There is no religion without love, and people may talk as much as they like about their religion, but if it does not teach them to be good and kind to man and beast, it is all a sham.
Anna SewellRead
We call them dumb animals, and so they are, for they cannot tell us how they feel, but they do not suffer less because they have no words.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Animals may lack the ability to express their feelings in words, but they nonetheless experience suffering and emotions.
In this quote, Anna Sewell highlights the tragic irony of how society often dismisses animals as 'dumb' due to their inability to articulate their feelings in human language. Despite this inability, it is important to recognize that animals are capable of experiencing pain and emotions profoundly, suggesting a need for empathy and understanding towards them.
Themes
AnimalsEmpathySufferingFeelingsLanguage
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about animal rights, this quote can emphasize the need for compassion towards animals.
More from Anna Sewell
All quotes βMy doctrine is this, that if we see cruelty or wrong that we have the power to stop, and do nothing, we make ourselves sharers in the guilt.
Anna SewellRead
What right had they to make me suffer like that?
Anna SewellRead
Why don't they cut their own children's ears into points to make them look sharp? Why don't they cut off their noses to make them look plucky? One would be just as sensible as the other. What right have they to torment and disfigure God's creatures?
Anna SewellRead
Do you know why this world is as bad as it is?... It is because people think only about their own business, and won't trouble themselves to stand up for the oppressed, nor bring the wrong-doers to light... My doctrine is this, that if we see cruelty or wrong that we have the power to stop, and do nothing, we make ourselves sharers in the guilt.
Anna SewellRead
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