--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: An animal will kill, but never to…" description: "\"“An animal will kill, but never to completely annihilate a race, a whole collectively. What does this make us in this world?”\" — Philip Gourevitch" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43a/philip-gourevitch-17484_animals_an-animal-will-kill-but-never-to-complet_250051.jpg" --- # An animal will kill, but never to completely annihilate a… ![“An animal will kill, but never to completely annihilate a race, a whole collectively. What does this make us in this world?” quote by Philip Gourevitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43a/philip-gourevitch-17484_animals_an-animal-will-kill-but-never-to-complet_250051.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43a/philip-gourevitch-17484_animals_an-animal-will-kill-but-never-to-complet_250051.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43a/philip-gourevitch-17484_animals_an-animal-will-kill-but-never-to-complet_250051.jpg) > ““An animal will kill, but never to completely annihilate a race, a whole collectively. What does this make us in this world?”” [Philip Gourevitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-gourevitch/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Humans can cause harm without aiming to eradicate an entire group, revealing moral contradictions. **In simple terms:** People can harm without wanting total destruction. Key Takeaway Reflect on the limits of human cruelty. Themes ethics violence human nature Mood somber thoughtful Type philosophical reflective When to use this quote - war - genocide - social justice - historical analysis Key Concepts philosophy morality Questions to Reflect On - What drives selective violence? - Can empathy prevent such actions? A Different Perspective The quote lacks context about specific events. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Animals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animals/) ## Related quotes > [Man is the hardest animal to kill. If he gets away he will come back to kill you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/man-is-the-hardest-animal-to-kill-if-he-gets-away-he-will-come-back/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Is this really what we want to do? Kill ourselves off completely? In the hopes that — what? Some decent species will inherit the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/is-this-really-what-we-want-to-do-kill-ourselves-off-completely-in/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [I imagine that in a closed, hermetic society like the mob, where everybody knows each other, it must be really, really unpleasant to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-dominik/i-imagine-that-in-a-closed-hermetic-society-like-the-mob-where/) [Andrew Dominik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-dominik/) > [Nothing will kill what you've been called to do more than comparing yourself to someone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-moore/nothing-will-kill-what-you-ve-been-called-to-do-more-than-comparing/) [Beth Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-moore/) > [“Well, let's say you heard a fight in the boys' bathroom, and you broke it up. 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