I feel like everything you learn as an actor growing up is wrong. You're supposed to hit your mark, find your light and know your lines. Those are all things that just make things wooden, dull and boring.
Joaquin PhoenixRead
It takes nothing away from a human to be kind to an animal.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Being kind to animals does not diminish one's humanity.
This quote by Joaquin Phoenix emphasizes the inherent value of kindness towards animals, suggesting that extending compassion to them is a reflection of one's own humanity. It highlights that kindness is not a zero-sum game; being kind to those who are vulnerable, like animals, only enhances our moral character rather than detracts from it.
Themes
KindnessAnimalsCompassionHumanityMoral Progress
In practice
Example use cases
In a talk about animal rights, this quote could serve to inspire compassion among the audience.
More from Joaquin Phoenix
All quotes →I was 3-years-old - to this day it is a vivid memory. My family and I were on a boat, catching fish. As one fish was caught, he was writhing, then he was thrown against the side of the boat. You couldn't disguise what it was. This was what we did to animals to eat them. The animal went from a living, vibrant creature fighting for life to a violent death. I recognized it, as did my brothers and sisters.
Joaquin PhoenixRead
I don't think one should be comfortable standing on a stage with people applauding and laughing at every stupid thing you say.
Joaquin PhoenixRead
I have this horrible sense of humor where I think discomfort is funny - partly because I experience discomfort a lot, and it's a way of laughing at it and getting a release.
Joaquin PhoenixRead
We are all animals of this planet. We are all creatures. And nonhuman animals experience pain sensations just like we do. They too are strong, intelligent, industrious, mobile, and evolutional. They too are capable of growth and adaptation. Like us, firsthand foremost, they are earthlings. And like us, they are surviving. Like us they also seek their own comfort rather than discomfort. And like us they express degrees of emotion. In short like us, they are alive.
Joaquin PhoenixRead
I think the day that I become comfortable doing interviews and going on talk shows is the day that I don't know what it is to be a human being anymore.
Joaquin PhoenixRead
Similar quotes
What I've come to learn is that the world is never saved in grand messianic gestures, but in the simple accumulation of gentle, soft, almost invisible acts of compassion, everyday acts of compassion. In South Africa they have a phrase called ubuntu. Ubuntu comes out of a philosophy that says, the only way for me to be human is for you to reflect my humanity back at me.
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By compassion we make others' misery our own, and so, by relieving them, we relieve ourselves also.
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For animals that are overworked, underfed, and cruelly treated; for all wistful creatures in captivity that beat their wings against bars; for any that are hunted or lost or deserted or frightened or hungry; for all that must be put to death...and for those who deal with them we ask a heart of compassion and gentle hands and kindly words.
Albert SchweitzerRead
There is no better way to thank God for your sight than by giving a helping hand to someone in the dark.
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• People deserve a break. The stressed and unorganized person who doesn’t have the same priorities as you may be dealing with an autistic child, abusive spouse, fading parents, or cancer. Don’t judge people until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes. Give them a break instead.
Guy KawasakiRead
Men may have given millions of dollars and fed rats and cats, as some do in India. They say that men can take care of themselves, but the poor animals cannot. . .
Swami VivekanandaRead