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The Lives of Animals
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"The Lives of Animals" Quotes

A woman delivers a controversial lecture on animal rights, sparking intense debate and personal reflection.

Quotes

Only the sympathy of the unfamiliar is real.

J.M. Coetzee

sympathyunfamiliar

What can I do? What can anyone do? We are all in the same boat, with the same problem.

J.M. Coetzee

helplessnessunity

It is easy to go out and kill something, but not to take something in and keep it alive.

J.M. Coetzee

killingcompassion

There is a tension between the thought that animals might become like men and the thought that men might become like animals.

J.M. Coetzee

identityevolution

What is it that makes a man a man and a beast a beast?

J.M. Coetzee

humanityanimal nature

We are not just animals, we are animals that know we are animals.

J.M. Coetzee

self-awarenessidentity

The mystery of life is not the problem of evil, but rather the problem of good.

J.M. Coetzee

lifegoodness

Animals are not intelligent, but they are not stupid either. They are not like us.

J.M. Coetzee

intelligencecomparison

We are animals, but we are also something more. That is our tragedy.

J.M. Coetzee

identitytragedy

The question is not, can they reason? Nor, can they talk? But, can they suffer?

J.M. Coetzee

empathysuffering