If an animal does something, we call it instinct; if we do the same thing for the same reason, we call it intelligence.

About Will Cuppy

William Jacob Cuppy (August 23, 1884 – September 19, 1949) was an American humorist and literary critic, known for his satirical books about nature and historical figures.

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The human brain is a most unusual instrument of elegant and as yet unknown capacity.

—Will Cuppy

brain

Aristotle was famous for knowing everything. He taught that the brain exists merely to cool the blood and is not involved in the process of thinking. This is true only of certain persons.

—Will Cuppy

philosophy thinking brain Aristotle

More quotations tagged with “animals”

It's a lot like nature. You only have as many animals as the ecosystem can support and you only have as many friends as you can tolerate the bitching of.

—Randy K. Milholland

complaining nature animals

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.

—Voltaire

religion death animals theology funerals ceremony

How strange and wonderful is our home, our earth, with its swirling vaporous atmosphere, its flowing and frozen liquids, its trembling plants, its creeping, crawling, climbing creatures, the croaking things with wings that hang on rocks and soar through the fog, the furry grass, the scaly seas.

—Edward Abbey

wonder animals earth plants bird fog sea

Nothing to be done really about animals. Anything you do looks foolish. The answer isn't in us. It's almost as if we're put here on earth to show how silly they aren't.

—Russell Hoban

animals

Cockroaches really put my "all creatures great and small" creed to the test.

—Astrid Alauda

animals bugs cockroaches

If an animal does something, we call it instinct; if we do the same thing for the same reason, we call it intelligence.

About Will Cuppy

More quotations from Will Cuppy

More quotations tagged with “animals”

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