--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Man is the only animal for whom his own…" description: "\"Man is the only animal for whom his own stupid existence is a problem which he has to try in vain to solve.\" — William C. Brown" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/290/william-c-brown-11174_animal_man-is-the-only-animal-for-whom-his-own_140990.jpg" --- # Man is the only animal for whom his own stupid existence… ![“Man is the only animal for whom his own stupid existence is a problem which he has to try in vain to solve.” quote by William C. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/290/william-c-brown-11174_animal_man-is-the-only-animal-for-whom-his-own_140990.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/290/william-c-brown-11174_animal_man-is-the-only-animal-for-whom-his-own_140990.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/290/william-c-brown-11174_animal_man-is-the-only-animal-for-whom-his-own_140990.jpg) > “Man is the only animal for whom his own stupid existence is a problem which he has to try in vain to solve.” [William C. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-c-brown/) ## 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 highlights human self‑awareness of existence and the futile attempts to resolve its inherent absurdity. **In simple terms:** Humans notice their own pointless existence and try unsuccessfully to fix it. Key Takeaway Accept the absurdity and seek meaning beyond rational solutions. Themes existentialism self‑awareness absurdity Mood melancholic reflective Type philosophical existential literary When to use this quote - personal reflection - creative writing - philosophical discussion Key Concepts philosophy existential crisis meaninglessness Questions to Reflect On - What does “stupid existence” mean to you? - Can embracing absurdity improve wellbeing? A Different Perspective Attempts to rationally solve existential absurdity may ignore emotional coping needs. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Animal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) [Animals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animals/) [Existence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existence/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem/) [Vain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vain/) ## Related quotes > [Man is the only animal for whom his own existence is a problem which he has to solve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/man-is-the-only-animal-for-whom-his-own-existence-is-a-problem-which/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [“I don't really believe that humans are evil; it is just that we are not very intelligent animals. No animal is so stupid as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yvon-chouinard/i-don-t-really-believe-that-humans-are-evil-it-is-just-that-we-are/) [Yvon Chouinard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yvon-chouinard/) > [“I'm no goddam animal. I may be a stupid, fouled-up twentieth-century son of a bitch, but I'm no animal. Don't gimme that. I'm no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/i-m-no-goddam-animal-i-may-be-a-stupid-fouled-up-twentieth-century/) [J.D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger/) > [Man is the only animal who does not feel at home in nature, who can feel evicted from paradise, the only animal for whom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/man-is-the-only-animal-who-does-not-feel-at-home-in-nature-who-can/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [“We can always be human Meeting each day a wise new man But the Animal Kingdom to which we belong Animals we are; this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/munia-khan/we-can-always-be-human-meeting-each-day-a-wise-new-man-but-the-animal/) [Munia Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/munia-khan/) > [“In dim ways he recognized in man the animal that had fought itself to primacy over the other animals of the Wild. Not alone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/in-dim-ways-he-recognized-in-man-the-animal-that-had-fought-itself-to/) [Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/) > [MAN, n. An animal so lost in rapturous contemplation of what he thinks he is as to overlook what he indubitably ought to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/man-n-an-animal-so-lost-in-rapturous-contemplation-of-what-he-thinks/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [Man is the only animal that learns by being hypocritical. 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Moles living in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-muir/man-seems-to-be-the-only-animal-whose-food-soils-him-making-necessary/) [John Muir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-muir/) > [Man is an animal with primary instincts of survival. Consequently his ingenuity has developed first and his soul afterwards. The progress of science is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-chaplin/man-is-an-animal-with-primary-instincts-of-survival-consequently-his/) [Charlie Chaplin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-chaplin/) > [Man is the only animal that deals in that atrocity of atrocities War. He is the only one that gathers his brethren about him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/man-is-the-only-animal-that-deals-in-that-atrocity-of-atrocities-war/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [Man is the only animal that laughs and weeps; for he is the only animal that is struck with the difference between what things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/man-is-the-only-animal-that-laughs-and-weeps-for-he-is-the-only/) [William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/) > [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/) ## More by William C. Brown > [Would you like to do something good for the future of the human race; well, start killing some of its powerful members.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-c-brown/would-you-like-to-do-something-good-for-the-future-of-the-human-race/) [William C. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-c-brown/) > [Appeal to all scholars of stupidity in the world. Come to Italy, this country has the highest rate of morons of the universe, especially…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-c-brown/appeal-to-all-scholars-of-stupidity-in-the-world-come-to-italy-this/) [William C. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-c-brown/) > [Italian politicians are stupid and expensive, that's why they should be fired, abolished, or better eliminated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-c-brown/italian-politicians-are-stupid-and-expensive-that-s-why-they-should/) [William C. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-c-brown/) > [Life is deceitful because all warfare is based on deception.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-c-brown/life-is-deceitful-because-all-warfare-is-based-on-deception/) [William C. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-c-brown/) > [Never underestimate the enemy, above all if he is a stupid one and deserves to be killed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-c-brown/never-underestimate-the-enemy-above-all-if-he-is-a-stupid-one-and/) [William C. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-c-brown/) > [When the balance is broken then everything includes itself in power, power into will, will into appetite. So appetite, aided by will and power,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-c-brown/when-the-balance-is-broken-then-everything-includes-itself-in-power/) [William C. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-c-brown/) > [First of all you must understand that practising martial arts means studying a certain oriental philosophy of life, otherwise it's merely a vacuous sport…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-c-brown/first-of-all-you-must-understand-that-practising-martial-arts-means/) [William C. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-c-brown/) > [Dear doctor, you must not only let the patient tells his story, but you should also try to understand it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-c-brown/dear-doctor-you-must-not-only-let-the-patient-tells-his-story-but-you/) [William C. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-c-brown/) > [An aphorism is a mental exercise, psychical, logical, linguistic, spiritual, ritual, emotional and rational, it is a major conceptual and literary activity, a mixture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-c-brown/an-aphorism-is-a-mental-exercise-psychical-logical-linguistic/) [William C. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-c-brown/) > [If you don't like trading, gambling and betting, then you don't like living.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-c-brown/if-you-don-t-like-trading-gambling-and-betting-then-you-don-t-like/) [William C. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-c-brown/) > [When I was young I used to practice a martial art that was a mixture of karate, kung fu, Jujitsu, Yawara Kubotan, Aikido, Okinawan…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-c-brown/when-i-was-young-i-used-to-practice-a-martial-art-that-was-a-mixture/) [William C. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-c-brown/) > [Religion is only literature, but luckily literature is not only religion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-c-brown/religion-is-only-literature-but-luckily-literature-is-not-only/) [William C. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-c-brown/) > [Literature can be divided into two large families: the religious and the secular one. The first reveals the origin of stupidity, the second follows…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-c-brown/literature-can-be-divided-into-two-large-families-the-religious-and/) [William C. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-c-brown/) > [Italian politicians are too stupid to deserve my vote, but they can get over it with my critical, denunciatory, satirical, vitriolic and vituperative invectives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-c-brown/italian-politicians-are-too-stupid-to-deserve-my-vote-but-they-can/) [William C. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-c-brown/) > [In hard times of severe crisis if you want to create new jobs, I recommend you to start killing some people. It's the old…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-c-brown/in-hard-times-of-severe-crisis-if-you-want-to-create-new-jobs-i/) [William C. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-c-brown/) [Explore all 61 William C. Brown quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-c-brown/) ## 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": "Man is the only animal for whom his own stupid existence is a problem which he has to try in vain to solve.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "William C. 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