---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The obsession with putting ourselves at…"
description: "\"“The obsession with putting ourselves at the centre of everything is the bane not only of theologians but also of zoologists.”\" — Yann Martel"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18b/yann-martel-395_animals_the-obsession-with-putting-ourselves-at_2369432.jpg"
---

#  The obsession with putting ourselves at the centre of…

![“The obsession with putting ourselves at the centre of everything is the bane not only of theologians but also of zoologists.” quote by Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18b/yann-martel-395_animals_the-obsession-with-putting-ourselves-at_2369432.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18b/yann-martel-395_animals_the-obsession-with-putting-ourselves-at_2369432.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18b/yann-martel-395_animals_the-obsession-with-putting-ourselves-at_2369432.jpg)

> ““The obsession with putting ourselves at the centre of everything is the bane not only of theologians but also of zoologists.””

[Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/)

## About This Quote

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

Placing humans at the center of all explanations limits understanding in both theology and biology.

**In simple terms:** Human‑centric bias narrows insight.

Key Takeaway

Broaden perspective beyond self.

Themes

humility interdisciplinary bias

Mood

thoughtful critical

Type

philosophical analytical

When to use this quote

- religious debate
- scientific research
- policy making
- education curricula
- public discourse

Key Concepts

anthropocentrism epistemology

Questions to Reflect On

- How does centering humans affect scientific conclusions?
- What alternatives exist to anthropocentric views?

A Different Perspective

Human focus can overlook non‑human agency.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Animals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animals/) [Bane Theologians](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bane-theologians-5830851/) [Obsession](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obsession/) [Philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Theologians](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theologians/) [Theologians Zoologists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theologians-zoologists-5830850/) [Theology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theology/) [Zoologists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/zoologists-3269224/) [Zoology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/zoology/)

## Related quotes

> [“One of the characteristics that laymen find most odd about zoologists is their insatiable enthusiasm for animal droppings. I can understand, of course, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/one-of-the-characteristics-that-laymen-find-most-odd-about-zoologists/)

[Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/)

> [I thought I would be an organic chemist. I went off to university, and when I couldn't understand the chemistry lectures I decided that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-carey/i-thought-i-would-be-an-organic-chemist-i-went-off-to-university-and/)

[Peter Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-carey/)

> [We commonly say in the trade that the most dangerous animal in a zoo is Man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/we-commonly-say-in-the-trade-that-the-most-dangerous-animal-in-a-zoo/)

[Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/)

> [My zoology thesis was a functional analysis of the thyroid gland of the three-toed sloth. I chose the sloth because its demeanour - calm,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/my-zoology-thesis-was-a-functional-analysis-of-the-thyroid-gland-of/)

[Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/)

> [Dragons, you know, we have a good deal of biology and zoology about the dragon; we know their habits. The dragon tends to guard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/dragons-you-know-we-have-a-good-deal-of-biology-and-zoology-about-the/)

[Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/)

> [Zoology has always been interesting to me. Nature is fascinating.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-cage/zoology-has-always-been-interesting-to-me-nature-is-fascinating/)

[Nicolas Cage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-cage/)

> [The older I get the more I admire and crave competence, just simple competence, in any field from adultery to zoology.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-older-i-get-the-more-i-admire-and-crave-competence-just-simple/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Have pity on them all, for it is we who are the real monsters.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-heuvelmans/have-pity-on-them-all-for-it-is-we-who-are-the-real-monsters/)

[Bernard Heuvelmans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-heuvelmans/)

> [ During my second year at Edinburgh \[1826-27\] I attended Jameson's lectures on Geology and Zoology, but they were incredible dull. The sole effect they… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/during-my-second-year-at-edinburgh-1826-27-i-attended-jameson-s/)

[Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/)

> [What's next? Shall we appoint elephants to teach zoology?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-jakobson/what-s-next-shall-we-appoint-elephants-to-teach-zoology/)

[Roman Jakobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-jakobson/)

> [According to man's environment, society has made as many different types of men as there are varieties in zoology. The differences between a soldier,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/honor-de-balzac/according-to-man-s-environment-society-has-made-as-many-different/)

[Honore de Balzac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/honor-de-balzac/)

> [I was 16 when I got admission in Hans Raj College. I completed school when I was 16, so everyone in my class -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-kashyap/i-was-16-when-i-got-admission-in-hans-raj-college-i-completed-school/)

[Anurag Kashyap](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-kashyap/)

> [Hippogriff, n. An animal (now extinct) which was half horse and half griffin. The griffin was itself a compound creature, half lion and half…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/hippogriff-n-an-animal-now-extinct-which-was-half-horse-and-half/)

[Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/)

> [It is, I find, in zoology as it is in botany: all nature is so full, that that district produces the greatest variety which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-white/it-is-i-find-in-zoology-as-it-is-in-botany-all-nature-is-so-full-that/)

[Gilbert White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-white/)

> [The first steps in Agriculture, Astronomy, Zoology, (those first steps which the farmer, the hunter, and the sailor take,) teach that nature's dice are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-first-steps-in-agriculture-astronomy-zoology-those-first-steps/)

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

## More by Yann Martel

> [“It’s a big ocean crossed by busy ships. I went slowly, observing much.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/it-s-a-big-ocean-crossed-by-busy-ships-i-went-slowly-observing-much/)

[Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/)

> [“The word isn't just the way it is. It is how we understand it, no? And in understanding something, we bring something to it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/the-word-isn-t-just-the-way-it-is-it-is-how-we-understand-it-no-and/)

[Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/)

> [“Remember that your days on this earth are counted and you might as well make the best of those you have left.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/remember-that-your-days-on-this-earth-are-counted-and-you-might-as/)

[Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/)

> [“I must say a word about fear. It's is life's only true opponent. Only fear can defeat life. It is a clever, treacherous adversary,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/i-must-say-a-word-about-fear-it-s-is-life-s-only-true-opponent-only/)

[Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/)

> [I was not wounded in any part of my body, but I had never experienced such intense pain, such a ripping of the nerves,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/i-was-not-wounded-in-any-part-of-my-body-but-i-had-never-experienced/)

[Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/)

> [High calls low and low calls high. I tell you, if you were in such dire straits as I was, you too would elevate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/high-calls-low-and-low-calls-high-i-tell-you-if-you-were-in-such-dire/)

[Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/)

> [“Or rather, since Christians are so fond of capital letters, a Story.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/or-rather-since-christians-are-so-fond-of-capital-letters-a-story/)

[Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/)

> [“Progress is unstoppable. It is a drumbeat to which we must all march. Technology helps and good ideas spread - these are two laws…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/progress-is-unstoppable-it-is-a-drumbeat-to-which-we-must-all-march/)

[Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/)

> [“There are always those who take it upon themselves to defend God, as if Ultimate Reality, as if the sustaining frame of existence were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/there-are-always-those-who-take-it-upon-themselves-to-defend-god-as/)

[Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/)

> [“I never had problems with my fellow scientists. Scientists are a friendly, atheistic, hard-working, beer-drinking lot whose minds are preoccupied with sex, chess and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/i-never-had-problems-with-my-fellow-scientists-scientists-are-a/)

[Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/)

> [“For evil in the open is but evil from within that has been let out. The main battlefield for good is not the open…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/for-evil-in-the-open-is-but-evil-from-within-that-has-been-let-out/)

[Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/)

> [Books are something social - a writer speaking to a reader - so I think making the reading of a book the center of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/books-are-something-social-a-writer-speaking-to-a-reader-so-i-think/)

[Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/)

> [Nothing beats reason for keeping tigers away. But be excessively reasonable and you risk throwing out the universe with the bathwater.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/nothing-beats-reason-for-keeping-tigers-away-but-be-excessively/)

[Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/)

> [“Uvek ima onih koji uzmu za pravo da brane Boga, kao da je Poslednja stvarnost, kao da je temeljni ram postojanja nešto slabašno i…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/uvek-ima-onih-koji-uzmu-za-pravo-da-brane-boga-kao-da-je-poslednja/)

[Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/)

> [“The reason death sticks so closely to life isn't biological necessity- its envy. Life is so beautiful that death has fallen in love with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/the-reason-death-sticks-so-closely-to-life-isn-t-biological-necessity/)

[Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/)

[Explore all 570 Yann Martel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/)

## 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": "“The obsession with putting ourselves at the centre of everything is the bane not only of theologians but also of zoologists.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Yann Martel"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/the-obsession-with-putting-ourselves-at-the-centre-of-everything-is/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Animals"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/the-obsession-with-putting-ourselves-at-the-centre-of-everything-is/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18b/yann-martel-395_animals_the-obsession-with-putting-ourselves-at_2369432.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18b/yann-martel-395_animals_the-obsession-with-putting-ourselves-at_2369432.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18b/yann-martel-395_animals_the-obsession-with-putting-ourselves-at_2369432.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The obsession with putting ourselves at the centre of everything is the bane not only of theologians but…” — Yann Martel",
                "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": "Yann Martel",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“The obsession with putting ourselves at...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/the-obsession-with-putting-ourselves-at-the-centre-of-everything-is/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/the-obsession-with-putting-ourselves-at-the-centre-of-everything-is/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
