There’s nothing like the power of joy that animals bring to our lives. And when we strive to live a sacred and mindful life, it’s often the animals that serve as powerful reminders of how to live a life filled with compassion, gratitude, kindness, joy, patience and connectedness. Whenever I start to feel disconnected and distracted, the following quotes help me to get back on track. They remind me never to lose sight of the endless grace and wisdom of animals:
“Lots of people talk to animals. … Not very many listen, though. … That’s the problem.”
—Benjamin Hoff, The Tao of Pooh
“In their innocence and wisdom, in their connection to the earth and its most ancient rhythms, animals show us a way back to a home they have never left.”
— Susan Chernak McElroy, author of Animals as Teachers and Healers
“We should have respect for animals because it makes better human beings of us all.”
—Jane Goodall
“Birds make great sky-circles of their freedom. How do they learn it? They fall and falling, They’re given wings.”
—Rumi, 13th century Persian poet
“It’s a small thing to help one animal, but to that one animal it’s a big thing.”
—Gene Baur, co-founder of Farm Sanctuary
“I believe that horses bring out the best in us. They judge us not by how we look, what we’re wearing or how powerful or rich we are, they judge us in terms of sensitivity, consistency, and patience. They demand standards of behavior and levels of kindness that we, as humans, then strive to maintain.”
—Clare Balding, BBC Radio presenter
“We must remain hopeful that a universal ethic of courage, caring, sharing, respect, radical compassion, and love will make a difference even if we do not see the positive results of our efforts. … We can never be too generous or too kind.”
—Marc Bekoff, animal behaviorist and author
“A kitten is in the animal world what a rosebud is in the garden.”
—Robert Southey, English poet
“I feel like I’m nothing without wildlife. They are the stars. I feel awkward without them.”
—Bindi Irwin
“In a moonlit night on a spring day, the croak of a frog pierces through the whole cosmos and turns it into a single family!”
—Chang Chiu-ch’en, Zen master
“When I play with my cat, who knows if I am not a pastime to her more than she is to me?”
—Michel de Montaigne, French Renaissance philosopher
“They say an elephant never forgets. The same is true of horses, which is why it’s important to treat them with the utmost sensitivity, and above all, to strive to do things right the first time.”
—Linda Kohanov, author of The Tao of Equus
Do you have a favorite quote about animals? Share it here!