"The essential quality of an animal is that it seeks its own living, whereas a vegetable has its living brought to it"
- Henry Mayhew
About this Quote
This quote by Henry Mayhew is describing the distinctions in between animals and plants. Animals are able to actively seek out their own food and resources, while plants depend on their environment for sustenance. This quote highlights the value of autonomy and self-sufficiency in animals, which is a trait that sets them apart from plants. Animals are able to move around and explore their environment in order to find food and shelter, while plants are rooted in one place and count on the environment to provide them with the essential resources. This quote also emphasizes the importance of adaptation and durability in animals, as they must be able to get used to their environment in order to make it through. This quote is a pointer of the unique qualities that animals possess, and how they have the ability to flourish in their environment in ways that plants can not.
"Often and often afterwards, the beloved Aunt would ask me why I had never told anyone how I was being treated. Children tell little more than animals, for what comes to them they accept as eternally established"
"Certainly it is wrong to be cruel to animals and the destruction of a whole species can be a great evil. The capacity for feelings of pleasure and pain and for the form of life of which animals are capable clearly impose duties of compassion and humanity in their case"
