The righteous know the needs of their animals, but the mercy of the wicked is cruel.

Man is the only animal for whom his own existence is a problem which he has to solve and from which he cannot escape.

Be a good animal, true to your animal instincts.

Man is the only animal that can remain on friendly terms with the victims he intends to eat until he eats them.

Animals have these advantages over man: they never hear the clock strike, they die without any idea of death, they have no theologians to instruct them, their last moments are not disturbed by unwelcome and unpleasant ceremonies, their funerals cost them nothing, and no one starts lawsuits over their wills.

What delight can there be, and not rather displeasure, in hearing the barking and howling of dogs? Or what greater pleasure is there to be felt when a dog followeth a hare than when a dog followeth a dog?

Every creature in the world is like a book and a picture, to us, and a mirror.

Men, my dear, are very queer animals—a mixture of horse nervousness, ass stubbornness, and camel malice.

Go to the ant, you lazybones; consider its ways, and be wise.

Animals are in possession of themselves; their soul is in possession of their body. But they have no right to their life, because they do not will it. 

It is remarkable that only small birds properly sing.

The fox knows lots of tricks, the hedgehog only one—but it’s a winner.

Histories are more full of examples of the fidelity of dogs than of friends.