Owen Walsh
Perspectives from famous figures throughout history who gave voice to the voiceless.
A few wisely chosen words can be so stirring. Throughout history, great minds have been eloquently advocating for kindness toward animals. For several doses of inspiration, check out what scientists, philosophers, and artists have to say about compassion for animals.
“The question is not, can they reason? Nor, can they talk? But, can they suffer?” — Jeremy Bentham
English philosopher and ethicist Jeremy Bentham identified this simple yet crucial question hundreds of years ago. Today, that question, “can they suffer,” remains the bedrock for many animal welfare advocates. Especially as science uncovers the sentience of fishes, crustaceans, and other long-ignored creatures.
“I think there is a connection between, and I can’t go further than this, the way we treat animals and the way we treat people who are at the bottom of the hierarchy. Look at the ways in which people who commit such violence on other human beings have often learned how to enjoy that by enacting violence on animals.” — Angela Davis
A leading voice against oppression of all forms, Angela Davis succinctly points out that racism, sexism, and speciesism all arise out of a system that prioritizes power and wealth over equality and fairness.
“We have to speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves.” — Peter Singer
Peter Singer—the author of Animal Liberation, a seminal work in the field of animal ethics—understands that while animals may not be able to speak the way that humans do, they are still crying out for compassion and kindness.
“I think that when we use love and compassion as our guiding principles, we can create, develop, and implement systems of change that are beneficial to all sentient beings and to the environment.” — Joaquin Phoenix
After winning the Best Actor award at the 2020 Oscars, Joaquin Phoenix gave a starkly different acceptance speech than expected. Rather than thanking the director, his agent, or his fans, Phoenix spoke passionately against the animal cruelty and environmental harm Big Food perpetuates.
“We’re not, after all, separate from the animal kingdom. We’re part of it.” — Jane Goodall
One of the best-known experts on primates in the world, Jane Goodall has spent most of her career exposing just how similar humans and non-humans really are. The more we see of ourselves in animals, the more obvious it becomes that they deserve compassion, just like us.
“It is unseemly of us, who often behave so unfeelingly toward other animals, to contend that only humans can suffer.” — Carl Sagan
Even today, many people hold the incorrect view that animals like pigs, chickens, and fishes aren’t sophisticated enough to experience pain or emotions. Preeminent astronomer and educator Carl Sagan understood that such beliefs are based in human arrogance, not science.
“We are not different in any important way. We all have thoughts and feelings. We all feel love, and pain, and loneliness, and joy.” — RZA
Trailblazing rap artist, producer, and filmmaker RZA hits the nail on the head here. The similarities we share with all sentient creatures to experience sensations and feel emotions far outweigh our superficial differences like skin, feathers, fur, or scales.
“He who is cruel to animals becomes hard also in his dealings with men. We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals.” — Immanuel Kant
Perhaps nobody in history is so closely associated with the study of “right versus wrong” than 18th-century philosopher Immanuel Kant. Kant’s views on the just and unjust were unflinchingly strict. It’s no surprise that he argued for human compassion to extend to not only fellow humans, but animals as well.
“The animals of the world exist for their own reasons. They were not made for humans any more than Black people were made for whites or women for men." — Alice Walker
On industrial farms, in cruel scientific experiments, and through inhumane forms of entertainment, animals are regarded as commodities for humans to use as they please. By drawing comparisons to racial and gender inequality, the Pulitzer Prize-winning The Color Purple author and celebrated novelist Alice Walker challenges this narrative powerfully.
“It is just like man’s vanity and impertinence to call an animal dumb because it is dumb to his dull perceptions.” — Mark Twain
While many people assume animals are simple because they don’t act like us or speak like us, Mark Twain—who William Faulkner called the father of American literature—argues that it is, in fact, because of our own “dull perceptions” that we fail to appreciate the complexities lying beneath the surface.
“Animals are not property or ‘things,’ but rather living organisms, subjects of a life, who are worthy of our compassion, respect, friendship, and support.” — Marc Bekoff
This biologist and animal behavior expert provides scientific authority to something many people intuitively feel. Humans and animals—beyond dogs and cats—are capable of forming deep, meaningful friendships when they share mutual respect and kindness.
“There are many people who when we ask them to join us say that they prefer to work for human beings. But are we not working for human beings?... Is not everything which tends to elevate man in the mortal scale a benefit to him?” — Caroline Earle White
Caroline Earle White was a pioneering activist against the horrific practice of vivisection—live surgery on animals. She beautifully articulates here why animal welfare advocacy supports not just animals, but all of humanity. We all, human and animal alike, benefit from compassion and kindness.
What do you say?
Reading and hearing these powerful words about animal compassion is inspiring. It’s a reminder that we’re not alone in wanting to see a drastic improvement in the lives of animals.
However, you don’t need to be famous to help give a voice to the voiceless! Click here to see more of The Humane League’s work for animals, and learn how you can join the movement for a more just and compassionate world.
