Ingrid Newkirk Quotes

"When it comes to having a central nervous system, and the ability to feel pain, hunger, and thirst, a rat is a pig is a dog is a boy."

"Although we have, in theory, abolished human slavery, recognized women's rights, and stopped child labor, we continue to enslave other species who, if we simply pay attention, show quite clearly that they experience parental love, pain, and the desire for freedom, just as we do."

"Consumers of meat, eggs and dairy products might well ask what they are supporting. Do farmers care about anyone but themselves? Can't anyone see the cow for the cheese?"

"Pigeons are among the most maligned urban wildlife despite the fact that human beings brought them to our shores and turned them loose in our cities - not something that they chose."

"Real nutrition comes from soybeans, almonds, rice, and other healthy vegetable sources, not from a cow's udder."

"Pigeons are gentle and smart and have complex social relationships. Their hearing and vision are both excellent."

"The wonderful thing is that it's so incredibly easy to be kind."

"I think if you're against cruelty and you look at what happens to animals in slaughterhouses and on factory farms, you have to be completely against eating meat."

"Every time we consume meat, eggs or dairy foods, we contribute to ecological devastation and the wasteful misuse of resources on a global scale."

"I have to think of the positive; that's how I cope."

"Perhaps measuring animal intelligence by comparing it to human intelligence isn't the best litmus test."

"Whether or not we are religious, respecting others should be seen as just as important as looking out for ourselves, yet it requires discipline to change our bad habits that cause pain to animals."

"Cows are gentle, interesting animals."

"A lot of people have culturally induced ethical blindness, but they can be cured!"

"Never doubt that one person can make a difference."

"It is only human supremacy, which is as unacceptable as racism and sexism, that makes us afraid of being more inclusive."

"One hates to be absolute, but in my view, there is no such thing as humane meat."

"There's nothing humane about the flesh of animals who have had one or two or even three improvements made in their singularly rotten lives on today's factory farms."

"By adopting a wonderful mutt, you'll save a life and help reduce animal homelessness while also boosting your chances of a more robust new furry friend, as mixed-breed dogs have demonstrated better health and longer life spans than their purebred cousins."

"Why go for a costly, sickly, mass-produced purebred when shelters are full of one-of-a-kind mixed breeds who are literally dying for a home?"

"If you like to bake with eggs, you can substitute Ener-G egg replacer, bananas, tofu, or many other ingredients. You get the hang of it quickly enough."

"It's interesting that one of the definitions of the word 'human' is 'sympathetic.' More and more people are beginning to show that they understand why that is important."

"Cheap meat is the problem. The answer is to replace meat recipes with vegan meals."

"Since we can't count on the meat, egg, and dairy industries to protect animals from the most egregious forms of cruelty, what can we, as consumers, do? Opting out of paying someone to allow animals to die in a barn fire or at the slaughterhouse seems pretty reasonable."

"We all have prejudices to dispel: the need to get away from thinking that 'I' am important and special and 'you' are not, and the frightened mindset that tells us that certain 'others' are of no consequence."

"All tyranny, bigotry, aggression, and cruelty are wrong, and whenever we see it, we must never be silent."

"Fortified plant-based milks are delicious and contain all the calcium, protein, and vitamin D of dairy products but with none of the cholesterol, lactose, hormones, or cruelty found in cow's milk."

"I hope SeaWorld is exploring how, like Ringling, it can get out of the wild animal business."

"Most Americans, like most Japanese, view their dogs, cats, and other animal companions as family members, and rightly so."

"U.K. citizens fleeing the Middle East and Japan have been allowed to take their animal companions with them on evacuation flights. The U.S. is not so civilized, and that's a blot on our national copybook."