50 Inspirational quotes about veganism (that'll make you think!)

Girl and her grey dog sitting on a grassy hill overlooking hills in the UK

50 Inspirational quotes about veganism (that’ll make you think!)

Whether you’ve been vegan for years, recently moved over to the lifestyle or simply enjoy the odd plant-based meal, these quotes about veganism will inspire and uplift you, whilst making you think!

Here is my ultimate list of 50 quotes about veganism – perfect for whatever stage of the vegan journey you’re at (or not at!).

1) “It takes nothing away from a human to be kind to an animal.” – Joaquin Phoenix, American Actor, Producer, and Animal Rights Activist

2) “The best part of being a vegan is the purity and peace of mind one experiences and the strong connection I feel to the animal kingdom.” – Uri Geller, Israeli-British Illusionist, Magician and TV personality

3) “Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet.” – Albert Einstein, German Theoretical Physicist

4) “Animals don’t have a voice, but I do. A loud one. A big f*@%’ing mouth. My voice is for them. And I’ll never shut up while they suffer.” – Ricky Gervais, English Comedian, Actor, Director, and Writer

5) “Vegan is just pure love. Love for animals, love for the planet, and love for yourself.” – Mischa Temaul, Author of Namaste India

Hiker sat smiling at the top of Dovestones Reservoir with her blonde muddy cockapoo

6) “I don’t see why someone should lose their life just so you can have a snack.” – Russell Brand, English Comedian, Actor and Activist

7) “I’m a really big lover of animals, and, at the risk of sounding like a total hippie, I do feel more connected to the world at large and to animals.” – Mickey Madden, American Musician

8) “If intelligence and capability are not criteria for the possession of rights, why would animals – who have the capacity to feel fear and pain – be excluded from our moral consideration?” – Jack Norris, American Dietitian and Animal Rights Activist

9) “The soul is the same in all living creatures, although the body of each is different.” – Hippocrates, Greek Physician

10) “An animal’s eyes have the power to speak a great language.” – Martin Buber, Austrian-Israeli Philosopher

11) “When diet is wrong, medicine is of no use. When diet is correct, medicine is of no need.” – Ayurvedic Proverb

12) “People eat meat and think they will become as strong as an ox, forgetting that the ox eats grass.” – Pino Caruso, Italian Actor, Author and Television Personality

13) “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” – Mahatma Gandhi, Indian Lawyer, Anti-Colonial Nationalist and Political Ethicist

14) “There is no fundamental difference between man and animals in their ability to feel pleasure and pain, happiness, and misery.” – Charles Darwin, English Naturalist, Geologist and Biologist

15) “We all love animals. Why do we call some ‘pets’ and others dinner’?” – K.D. Lang, Canadian Singer-Songwriter

Black and white cow sniffing the camera lens up close

16) “Some people think that the plant-based whole foods diet is extreme. Half a million a year will have their chests opened up, a vein taken from their leg and sewn onto their coronary artery. Some people would call that extreme.” – Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, ‘Forks Over Knives’

17) “We strive for a world where every earthling has the right to live and grow. That’s why we don’t eat animals.” -Ruby Roth, American Artist and Author

18) “We cannot have peace among men whose hearts find delight in killing any living creature.” – Rachel Carson, American Marine Biologist, Author and Conservationist

19) “Cruelty is one fashion statement we can all do without.” – Rue McClanahan, American Actress and Comedian

20) “Animals are my friends. And I don’t eat my friends.” – George Bernard Shaw, Irish playwright

Little girl hugging a husky dog in the woods with autumn leaves

21) “Could you look an animal in the eyes and say to it, ‘My appetite is more important than your suffering’?” – Moby, American Musician, Producer and Animal Activist

22) “Part of my becoming a vegetarian was that I would look at my burger, then look at my dogs, and I wasn’t able to see a difference.” – Kristen Bell, American Actress

23) “Nobody really needs a mink coat… Except the mink.” – Glenda Jackson CBE, English Actress and Politician

24) “No other animal on Earth has portrayed such a disregard for life than mankind.” – Anthony Douglas Williams, Canadian Spiritualist, Writer and Animal Rights Activist

25) “When I see bacon, I see a pig, I see a little friend, and that’s why I can’t eat it. Simple as that.” – Paul McCartney, English Singer-Songwriter (and Beatles legend!)

Woman stroking a happy pig's belly on a farm

26) “No animal needs to die in order for me to live. And that makes me feel good.” – Howard Lynan, American Farmer and Animal Rights Activist

27) “You put a baby in a crib with an apple and a rabbit. If it eats the rabbit and plays with the apple, I’ll buy you a new car.” – Harvey Diamond, American Author, Teacher and Health Consultant

28) “We do not need to eat animals, wear animals, or use animals for entertainment purposes, and our only defense of these uses is our pleasure, amusement, and convenience.” – Gary Francione, American Author

29) “Of all the creatures, man is the most detestable. Of the entire brood, he’s the one that possesses malice. He is the only creature that inflicts pain for sport, knowing it to be pain. The fact that man knows right from wrong proves his intellectual superiority to the other creatures; but the fact that he can do wrong proves his moral inferiority to any creature that cannot.” – Mark Twain, American Writer

30) “The love for all living creatures is the most noble attribute of man.” – Charles Darwin, English Naturalist, Geologist and Biologist

Man hugging his golden retriever dog who is smiling looking at the camera

31) “When you feel the suffering of every living thing in your own heart, that is consciousness.” – Bhagavad Gita, Hindu scripture

32) “The time will come when men such as I will look upon the murder of animals as they now look upon the murder of men.” – Leonardo da Vinci, Italian Painter, Engineer, Scientist, Theorist and Architect

33) “The human body has no more need for cows’ milk than it does for dogs’ milk, horses’ milk, or giraffes’ milk.” – Dr Michael Klaper, American Physician and Vegan Health Educator

34) “I am grateful to realise that my desires do not entitle me to add to another’s suffering.” – Zoe Weil, Co-founder and President of the Institute for Humane Education (IHE)

35) “If slaughterhouses had glass walls, the whole world would be vegetarian.” – Linda McCartney, American Photographer, Musician, Animal Rights Activist and Entrepreneur

36) “If you don’t like pictures of animal cruelty being posted on social media, you need to help stop the cruelty, not the pictures. You should be bothered that it’s happening, not that you saw it.” – Marie Sarantakis, Attorney, Best-selling Author and Former Model

37) “If possessing a higher degree of intelligence does not entitle one human to use another for his or her own ends, how can it entitle humans to exploit non-humans?” – Peter Singer, Australian Philosopher and Author of ‘Animal Liberation’

38) “Until he extends his circle of compassion to include all living things, man will not himself find peace.” – Albert Schweitzer, German Theologian, Musicologist, Writer, Humanitarian, Philosopher, and Physician

39) “Becoming vegan is the most important and direct change we can immediately make to save the planet and its species.” – Chris Hedges, American Journalist

40) “You can’t do anything violent humanely.” – James Wildman, Human Educator at Animal Rights Foundation of Florida

41) “The idea that some lives matter less is the root of all that is wrong in the world.” – Dr Paul Farmer, American Medical Anthropologist and Physician

42) “The animals of the world exist for their own reasons. They were not made for humans any more than blacks were made for whites, or women for men.” – Alice Walker, American Novelist, Poet, and Social Activist

43) “The question is not, Can they reason? Nor, Can they talk? But, Can they suffer?” – Jeremy Bentham, English Philosopher

44) “It’s pretty amazing to wake up every morning, knowing that every decision I make is to cause as little harm as possible. It’s a pretty fantastic way to live.” – Colleen Patrick-Goudreau, American Author and Vegan Advocate

45) “Vegan food is soul food in its truest form.” – Erykah Badu, American Singer-Songwriter

Vegan burger in a wrapper with a purple background

46) “To face animal suffering is to face our responsibility in their suffering.” – Jo-Anne McArthur, Canadian Photojournalist, Humane Educator, Animal Rights Activist and Author

47) “Why are vegans made fun of while the inhumane factory farming process regards animals and the natural world merely as commodities to be exploited for profit?” – Elliot Page, Canadian Actor and Producer

48) “When humans act with cruelty we characterise them as ‘animals’, yet the only animal that displays cruelty is humanity.” – Anthony Douglas Williams, Canadian Spiritualist, Writer and Animal Rights Activist

49) “The Gods created certain kinds of beings to replenish our bodies; they are the trees and the plants and the seeds.” – Plato, Athenian Philosopher

50) “Being vegan isn’t a choice for me anymore, it’s how I live. And I take comfort in the fact that by being vegan, I’m having a positive impact, even in a small way, on the wellbeing of animals, the planet and myself.” – Melissa Jones (me!), Vegan Travel Blogger and Writer at Footstepsontheglobe.com.