--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I have a complicated relationship with…" description: "\"I have a complicated relationship with non-human animals. I've never really been close to one.\" — Rachel Zucker" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/561/rachel-zucker-17810_animal_i-have-a-complicated-relationship-with-n_2571193.jpg" --- # I have a complicated relationship with non-human animals… ![“I have a complicated relationship with non-human animals. I've never really been close to one.” quote by Rachel Zucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/561/rachel-zucker-17810_animal_i-have-a-complicated-relationship-with-n_2571193.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/561/rachel-zucker-17810_animal_i-have-a-complicated-relationship-with-n_2571193.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/561/rachel-zucker-17810_animal_i-have-a-complicated-relationship-with-n_2571193.jpg) > “I have a complicated relationship with non-human animals. I've never really been close to one.” [Rachel Zucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-zucker/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She acknowledges a distant, uneasy bond with animals, indicating ambivalence **In simple terms:** She feels uneasy around animals Key Takeaway Examine personal boundaries with non‑human beings Themes relationship animal empathy self‑reflection Mood reflective thoughtful Type personal philosophical When to use this quote - pet ownership - activism - environmental work - personal growth Key Concepts complicated feelings distance Questions to Reflect On - What shapes your relationship with animals? - Can empathy be cultivated intentionally? A Different Perspective Animals may be misunderstood or feared ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Animal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) [Animals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animals/) [Complicated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/complicated/) [Complicated relationship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/complicated-relationship/) [Human animal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-animal/) [Human Animals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-animals-666674/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Non Human](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/non-human-1329736/) [Relationship Non](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relationship-non-1692155/) ## Related quotes > [People differ in where they direct their empathy and their compassion. Many people are intensely concerned about the suffering of non-human animals, and some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-bloom/people-differ-in-where-they-direct-their-empathy-and-their-compassion/) [Paul Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-bloom/) > [Nothing is more violent and radical than what's being done to non-human animals in our society. If a researcher won't stop abusing animals and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-vlasak/nothing-is-more-violent-and-radical-than-what-s-being-done-to-non/) [Jerry Vlasak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-vlasak/) > [human animals and nonhuman animals can communicate quite well; if we are brought up around animals as children we take this for granted. By…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/human-animals-and-nonhuman-animals-can-communicate-quite-well-if-we/) [Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/) > [You can often give a better description of the fight between people, the essentials of it, by means of fantastic animals, the simple, primitive,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asger-jorn/you-can-often-give-a-better-description-of-the-fight-between-people/) [Asger Jorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asger-jorn/) > [A perfect relationship is when two non-perfect people empower each other to better themselves for one another and for the world around them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thierry-browers/a-perfect-relationship-is-when-two-non-perfect-people-empower-each/) [Thierry Browers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thierry-browers/) > [I think it's a huge shortcoming of mine - this disconnect between the world of human and animals. We are animals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-zucker/i-think-it-s-a-huge-shortcoming-of-mine-this-disconnect-between-the/) [Rachel Zucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-zucker/) > [The problem is that for almost any feature of humanity that you can name, whether it's the ability to suffer, whether it's the capacity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-jamieson/the-problem-is-that-for-almost-any-feature-of-humanity-that-you-can/) [Dale Jamieson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-jamieson/) > [If we are concerned about the exploitation of human workers in countries with low standards of worker protection, we should also be concerned about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/if-we-are-concerned-about-the-exploitation-of-human-workers-in/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [Doctors are human animals. They want to be loved, they are tribal, they instinctually favor stories over scientific evidence, they make mistakes, and even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-dreger/doctors-are-human-animals-they-want-to-be-loved-they-are-tribal-they-2/) [Alice Dreger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-dreger/) > [To me, it is one world, and the non-human animals bear the brunt of oppression and suffering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ingrid-newkirk/to-me-it-is-one-world-and-the-non-human-animals-bear-the-brunt-of/) [Ingrid Newkirk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ingrid-newkirk/) > [The more we learn of the true nature of non-human animals, especially those with complex brains and corresponding complex social behavior, the more ethical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goodall/the-more-we-learn-of-the-true-nature-of-non-human-animals-especially/) [Jane Goodall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goodall/) > [“As the English historian Marc Gold wrote in 1995, “The term animal rights is nothing more than a useful kind of shorthand for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-waldau/as-the-english-historian-marc-gold-wrote-in-1995-the-term-animal/) [Paul Waldau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-waldau/) > [...In little more than a single century from 1820 to 19450, no less than fifty-nine million human animals were killed in inter-group clashes of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-morris/in-little-more-than-a-single-century-from-1820-to-19450-no-less-than/) [Desmond Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-morris/) > [We may be human, but we're still animals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-vai/we-may-be-human-but-we-re-still-animals/) [Steve Vai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-vai/) > [Doctors are human animals. They want to be loved, they are tribal, they instinctually favor stories over scientific evidence, they make mistakes, and even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-dreger/doctors-are-human-animals-they-want-to-be-loved-they-are-tribal-they/) [Alice Dreger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-dreger/) ## More by Rachel Zucker > [In high school my mother advised me to make my last lines into titles. It was very good advice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-zucker/in-high-school-my-mother-advised-me-to-make-my-last-lines-into-titles/) [Rachel Zucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-zucker/) > [I don't remember ever dressing up for Halloween but I must have. I do not like dressing up at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-zucker/i-don-t-remember-ever-dressing-up-for-halloween-but-i-must-have-i-do/) [Rachel Zucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-zucker/) > [I HATE HALLOWEEN. This makes me VERY unpopular.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-zucker/i-hate-halloween-this-makes-me-very-unpopular/) [Rachel Zucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-zucker/) > [I do not like candy. I do not like knocking on strangers' doors. I do not like having to deal with the candy disaster…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-zucker/i-do-not-like-candy-i-do-not-like-knocking-on-strangers-doors-i-do/) [Rachel Zucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-zucker/) > [“a woman with young children is not a woman but a mammal, salve, croon, water carrier”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-zucker/a-woman-with-young-children-is-not-a-woman-but-a-mammal-salve-croon/) [Rachel Zucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-zucker/) > [I'm fascinated by but afraid of animals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-zucker/i-m-fascinated-by-but-afraid-of-animals/) [Rachel Zucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-zucker/) > [Usually I avoid sugar, but sugar is like the most deeply satisfying addictive thing ever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-zucker/usually-i-avoid-sugar-but-sugar-is-like-the-most-deeply-satisfying/) [Rachel Zucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-zucker/) > [I think it's a huge shortcoming of mine - this disconnect between the world of human and animals. We are animals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-zucker/i-think-it-s-a-huge-shortcoming-of-mine-this-disconnect-between-the/) [Rachel Zucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-zucker/) > [Very little of my time is spent thinking about poetry, except the time I spend in class.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-zucker/very-little-of-my-time-is-spent-thinking-about-poetry-except-the-time/) [Rachel Zucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-zucker/) > [I have a longing for wilderness and for greenness. I wish I were a person who longed for animals, but I'm not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-zucker/i-have-a-longing-for-wilderness-and-for-greenness-i-wish-i-were-a/) [Rachel Zucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-zucker/) > [It's hard for me to find humor in my current non-writing situation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-zucker/it-s-hard-for-me-to-find-humor-in-my-current-non-writing-situation/) [Rachel Zucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-zucker/) > [I don't write very much about penises. More than some poets but not perhaps as much as I should.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-zucker/i-don-t-write-very-much-about-penises-more-than-some-poets-but-not/) [Rachel Zucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-zucker/) > [When I edit the poems - and I do edit, which some people don't mean when they use the term "stream of consciousness" -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-zucker/when-i-edit-the-poems-and-i-do-edit-which-some-people-don-t-mean-when/) [Rachel Zucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-zucker/) > [Lizzie Harris's Stop Wanting is an unflinching book about a girlhood filled with violence, doubt, vulnerability, and loss. These gorgeously crafted and hauntingly memorable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-zucker/lizzie-harris-s-stop-wanting-is-an-unflinching-book-about-a-girlhood/) [Rachel Zucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-zucker/) > [I think humor and terror are very closely related.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-zucker/i-think-humor-and-terror-are-very-closely-related/) [Rachel Zucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-zucker/) [Explore all 36 Rachel Zucker quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-zucker/) ## More Animal quotes > [I was 3-years-old - to this day it is a vivid memory. My family and I were on a boat, catching fish. As one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joaquin-phoenix/i-was-3-years-old-to-this-day-it-is-a-vivid-memory-my-family-and-i/) [Joaquin Phoenix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joaquin-phoenix/) > [Animals know nothing of themselves, and they also know nothing of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/animals-know-nothing-of-themselves-and-they-also-know-nothing-of-the/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [Humans are animals too, but some do not like to work from expectations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/humans-are-animals-too-but-some-do-not-like-to-work-from-expectations/) [Mak\_786](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mak-786/) > [When grubbing for necessities man is still an animal. 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": "I have a complicated relationship with non-human animals. 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