--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We need to perceive ourselves as the…" description: "\"“We need to perceive ourselves as the special race. If not, beasts will perceive themselves as the chosen.”\" — Toba Beta" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/09b/toba-beta-105_animals_we-need-to-perceive-ourselves-as-the-spe_2085939.jpg" --- # We need to perceive ourselves as the special race. If not… ![“We need to perceive ourselves as the special race. If not, beasts will perceive themselves as the chosen.” quote by Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/09b/toba-beta-105_animals_we-need-to-perceive-ourselves-as-the-spe_2085939.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/09b/toba-beta-105_animals_we-need-to-perceive-ourselves-as-the-spe_2085939.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/09b/toba-beta-105_animals_we-need-to-perceive-ourselves-as-the-spe_2085939.jpg) > ““We need to perceive ourselves as the special race. If not, beasts will perceive themselves as the chosen.”” [Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote warns that viewing humanity as uniquely superior can lead to arrogance, while other beings may see themselves as entitled, fostering conflict. **In simple terms:** Seeing ourselves as special breeds arrogance and division. Key Takeaway Recognize humility and shared destiny. Themes humility ethics anthropocentrism Mood reflective cautious Type ethical philosophical When to use this quote - environmental policy - global cooperation - education curricula - interfaith dialogue Key Concepts egoism identity interdependence Questions to Reflect On - How does self‑importance affect our treatment of nature? - What can humility teach us about coexistence? A Different Perspective It may oversimplify complex species relationships. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Animals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animals/) [Beast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beast/) [Beasts Perceive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beasts-perceive-4098972/) [Chosen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chosen/) [Human](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human/) [Mind set](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind-set/) [Need Perceive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/need-perceive-2275187/) [Perceive Chosen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perceive-chosen-4098973/) [Perceive Special](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perceive-special-4098975/) [Race Beasts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/race-beasts-4098974/) [Racism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racism/) [Special](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/special/) ## Related quotes > [When we brand things, our brains perceive them as more special and valuable than they actually are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-lindstrom/when-we-brand-things-our-brains-perceive-them-as-more-special-and/) [Martin Lindstrom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-lindstrom/) > [When you're talking to a person, it only matters what they are perceiving. You only need them to perceive you as a loving husband.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-smith/when-you-re-talking-to-a-person-it-only-matters-what-they-are/) [Will Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-smith/) > [I must admit that many humans have a strong need to perceive life as in some sense benign and potentially happy. It is also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephan-a-hoeller/i-must-admit-that-many-humans-have-a-strong-need-to-perceive-life-as/) [Stephan A. Hoeller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephan-a-hoeller/) > [It would be hard to name a more certain sign of poor self-esteem than the need to perceive some other group as inferior.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-branden/it-would-be-hard-to-name-a-more-certain-sign-of-poor-self-esteem-than/) [Nathaniel Branden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-branden/) > [“Man does not commit sin in unintentional deed, but he might be the only one that could justify it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/man-does-not-commit-sin-in-unintentional-deed-but-he-might-be-the/) [Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/) > [“Ask a sage, he will explain. Ask a fool, he will complain.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/ask-a-sage-he-will-explain-ask-a-fool-he-will-complain/) [Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/) > [“At time of peace, we should love one another. At war, we should set our minds as the hunters.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/at-time-of-peace-we-should-love-one-another-at-war-we-should-set-our/) [Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/) > [People in the U.S. always got to be spoon-fed. If it's something to difficult to understand, they don't give it a chance. They want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phife-dawg/people-in-the-u-s-always-got-to-be-spoon-fed-if-it-s-something-to/) [Phife Dawg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phife-dawg/) > [Directing is like guitar playing. That's a unique mind-set and talent, unto itself. I like the idea of putting everything together to make a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/slash/directing-is-like-guitar-playing-that-s-a-unique-mind-set-and-talent/) [Slash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/slash/) > [I don't go out there and think 'Oh, I'm gonna go out there and just play ugly,' I go with the mind-set I'm going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-hart/i-don-t-go-out-there-and-think-oh-i-m-gonna-go-out-there-and-just/) [Josh Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-hart/) > [A mind set in its ways is wasted. Don't do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-schmidt/a-mind-set-in-its-ways-is-wasted-don-t-do-it/) [Eric Schmidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-schmidt/) > [One of the best ways to cultivate a possibility mind set is to prompt yourself to dream one size bigger than you normally do.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-maxwell/one-of-the-best-ways-to-cultivate-a-possibility-mind-set-is-to-prompt/) [John C. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-maxwell/) > [I am far from any intention to limit curiosity, or confine the labours of learning to arts of immediate and necessary use. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/i-am-far-from-any-intention-to-limit-curiosity-or-confine-the-labours/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [“War is a mind-set, and all action that comes out of such a mind-set will either strengthen the enemy, the perceived evil, or, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/war-is-a-mind-set-and-all-action-that-comes-out-of-such-a-mind-set/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [Optimism. It's not just a mind-set, it is behavior.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-elder/optimism-it-s-not-just-a-mind-set-it-is-behavior/) [Larry Elder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-elder/) ## More by Toba Beta > [“When you feel terribly angry, you're possessed by anger ghost.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/when-you-feel-terribly-angry-you-re-possessed-by-anger-ghost/) [Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/) > [“When you get lost in a really strange place, nothing is more comforting than found your friend whom you trust and can show the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/when-you-get-lost-in-a-really-strange-place-nothing-is-more/) [Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/) > [“Truth is commodity in political consumption.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/truth-is-commodity-in-political-consumption/) [Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/) > [“Human race had never planned to show up in this universe. I wonder whether current human efforts are relevant to its sustainability.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/human-race-had-never-planned-to-show-up-in-this-universe-i-wonder/) [Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/) > [“People tend to resist a change into something new and different. 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That's so cliche'. Wanna know the scary version? The more you know, the more fuckups you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/the-more-you-know-the-less-you-understand-that-s-so-cliche-wanna-know/) [Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/) > [Changes is the mother of time. Absence of changes makes no time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/changes-is-the-mother-of-time-absence-of-changes-makes-no-time/) [Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/) > [“Deriving truth from joy may be far more easier than generating joy from the truth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/deriving-truth-from-joy-may-be-far-more-easier-than-generating-joy/) [Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/) > [“In future, you'll laugh at yourself on some things you do now.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/in-future-you-ll-laugh-at-yourself-on-some-things-you-do-now/) [Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/) [Explore all 1,272 Toba Beta quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/) ## More Animals 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/) > [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/) > [“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/) > [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/) > [It’s a small thing to help one animal, but to that one animal it’s a big thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-baur/it-s-a-small-thing-to-help-one-animal-but-to-that-one-animal-it-s-a/) [Gene Baur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-baur/) > [We animals are the most complicated things in the known universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/we-animals-are-the-most-complicated-things-in-the-known-universe/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [“All these creatures spend their time explaining, realizing happily that they agree with each other.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/all-these-creatures-spend-their-time-explaining-realizing-happily/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [We're not very dangerous animals; we don't have a horn like a rhino or quills like a porcupine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-fisher/we-re-not-very-dangerous-animals-we-don-t-have-a-horn-like-a-rhino-or/) [Helen Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-fisher/) > [We need, in a special way, to work twice as hard to help people understand that animals are fellow creatures, that we must protect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesar-chavez/we-need-in-a-special-way-to-work-twice-as-hard-to-help-people/) [Cesar Chavez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesar-chavez/) > [“Plenty of animals had pets, but few were more devoted than the mouse, who owned a baby corn snake—“A rescue snake, she’d be quick…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/plenty-of-animals-had-pets-but-few-were-more-devoted-than-the-mouse/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) > [No creature can attain a higher grade of nature without ceasing to exist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ananda-coomaraswamy/no-creature-can-attain-a-higher-grade-of-nature-without-ceasing-to/) [Ananda Coomaraswamy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ananda-coomaraswamy/) > [Most people are sensitized to animals through their cats and dogs, but for me it was a flounder. I used to go fishing with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-mathews/most-people-are-sensitized-to-animals-through-their-cats-and-dogs-but/) [Dan Mathews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-mathews/) [Browse all 6,813 Animals quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animals/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“We need to perceive ourselves as the special race. 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