--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is not larger, cleaner cages that…" description: "\"It is not larger, cleaner cages that justice demands...but empty cages; not traditional animal agriculture but a complete end to all commerce in the fl..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5a/tom-regan-25402_agriculture_it-is-not-larger-cleaner-cages-that-just_1897204.png" --- # It is not larger, cleaner cages that justice demands...but… ![“It is not larger, cleaner cages that justice demands...but empty cages; not traditional animal agriculture but a complete end to all commerce in the flesh of dead animals; not more humane hunting and trapping, but the total eradication of these barbarous practices.” quote by Tom Regan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5a/tom-regan-25402_agriculture_it-is-not-larger-cleaner-cages-that-just_1897204.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5a/tom-regan-25402_agriculture_it-is-not-larger-cleaner-cages-that-just_1897204.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5a/tom-regan-25402_agriculture_it-is-not-larger-cleaner-cages-that-just_1897204.png) > “It is not larger, cleaner cages that justice demands...but empty cages; not traditional animal agriculture but a complete end to all commerce in the flesh of dead animals; not more humane hunting and trapping, but the total eradication of these barbarous practices.” [Tom Regan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-regan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Justice requires ending all exploitation of animals, not just improving conditions. **In simple terms:** Stop using animals for anything. Key Takeaway Advocate for total animal liberation. Themes animal rights ethics justice Mood determined urgent Type ethical activist When to use this quote - activism - policy advocacy - consumer choices - education campaigns Key Concepts speciesism moral consideration abolitionism Questions to Reflect On - Can society function without animal products? - What alternatives replace animal labor? A Different Perspective Opponents argue economic disruption and cultural resistance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Agriculture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/agriculture/) [Animal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) [Animal agriculture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal-agriculture/) [Commerce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/commerce/) [Demand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/demand/) [Hunting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hunting/) [Justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justice/) [Practice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/practice/) ## Related quotes > [ We would be foolish and silly not to unite with people in the public health sector, the environmental community, \[and\] unions, to try to… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-pacelle/we-would-be-foolish-and-silly-not-to-unite-with-people-in-the-public/) [Wayne Pacelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-pacelle/) > [Animal agriculture makes a 40% greater contribution to global warming than all transportation in the world combined; it is the number one cause of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/animal-agriculture-makes-a-40-greater-contribution-to-global-warming/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [I found out that the animal agriculture business has a huge impact on our climate, so by cutting down on your meat and dairy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aidan-gallagher/i-found-out-that-the-animal-agriculture-business-has-a-huge-impact-on/) [Aidan Gallagher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aidan-gallagher/) > [For me the two biggest issues are climate change and animal welfare/animal agriculture. And oddly enough animal agriculture is such a contributor to climate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moby/for-me-the-two-biggest-issues-are-climate-change-and-animal-welfare/) [Moby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moby/) > [Increasingly both environmentalists and animal ethicists recognize the enormous destruction caused by animal agriculture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-jamieson/increasingly-both-environmentalists-and-animal-ethicists-recognize/) [Dale Jamieson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-jamieson/) > [There is no 'need' for us to eat meat, dairy or eggs. Indeed, these foods are increasingly linked to various human diseases and animal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-l-francione/there-is-no-need-for-us-to-eat-meat-dairy-or-eggs-indeed-these-foods/) [Gary L. Francione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-l-francione/) > [The lifeblood of Mercy For Animals is our undercover investigations of animal agriculture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-runkle/the-lifeblood-of-mercy-for-animals-is-our-undercover-investigations/) Nathan Runkle > [When it comes to animal agriculture, there is conventional, which is rally hideous, and 'compassionate' and 'certified humane' or whatever, which 'may' be 'slightly'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-it-comes-to-animal-agriculture-there-is-conventional-which-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We need to use economic instruments such as carbon taxes, cap and trade, tax and dividend and whatever else to help incentivize behavior that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-jamieson/we-need-to-use-economic-instruments-such-as-carbon-taxes-cap-and/) [Dale Jamieson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-jamieson/) > [Animal agriculture takes up an incredible 70% of all agricultural land, and a whopping 30% of the land surface of the planet. As a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-freston/animal-agriculture-takes-up-an-incredible-70-of-all-agricultural-land/) [Kathy Freston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-freston/) > [To me, one of the easiest ways of addressing climate change and potentially remedying climate change is to stop subsidizing animal agriculture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moby/to-me-one-of-the-easiest-ways-of-addressing-climate-change-and/) [Moby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moby/) > [The USDA is tasked with managing and promoting agriculture - including the well-funded animal agriculture industry - so it's pulled into a tug-of-war every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-greger/the-usda-is-tasked-with-managing-and-promoting-agriculture-including/) [Michael Greger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-greger/) > [“To visit a modern Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO) is to enter a world that for all its technological sophistication is still designed on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/to-visit-a-modern-concentrated-animal-feeding-operation-cafo-is-to/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [Almost always when I told someone I was writing a book about "eating animals", they assumed, even without knowing anything about my views, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/almost-always-when-i-told-someone-i-was-writing-a-book-about-eating/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [“If you are a feminist and are not a vegan, you are ignoring the exploitation of female nonhumans and the commodification of their reproductive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-l-francione/if-you-are-a-feminist-and-are-not-a-vegan-you-are-ignoring-the/) [Gary L. Francione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-l-francione/) ## More by Tom Regan > [The world is not going to change overnight, nor in my lifetime, nor in my grandchildren's lifetime. But it will change, if we change,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-regan/the-world-is-not-going-to-change-overnight-nor-in-my-lifetime-nor-in/) [Tom Regan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-regan/) > [I would encourage them never to forget that they were not always vegans. The self-righteousness of the recently converted hurts, it does not help,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-regan/i-would-encourage-them-never-to-forget-that-they-were-not-always/) [Tom Regan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-regan/) > [“Because we have viewed other animals through the myopic lens of our self-importance, we have misperceived who and what they are. Because we have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-regan/because-we-have-viewed-other-animals-through-the-myopic-lens-of-our/) [Tom Regan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-regan/) > [Veganism affirms what is best for us, what is best for the animals, and what is best for the environment. Everywhere you look, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-regan/veganism-affirms-what-is-best-for-us-what-is-best-for-the-animals-and/) [Tom Regan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-regan/) > [It is not an act of kindness to treat animals respectfully. It is an act of justice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-regan/it-is-not-an-act-of-kindness-to-treat-animals-respectfully-it-is-an/) [Tom Regan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-regan/) > [Being kind to animals is not enough. Avoiding cruelty is not enough. Housing animals in more comfortable, larger cages is not enough. Whether we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-regan/being-kind-to-animals-is-not-enough-avoiding-cruelty-is-not-enough/) [Tom Regan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-regan/) > [Live your life in ways that do not support wars, whosoever are the victims.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-regan/live-your-life-in-ways-that-do-not-support-wars-whosoever-are-the/) [Tom Regan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-regan/) > [If it were a retarded baby and a bright dog, I'd save the dog.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-regan/if-it-were-a-retarded-baby-and-a-bright-dog-i-d-save-the-dog/) [Tom Regan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-regan/) > [In a perfect world, we would not keep animals for our benefit, including pets,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-regan/in-a-perfect-world-we-would-not-keep-animals-for-our-benefit/) [Tom Regan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-regan/) > [If abandoning animal research means that there are some things we cannot learn, then so be it ... We have no basic right ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-regan/if-abandoning-animal-research-means-that-there-are-some-things-we/) [Tom Regan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-regan/) > [Never give other people another reason to ignore other animals. That's what we do when we come across as being so much better than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-regan/never-give-other-people-another-reason-to-ignore-other-animals-that-s/) [Tom Regan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-regan/) > [Once you become a vegan, the food of the world opens up to you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-regan/once-you-become-a-vegan-the-food-of-the-world-opens-up-to-you/) [Tom Regan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-regan/) > [The culture isn't set up to embrace what we think and feel. Any doubt about that, just watch the ads on TV. They tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-regan/the-culture-isn-t-set-up-to-embrace-what-we-think-and-feel-any-doubt/) [Tom Regan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-regan/) > [The other animals humans eat, use in science, hunt, trap, and exploit in a variety of ways, have a life of their own that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-regan/the-other-animals-humans-eat-use-in-science-hunt-trap-and-exploit-in/) [Tom Regan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-regan/) > [When I say a vegan diet can be "the healthiest dietary option we can live by," I mean an informed vegan diet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-regan/when-i-say-a-vegan-diet-can-be-the-healthiest-dietary-option-we-can/) [Tom Regan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-regan/) [Explore all 23 Tom Regan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-regan/) ## More Agriculture quotes > [Advances in technology will continue to reach far into every sector of our economy. Future job and economic growth in industry, defense, transportation, agriculture,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bond/advances-in-technology-will-continue-to-reach-far-into-every-sector/) [Christopher Bond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bond/) > [To husband is to use with care, to keep, to save, to make last, to conserve. Old usage tells us that there is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/to-husband-is-to-use-with-care-to-keep-to-save-to-make-last-to/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [As the first Member of Congress from western Washington to serve on the House Agriculture Committee in over 50 years, I am proud to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-larsen/as-the-first-member-of-congress-from-western-washington-to-serve-on/) [Rick Larsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-larsen/) > [Conventional agriculture has never succeeded in feeding the world, and it's never produced anything good to eat. For the future, we need to look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-barber/conventional-agriculture-has-never-succeeded-in-feeding-the-world-and/) [Dan Barber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-barber/) > [I would say my fraternity was nothing but a bunch of farm boys; we weren't really in the whole fraternity scene, but yeah, that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-bryan/i-would-say-my-fraternity-was-nothing-but-a-bunch-of-farm-boys-we/) [Luke Bryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-bryan/) > [I grew up in Italy, and our country is a country of great agriculture and food produce. It wasn't like I was urban and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabella-rossellini/i-grew-up-in-italy-and-our-country-is-a-country-of-great-agriculture/) [Isabella Rossellini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabella-rossellini/) > [Farmers, get out your sense of humor. Congress meets to relieve you again next week.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/farmers-get-out-your-sense-of-humor-congress-meets-to-relieve-you/) [Will Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/) > [Because Iran understands Afghanistan far better than Americans do, making Iran a partner in a long-term effort to transform Afghan agriculture makes sense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-kinzer/because-iran-understands-afghanistan-far-better-than-americans-do/) [Stephen Kinzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-kinzer/) > [Sara Scherr and Jeff McNeely have given us a thoughtful, sensible book about a topic of great importance to the world. There is no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ismail-serageldin/sara-scherr-and-jeff-mcneely-have-given-us-a-thoughtful-sensible-book/) [Ismail Serageldin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ismail-serageldin/) > [People want development, modern thinking. They want to encourage and support research in agriculture and other fields.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharad-pawar/people-want-development-modern-thinking-they-want-to-encourage-and/) [Sharad Pawar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharad-pawar/) > [Growing corn, which from a biological perspective had always been a process of capturing sunlight to turn into food, has in no small measure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/growing-corn-which-from-a-biological-perspective-had-always-been-a/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [When politicians talk of loan waiver, they are accepting that agriculture is not economically viable. They are giving a wrong signal that farming is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-s-swaminathan/when-politicians-talk-of-loan-waiver-they-are-accepting-that/) [M. S. Swaminathan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-s-swaminathan/) > [Nitrogen-based fertilizers, which came into wide use after World War II, helped prompt the agricultural revolution that has allowed the Earth to feed its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tatiana-schlossberg/nitrogen-based-fertilizers-which-came-into-wide-use-after-world-war/) [Tatiana Schlossberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tatiana-schlossberg/) > [Agriculture is one economic activity that does not obey the laws of demand and supply.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/agriculture-is-one-economic-activity-that-does-not-obey-the-laws-of/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [More than a mere alternative strategy, regenerative agriculture represents a fundamental shift in our culture’s relationship to nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-eisenstein/more-than-a-mere-alternative-strategy-regenerative-agriculture/) [Charles Eisenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-eisenstein/) [Browse all 889 Agriculture quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/agriculture/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It is not larger, cleaner cages that justice demands...but empty cages; not traditional animal agriculture but a complete end to all commerce in the flesh of dead animals; not more humane hunting and trapping, but the total eradication of these barbarous practices.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Tom Regan" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-regan/it-is-not-larger-cleaner-cages-that-justice-demands-but-empty-cages/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Agriculture" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-regan/it-is-not-larger-cleaner-cages-that-justice-demands-but-empty-cages/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5a/tom-regan-25402_agriculture_it-is-not-larger-cleaner-cages-that-just_1897204.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5a/tom-regan-25402_agriculture_it-is-not-larger-cleaner-cages-that-just_1897204.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5a/tom-regan-25402_agriculture_it-is-not-larger-cleaner-cages-that-just_1897204.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It is not larger, cleaner cages that justice demands...but empty cages; not traditional animal agriculture…” — Tom Regan", "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": "Tom Regan", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-regan/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It is not larger, cleaner cages...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-regan/it-is-not-larger-cleaner-cages-that-justice-demands-but-empty-cages/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-regan/it-is-not-larger-cleaner-cages-that-justice-demands-but-empty-cages/#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 } } ] } ```