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 βI 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
For fear of causing terror to living beings, Mahamati, let the Bodhisattva who is disciplining himself to attain compassion, refrain from eating flesh.
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One does not ask of one who suffers: What is your country and what is your religion? One merely says: You suffer, that is enough for me.
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If we can cultivate a concern for others, keeping in mind the oneness of humanity, we can build a more compassionate world.
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Some people have a thick skin and you donβt. Your heart is really open and that is going to cause pain, but that is an appropriate response to this world. The cost is high, but the blessing of being compassionate is beyond your wildest dreams.
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Sometime in your life, hope that you might see one starved man, the look on his face when the bread finally arrives. Hope that you might have baked it or bought or even kneaded it yourself. For that look on his face, for your meeting his eyes across a piece of bread, you might be willing to lose a lot, or suffer a lot, or die a little, even.
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If you have a sick or lonely person at home, be there. Maybe just to hold a hand, maybe just to give a smile, that is the greatest, the most beautiful work.
Mother TeresaRead