--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I want to spit back at a camel and ask…" description: "\"“I want to spit back at a camel and ask him what he's so sour about. Maybe camels are the real 'Old Ones' on this planet ... and that what is wrong wit..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/890/robert-a-heinlein-209_camels_i-want-to-spit-back-at-a-camel-and-ask-h_112044.jpg" --- # I want to spit back at a camel and ask him what he's so… ![“I want to spit back at a camel and ask him what he's so sour about. Maybe camels are the real 'Old Ones' on this planet ... and that what is wrong with the place.” quote by Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/890/robert-a-heinlein-209_camels_i-want-to-spit-back-at-a-camel-and-ask-h_112044.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/890/robert-a-heinlein-209_camels_i-want-to-spit-back-at-a-camel-and-ask-h_112044.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/890/robert-a-heinlein-209_camels_i-want-to-spit-back-at-a-camel-and-ask-h_112044.jpg) > ““I want to spit back at a camel and ask him what he's so sour about. Maybe camels are the real 'Old Ones' on this planet ... and that what is wrong with the place.”” [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker suggests that camels, often maligned, might embody the ancient, resilient forces of Earth, implying that our disdain stems from misunderstanding nature’s enduring qualities. **In simple terms:** Camels could be the true ancient beings we misjudge. Key Takeaway Misunderstanding nature leads to misplaced contempt. Themes Nature Misinterpretation Resilience Ancient Wisdom Mood Reflective Wry Type Philosophical Nature‑centric When to use this quote - Debating wildlife conservation - Discussing climate adaptation - Analyzing cultural symbols Key Concepts Anthropocentrism Ecology Practical Applications - Reframe attitudes toward misunderstood species - Incorporate ecological humility in policy Questions to Reflect On - What assumptions shape our view of 'other' species? - How can we recognize value in seemingly unappealing beings? A Different Perspective The metaphor may over‑personify camels, ignoring their biological specifics. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Camels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/camels/) [Zoos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/zoos/) ## Related quotes > [My face is sour. Maybe that's why they say I'm a dictator.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusto-pinochet/my-face-is-sour-maybe-that-s-why-they-say-i-m-a-dictator/) [Augusto Pinochet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusto-pinochet/) > [Straining at gnats and swallowing camels is a required course in law schools.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/straining-at-gnats-and-swallowing-camels-is-a-required-course-in-law/) [Robert A. 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I found this a depressing commentary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/our-camels-plodded-along-katrina-tried-to-kiss-or-possibly-spit-on/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [Sybil's female forebears had valiantly backed up their husbands as distant embassies were besieged, had given birth on a camel or in the shade…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/sybil-s-female-forebears-had-valiantly-backed-up-their-husbands-as/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [Don't you think it's strange that life, described as so rich and full, a camel-trail of adventure, should shrink to this coin-sized world? A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/don-t-you-think-it-s-strange-that-life-described-as-so-rich-and-full/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [You'd think that would have been forgotten long ago. 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Reindeer seem over-serious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-moore/camels-are-snobbish-and-sheep-unintelligent-water-buffaloes/) [Marianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-moore/) > [Death is a black camel, which kneels at the gates of all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abdelkader-el-djezairi/death-is-a-black-camel-which-kneels-at-the-gates-of-all/) [Abdelkader El Djezairi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abdelkader-el-djezairi/) > [Rich folks may ride on camels, but it ain't so easy for 'em to see out of a needle's eye.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/rich-folks-may-ride-on-camels-but-it-ain-t-so-easy-for-em-to-see-out/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [Astride a horse I am not, nor camel-like carry a load, Subjects I have none, nor follow any sultan's code; I worry not for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saadi/astride-a-horse-i-am-not-nor-camel-like-carry-a-load-subjects-i-have/) [Saadi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saadi/) > [Expediency is a law of nature. The camel is a wonderful animal, but the desert made the camel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-disraeli/expediency-is-a-law-of-nature-the-camel-is-a-wonderful-animal-but-the/) [Benjamin Disraeli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-disraeli/) > [In cities it is useless to look at the stars or to describe them, worship them, or seek direction from them. When lost, one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rawi-hage/in-cities-it-is-useless-to-look-at-the-stars-or-to-describe-them/) [Rawi Hage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rawi-hage/) ## More by Robert A. Heinlein > [Social responsibility above the level of family, or at most of tribe, requires imagination-- devotion, loyalty, all the higher virtues -- which a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/social-responsibility-above-the-level-of-family-or-at-most-of-tribe/) [Robert A. 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Reindeer seem over-serious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-moore/camels-are-snobbish-and-sheep-unintelligent-water-buffaloes/) [Marianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-moore/) > [My heart has become capable of every form: It is a pasture for gazelles And a monastery for Christian monks, And the pilgrim's Ka'ba,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ibn-arabi/my-heart-has-become-capable-of-every-form-it-is-a-pasture-for/) [Ibn Arabi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ibn-arabi/) > [It's the camel's nose in the tent. Look at Stalin, Mussolini, Hitler, Mao Zedong, Pol Pot, Idi Amin--every one of these monsters, on seizing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlton-heston/it-s-the-camel-s-nose-in-the-tent-look-at-stalin-mussolini-hitler-mao/) [Charlton Heston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlton-heston/) > [You'd think that would have been forgotten long ago. 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A really pissed off camel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/art-donovan/he-runs-like-a-camel-a-really-pissed-off-camel/) [Art Donovan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/art-donovan/) [Browse all 187 Camels quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/camels/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I want to spit back at a camel and ask him what he's so sour about. Maybe camels are the real 'Old Ones' on this planet ... and that what is wrong with the place.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Robert A. 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