--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The animals to whom nature has given the…" description: "\"The animals to whom nature has given the faculty we call cunning know always when to use it, and use it wisely; but when man descends to cunning he blu..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c0e/thomas-paine-267_animal_the-animals-to-whom-nature-has-given-the_2947650.png" --- # The animals to whom nature has given the faculty we call… ![“The animals to whom nature has given the faculty we call cunning know always when to use it, and use it wisely; but when man descends to cunning he blunders and betrays.” quote by Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c0e/thomas-paine-267_animal_the-animals-to-whom-nature-has-given-the_2947650.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c0e/thomas-paine-267_animal_the-animals-to-whom-nature-has-given-the_2947650.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c0e/thomas-paine-267_animal_the-animals-to-whom-nature-has-given-the_2947650.png) > “The animals to whom nature has given the faculty we call cunning know always when to use it, and use it wisely; but when man descends to cunning he blunders and betrays.” [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Cunning is a natural skill used wisely by animals, but humans misuse it, leading to betrayal. **In simple terms:** Animals use cunning wisely; humans often misuse it. Key Takeaway Avoid overusing cleverness; stay honest. Themes ethics human nature wisdom Mood reflective cautious Type philosophical advice When to use this quote - politics - business negotiations - personal relationships - leadership - conflict resolution Key Concepts cunning betrayal nature Questions to Reflect On - When have you let cleverness backfire? - How can you channel cunning constructively? A Different Perspective Cunning can be beneficial when applied ethically. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Animal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) [Animals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animals/) [Betrayal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/betrayal/) [Blunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blunders/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) ## Related quotes > [Clever people, people who are cunning, do not know what love is because their minds are so sharp, because they are so clever, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/clever-people-people-who-are-cunning-do-not-know-what-love-is-because/) [Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/) > [The cunning of the fox is as murderous as the violence of the wolf.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/the-cunning-of-the-fox-is-as-murderous-as-the-violence-of-the-wolf/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [There is no doubt that the reason for my awful oversight was over-confidence that sapped my sense of danger. 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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": "The animals to whom nature has given the faculty we call cunning know always when to use it, and use it wisely; but when man descends to cunning he blunders and betrays.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Thomas Paine" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/the-animals-to-whom-nature-has-given-the-faculty-we-call-cunning-know/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Animal" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/the-animals-to-whom-nature-has-given-the-faculty-we-call-cunning-know/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c0e/thomas-paine-267_animal_the-animals-to-whom-nature-has-given-the_2947650.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c0e/thomas-paine-267_animal_the-animals-to-whom-nature-has-given-the_2947650.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c0e/thomas-paine-267_animal_the-animals-to-whom-nature-has-given-the_2947650.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The animals to whom nature has given the faculty we call cunning know always when to use it, and use it…” — Thomas Paine", "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": "Thomas Paine", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The animals to whom nature has...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/the-animals-to-whom-nature-has-given-the-faculty-we-call-cunning-know/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/the-animals-to-whom-nature-has-given-the-faculty-we-call-cunning-know/#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 } } ] } ```