---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Let's not be too quick to blame the human…"
description: "\"Let's not be too quick to blame the human race for everything. A great many species of animals became extinct before man ever appeared on earth.\" — Wil..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06b/will-cuppy-7569_animal_let-s-not-be-too-quick-to-blame-the-huma_2060232.jpg"
---

#  Let's not be too quick to blame the human race for…

![“Let's not be too quick to blame the human race for everything. A great many species of animals became extinct before man ever appeared on earth.” quote by Will Cuppy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06b/will-cuppy-7569_animal_let-s-not-be-too-quick-to-blame-the-huma_2060232.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06b/will-cuppy-7569_animal_let-s-not-be-too-quick-to-blame-the-huma_2060232.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06b/will-cuppy-7569_animal_let-s-not-be-too-quick-to-blame-the-huma_2060232.jpg)

> “Let's not be too quick to blame the human race for everything. A great many species of animals became extinct before man ever appeared on earth.”

[Will Cuppy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-cuppy/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Not all extinctions are human‑caused; many predate us.

**In simple terms:** Nature predates humanity.

Key Takeaway

Recognize broader ecological history.

Themes

environment history humility

Mood

thoughtful educational

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- conservation policy
- education curricula
- media narratives
- public discourse

Key Concepts

extinction anthropocentrism biodiversity

Questions to Reflect On

- How does this perspective change your view of responsibility?
- What lessons can we learn from pre‑human extinctions?

A Different Perspective

Human focus can obscure ancient natural cycles.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Animal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) [Animals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animals/) [Earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earth/) [Great man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-man/) [Great men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-men/) [Human race](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-race/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Nature of man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-of-man/) [Race](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/race/)

## Related quotes

> [Dr. S. Dillon Ripley, secretary of the Smithsonian Institute, believes that in 25 years, somewhere between 75 and 80 percent of all the species…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaylord-nelson/dr-s-dillon-ripley-secretary-of-the-smithsonian-institute-believes/)

[Gaylord Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaylord-nelson/)

> [“Such is the economy of nature," Thomas Jefferson wrote, "that no instance can be produced, of her having permitted any one race of her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-kolbert/such-is-the-economy-of-nature-thomas-jefferson-wrote-that-no-instance/)

[Elizabeth Kolbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-kolbert/)

> [Whether the prayer of Seneca was granted we do not know; but, as we do not again hear of Marcus, it is probable that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-william-farrar/whether-the-prayer-of-seneca-was-granted-we-do-not-know-but-as-we-do/)

Frederic William Farrar

> [The Dodo never had a chance. He seems to have been invented for the sole purpose of becoming extinct and that was all he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-cuppy/the-dodo-never-had-a-chance-he-seems-to-have-been-invented-for-the/)

[Will Cuppy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-cuppy/)

> [If Kitchener was not a great man, he was, at least, a great poster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margot-asquith/if-kitchener-was-not-a-great-man-he-was-at-least-a-great-poster/)

[Margot Asquith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margot-asquith/)

> [The great man is not so great as folks think, and the dull man is not quite so stupid as he seems. The difference…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elbert-hubbard/the-great-man-is-not-so-great-as-folks-think-and-the-dull-man-is-not/)

[Elbert Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elbert-hubbard/)

> [You can never become a great man or woman until you have overcome anxiety, worry, and fear. It is impossible for an anxious person,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-d-wattles/you-can-never-become-a-great-man-or-woman-until-you-have-overcome/)

[Wallace D. Wattles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-d-wattles/)

> [It is only a poor sort of happiness that could ever come by caring very much about our own pleasures. We can only have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/it-is-only-a-poor-sort-of-happiness-that-could-ever-come-by-caring/)

[George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/)

> [The great man is the man who does a thing for the first time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-smith/the-great-man-is-the-man-who-does-a-thing-for-the-first-time/)

[Alexander Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-smith/)

> [All I am in private life is a literary critic and historian, that's my job...And I'm prepared to say on that basis if anyone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/all-i-am-in-private-life-is-a-literary-critic-and-historian-that-s-my/)

[C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/)

> [Nature never sends a great man into the planet, without confiding the secret to another soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/nature-never-sends-a-great-man-into-the-planet-without-confiding-the/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [We expect a great man to be a good reader.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/we-expect-a-great-man-to-be-a-good-reader/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [Greatness by nature includes a power, but not a will to power. ... The great man, whether we comprehend him in the most intense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-buber/greatness-by-nature-includes-a-power-but-not-a-will-to-power-the/)

[Martin Buber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-buber/)

> [My father was a really great man. I'll never forget the last thing he ever said to me. Nor will I ever repeat it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-s-hall/my-father-was-a-really-great-man-i-ll-never-forget-the-last-thing-he/)

[John S. Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-s-hall/)

> [I think the next 50 years are going to present the human race with challenges that so far exceed the limitations of geopolitical boundaries…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zachary-quinto/i-think-the-next-50-years-are-going-to-present-the-human-race-with/)

[Zachary Quinto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zachary-quinto/)

## More by Will Cuppy

> [“Hatshepsut has been called the first great woman of history. She simply appointed herself King of Egypt and that was all there was to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-cuppy/hatshepsut-has-been-called-the-first-great-woman-of-history-she/)

[Will Cuppy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-cuppy/)

> [“Intelligence is the capacity to know what we are doing and instinct is just instinct. The results are about the same.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-cuppy/intelligence-is-the-capacity-to-know-what-we-are-doing-and-instinct/)

[Will Cuppy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-cuppy/)

> [Henry VIII had so many wives because his dynastic sense was very strong whenever he saw a maid of honour.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-cuppy/henry-viii-had-so-many-wives-because-his-dynastic-sense-was-very/)

[Will Cuppy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-cuppy/)

> [ \[Footnote:\] Pliny the Elder described a Whale called "Balaena or Whirlpool, which is so long and broad as to take up more in length… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-cuppy/footnote-pliny-the-elder-described-a-whale-called-balaena-or/)

[Will Cuppy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-cuppy/)

> [Frogs will eat red-flannel worms fed to them by biologists; this proves a great deal about both parties concerned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-cuppy/frogs-will-eat-red-flannel-worms-fed-to-them-by-biologists-this/)

[Will Cuppy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-cuppy/)

> [Even as a child back in Indiana, whenever I took a Butterbelly off the hook I used to ask myself, "Does this fish think?"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-cuppy/even-as-a-child-back-in-indiana-whenever-i-took-a-butterbelly-off-the/)

[Will Cuppy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-cuppy/)

> [“Would it not be downright cruel to keep him in semi-captivity in a town or city, where the opportunities for wreaking havoc and destruction…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-cuppy/would-it-not-be-downright-cruel-to-keep-him-in-semi-captivity-in-a/)

[Will Cuppy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-cuppy/)

> [Alexander III of Macedon is known as Alexander the Great because he killed more people of more different kinds than any other man of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-cuppy/alexander-iii-of-macedon-is-known-as-alexander-the-great-because-he/)

[Will Cuppy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-cuppy/)

> [“The average sparrow is something of a bore and the trouble is that all sparrows are average.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-cuppy/the-average-sparrow-is-something-of-a-bore-and-the-trouble-is-that/)

[Will Cuppy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-cuppy/)

> [I don't like to boast, but I have probably skipped more poetry than any other person of my age and weight in this country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-cuppy/i-don-t-like-to-boast-but-i-have-probably-skipped-more-poetry-than/)

[Will Cuppy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-cuppy/)

> [“All modern men are descended from wormlike creatures, but it shows more on some people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-cuppy/all-modern-men-are-descended-from-wormlike-creatures-but-it-shows/)

[Will Cuppy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-cuppy/)

> [ \[Footnote:\] The female of any species is generally regarded as a relatively anabolic organism, more passive than the male, who is relatively katabolic and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-cuppy/footnote-the-female-of-any-species-is-generally-regarded-as-a/)

[Will Cuppy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-cuppy/)

> [ It is because of his brain that \[modern man\] has risen above the animals. Guess which animals he has risen above. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-cuppy/it-is-because-of-his-brain-that-modern-man-has-risen-above-the/)

[Will Cuppy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-cuppy/)

> [It's easy to see the faults in people I know; it's hardest to see the good. Especially when the good isn't there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-cuppy/it-s-easy-to-see-the-faults-in-people-i-know-it-s-hardest-to-see-the/)

[Will Cuppy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-cuppy/)

> [I am billed as a humorist, but of course I am a tragedian at heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-cuppy/i-am-billed-as-a-humorist-but-of-course-i-am-a-tragedian-at-heart/)

[Will Cuppy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-cuppy/)

[Explore all 90 Will Cuppy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-cuppy/)

## 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. 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

> [When grubbing for necessities man is still an animal. 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": "Let's not be too quick to blame the human race for everything. A great many species of animals became extinct before man ever appeared on earth.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Will Cuppy"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-cuppy/let-s-not-be-too-quick-to-blame-the-human-race-for-everything-a-great/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Animal"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-cuppy/let-s-not-be-too-quick-to-blame-the-human-race-for-everything-a-great/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06b/will-cuppy-7569_animal_let-s-not-be-too-quick-to-blame-the-huma_2060232.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06b/will-cuppy-7569_animal_let-s-not-be-too-quick-to-blame-the-huma_2060232.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06b/will-cuppy-7569_animal_let-s-not-be-too-quick-to-blame-the-huma_2060232.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Let's not be too quick to blame the human race for everything. A great many species of animals became…” — Will Cuppy",
                "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": "Will Cuppy",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-cuppy/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Let's not be too quick to...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-cuppy/let-s-not-be-too-quick-to-blame-the-human-race-for-everything-a-great/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-cuppy/let-s-not-be-too-quick-to-blame-the-human-race-for-everything-a-great/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
