an-animal/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [Knowledge is generally considered a good thing; so, presumably, knowing more about how the U.S. thinks and operates around the world is also good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/knowledge-is-generally-considered-a-good-thing-so-presumably-knowing/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [The price we are willing to pay for safety cannot be infinite. It is distasteful to put a price on human life, but the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/the-price-we-are-willing-to-pay-for-safety-cannot-be-infinite-it-is/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [The hope of Internet anarchists was that repressive governments would have only two options: accept the Internet with its limitless possibilities of spreading information,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/the-hope-of-internet-anarchists-was-that-repressive-governments-would/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [ Nineteen thousand children \[are\] dying every day. Does it really matter that we're not walking past them in the street? Does it really matter… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/nineteen-thousand-children-are-dying-every-day-does-it-really-matter/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [“The unchallenged assumption is that humans may use animals for their own purposes, and they may raise and kill them to satisfy their preference…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/the-unchallenged-assumption-is-that-humans-may-use-animals-for-their/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [Beginning to reason is like stepping onto an escalator that leads upward and out of sight. Once we take the first step, the distance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/beginning-to-reason-is-like-stepping-onto-an-escalator-that-leads/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [“Population growth is not a reason against giving aid but a reason for reconsidering the kind of aid to give.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/population-growth-is-not-a-reason-against-giving-aid-but-a-reason-for/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [Well the real concept of basic needs if you cut it right down are simply the physical needs that are unavoidable for all of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/well-the-real-concept-of-basic-needs-if-you-cut-it-right-down-are/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [“Dairy farmers routinely remove calves from their mothers at an early age so that the milk will be available for humans; anyone who has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/dairy-farmers-routinely-remove-calves-from-their-mothers-at-an-early/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [Attempts to defend amusement parks and circuses on the grounds that they 'educate' people about animals should not be taken seriously. 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Productive activity becomes ‘activity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/a-consequence-of-this-alienation-of-humans-from-their-own-nature-is/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [“I argued against the view that the only obligation we have to strangers is to avoid harming them; but even if we were to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/i-argued-against-the-view-that-the-only-obligation-we-have-to/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [I believe that in this new world that we live in, we often have a responsibility, you know, to actually go beyond the thou…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/i-believe-that-in-this-new-world-that-we-live-in-we-often-have-a/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [It may be thought justifiable to require tests on animals of potentially life-saving drugs, but the same kinds of tests are used for products…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/it-may-be-thought-justifiable-to-require-tests-on-animals-of/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) [Explore all 310 Peter Singer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) ## More Animal quotes > [I was 3-years-old - to this day it is a vivid memory. 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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": "My own view is that being a vegetarian or vegan is not an end in itself, but a means towards reducing both human and animal suffering and leaving a habitable planet to future generations.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Peter Singer" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/my-own-view-is-that-being-a-vegetarian-or-vegan-is-not-an-end-in/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Animal" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/my-own-view-is-that-being-a-vegetarian-or-vegan-is-not-an-end-in/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4de/peter-singer-1001_animal_my-own-view-is-that-being-a-vegetarian-o_1535755.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4de/peter-singer-1001_animal_my-own-view-is-that-being-a-vegetarian-o_1535755.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4de/peter-singer-1001_animal_my-own-view-is-that-being-a-vegetarian-o_1535755.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“My own view is that being a vegetarian or vegan is not an end in itself, but a means towards reducing both…” — Peter Singer", "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": "Peter Singer", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "My own view is that being...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/my-own-view-is-that-being-a-vegetarian-or-vegan-is-not-an-end-in/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/my-own-view-is-that-being-a-vegetarian-or-vegan-is-not-an-end-in/#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 } } ] } ```