--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It seems to me perfectly possible to act…" description: "\"It seems to me perfectly possible to act humanely towards other beings, whether humans or animals or plants. One simply has to learn how to behave. To ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6eb/talal-asad-25475_animal_it-seems-to-me-perfectly-possible-to-act_2309286.jpg" --- # It seems to me perfectly possible to act humanely towards… ![“It seems to me perfectly possible to act humanely towards other beings, whether humans or animals or plants. One simply has to learn how to behave. To behave "humanely" it is perfectly possible to do without the notion of "humanity."” quote by Talal Asad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6eb/talal-asad-25475_animal_it-seems-to-me-perfectly-possible-to-act_2309286.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6eb/talal-asad-25475_animal_it-seems-to-me-perfectly-possible-to-act_2309286.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6eb/talal-asad-25475_animal_it-seems-to-me-perfectly-possible-to-act_2309286.jpg) > “It seems to me perfectly possible to act humanely towards other beings, whether humans or animals or plants. One simply has to learn how to behave. To behave "humanely" it is perfectly possible to do without the notion of "humanity."” [Talal Asad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/talal-asad/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Humaneness can be practiced toward all beings without invoking humanity; it requires learning appropriate behavior. **In simple terms:** One can act kindly toward any being by learning how. Key Takeaway Learn compassionate behavior toward all life. Themes ethics compassion interconnectedness Mood thoughtful inspirational Type ethical philosophical When to use this quote - animal welfare - environmental activism - education - daily interactions Key Concepts anthropology moral philosophy Questions to Reflect On - How can we teach humane behavior across cultures? - What limits arise when redefining humanity? A Different Perspective Humanity concept may be culturally contested, complicating universal application. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Animal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) [Humanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humanity/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Nature of man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-of-man/) [Plant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plant/) ## Related quotes > [To behave "humanely" it is perfectly possible to do without the notion of "humanity."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/talal-asad/to-behave-humanely-it-is-perfectly-possible-to-do-without-the-notion/) [Talal Asad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/talal-asad/) > [In order for a government to act humanely towards someone, it must first act inhumanely towards someone else](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith-2/in-order-for-a-government-to-act-humanely-towards-someone-it-must/) L Neil Smith > [... what we can be positive about is what we have just said, namely that they must be given the right education, whatever that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/what-we-can-be-positive-about-is-what-we-have-just-said-namely-that/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [All things considered, defending our borders by building a fence to keep out people is a necessity. There is no more humane alternative when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-orban/all-things-considered-defending-our-borders-by-building-a-fence-to/) [Viktor Orban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-orban/) > [I think it's an important lesson for a child. How to behave humanely toward another human being.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-frost/i-think-it-s-an-important-lesson-for-a-child-how-to-behave-humanely/) [Jo Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-frost/) > [Neither a man nor a crowd nor a nation can be trusted to act humanely or to think sanely under the influence of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/neither-a-man-nor-a-crowd-nor-a-nation-can-be-trusted-to-act-humanely/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [Even in war, everyone deserves to be treated humanely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-maurer/even-in-war-everyone-deserves-to-be-treated-humanely/) [Peter Maurer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-maurer/) > [“Extermination must be put on a scientific basis if it is ever to be carried out humanely and apologetically as well as thoroughly.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/extermination-must-be-put-on-a-scientific-basis-if-it-is-ever-to-be/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [If you absolutely must express yourself with the use of animal hide, fur, antlers etc., then at the very least make sure it has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-farr/if-you-absolutely-must-express-yourself-with-the-use-of-animal-hide/) [Hilary Farr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-farr/) > [It often happens that a man is more humanely related to a cat or dog than to any human being.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/it-often-happens-that-a-man-is-more-humanely-related-to-a-cat-or-dog/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [If you are called upon to govern humans, treat them humanely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-kalinin/if-you-are-called-upon-to-govern-humans-treat-them-humanely/) [Mikhail Kalinin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-kalinin/) > [Our laws are a reflection of our culture. Our culture does not condone the torture of innocent and defenseless creatures. And we as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-moore/our-laws-are-a-reflection-of-our-culture-our-culture-does-not-condone/) [Joe Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-moore/) > [You're going to have a deportation force. And you're going to do it humanely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/you-re-going-to-have-a-deportation-force-and-you-re-going-to-do-it/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [Over the years I have developed a picture of what a human being living humanely is like. She is a person who understand, values…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-satir/over-the-years-i-have-developed-a-picture-of-what-a-human-being/) [Virginia Satir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-satir/) > [“Keep in mind that democracy merely gives power to the people; it does not ensure that power will be used wisely or humanely.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-stark/keep-in-mind-that-democracy-merely-gives-power-to-the-people-it-does/) [Rodney Stark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-stark/) ## More by Talal Asad > [The propensity to intellectualize is itself both essential and dangerous. I think in our modern world we are much more aware of its essential…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/talal-asad/the-propensity-to-intellectualize-is-itself-both-essential-and/) [Talal Asad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/talal-asad/) > [Certainly in order to understand the natural world one needs clarity, logic, and the capacity for theory building. But that understanding tends to improve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/talal-asad/certainly-in-order-to-understand-the-natural-world-one-needs-clarity/) [Talal Asad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/talal-asad/) > [I think the approach to Islam as a tradition is helpful. Tradition helps us to focus on questions about authority and temporality, and about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/talal-asad/i-think-the-approach-to-islam-as-a-tradition-is-helpful-tradition/) [Talal Asad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/talal-asad/) > [Language has multiple uses, and is embedded in different forms of life. It is not necessary to have this grand concept of "humanity" in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/talal-asad/language-has-multiple-uses-and-is-embedded-in-different-forms-of-life/) [Talal Asad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/talal-asad/) > [Believers are often thought of as people who have some kind of private conviction or repudiation of something, whereas "the faithful" refers to a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/talal-asad/believers-are-often-thought-of-as-people-who-have-some-kind-of/) [Talal Asad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/talal-asad/) > [You do not need intellectuality for deep faith. You do not need it for behaving humanely towards people whether fellow Muslims or non-Muslims. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/talal-asad/you-do-not-need-intellectuality-for-deep-faith-you-do-not-need-it-for/) [Talal Asad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/talal-asad/) > [The Genealogical Science is a wonderful account of how old-fashioned race science has come to be re-defined by resort to the most recent developments…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/talal-asad/the-genealogical-science-is-a-wonderful-account-of-how-old-fashioned/) [Talal Asad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/talal-asad/) > [In liberal society we claim that freedom of speech is sacred and therefore has an absolute character. But we know (or should know) that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/talal-asad/in-liberal-society-we-claim-that-freedom-of-speech-is-sacred-and/) [Talal Asad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/talal-asad/) > [“The construction of civilizational difference is not exclusive in any simple sense. The de-essentialization of Islam is paradigmatic for all thinking about the assimilation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/talal-asad/the-construction-of-civilizational-difference-is-not-exclusive-in-any/) [Talal Asad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/talal-asad/) > [For the law, the clarity of language and the finality of judgment is crucial, because you have to decide a case one way or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/talal-asad/for-the-law-the-clarity-of-language-and-the-finality-of-judgment-is/) [Talal Asad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/talal-asad/) > [You should never employ your intellect but only that it is not essential to exercise it in order to live a humane life. Language…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/talal-asad/you-should-never-employ-your-intellect-but-only-that-it-is-not/) [Talal Asad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/talal-asad/) > [The notion of "humanity" as a form of transcendence derives, I think, from the conviction that intellectuality possesses an absolute power, from the demand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/talal-asad/the-notion-of-humanity-as-a-form-of-transcendence-derives-i-think/) [Talal Asad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/talal-asad/) > [I do not think there is such a thing as a "clash of civilizations." When I say that Muslims as Muslims cannot be represented…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/talal-asad/i-do-not-think-there-is-such-a-thing-as-a-clash-of-civilizations-when/) [Talal Asad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/talal-asad/) > [Why is it that aggression in the name of God shocks secular liberal sensibilities, whereas the act of killing in the name of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/talal-asad/why-is-it-that-aggression-in-the-name-of-god-shocks-secular-liberal/) [Talal Asad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/talal-asad/) > [Tradition is an aspiration to connect the Self with the Other. One "internalizes" the Other as one acquires a sense of what one's own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/talal-asad/tradition-is-an-aspiration-to-connect-the-self-with-the-other-one/) [Talal Asad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/talal-asad/) [Explore all 23 Talal Asad quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/talal-asad/) ## 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. 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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": "It seems to me perfectly possible to act humanely towards other beings, whether humans or animals or plants. One simply has to learn how to behave. 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