Quotes on veganism can be inspirational, especially to those still on the fence. They can remind us why we have chosen to be vegans, or they can help us introduce veganism and the vegan lifestyle to our friends and family.
Below are 103 vegan quotes by all manner of renowned people, from celebrities to scientists to world leaders. Some of these quotes are directly related to veganism, and others are more along the lines of vegan moral philosophy. Not every single one of these quotes was made by an actual vegan, but we included quotes which we personally feel have the power to inspire others to consider a plant based, animal friendly, vegan lifestyle.
Also, since we live in a culture of outrage, let us be clear – just because we quote someone here doesn’t necessarily mean we endorse everything that they have ever said. We’re keenly aware that we are all flawed, and even though someone is vegan or doesn’t support animal exploitation, they may also hold unsavory views/opinions on other topics.
With that out of the way, let’s get into it! Which of these vegan quotes are your favorite? Let us know on Twitter!
Quotes on Veganism
Let’s start off with vegan quotes by celebrities you have seen on television, or in movies. Again, not all of these people are strictly vegan.
Vegan Quotes by Hollywood Celebrities
“If a kid ever realized what was involved in factory farming, they would never touch meat again.” – James Cromwell
“It’s never really been that hard for me. I’ve never had any desire to eat meat. In fact, when I was a kid I would have a really difficult time eating meat at all.” – Tobey Maguire
“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?” – Ellen Page
“Everyone has to find what is right for them, and it is different for everyone. Eating for me is how you proclaim your beliefs three times a day. That is why all religions have rules about eating. Three times a day, I remind myself that I value life and do not want to cause pain to or kill other living beings. That is why I eat the way I do.” – Natalie Portman
“Behind every beautiful fur coat, there is a story. It is a bloody, barbaric story.” – Mary Tyler Moore
“When people ask me why I don’t eat meat or any other animal products, I say, ‘Because they are unhealthy and they are the product of a violent and inhumane industry.’”- Cassey Afleck
“I’m a vegan. I respect the environment and I do my best to spread the importance of such an issue.” – Jared Leto
Joaquin Phoenix on Veganism and Animal Rights
“It takes nothing away from a human to be kind to an animal.”
“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.”
“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.”
“Animal rights is a part of my everyday life. When you live by example, you create a certain level of awareness. Friends of mine – people I have never discussed animal rights or vegetarianism with – are adopting vegetarian habits because they see it.”
More inspiring words from Joaquin Phoenix on why he’s vegan.
Quotes on Veganism by Miscellaneous Actors
“Every time sitting at a dining table, we make a choice. Please choose vegetarianism. Do it for the animals. Do it for the environment and for the sake of your own health.” – Alec Baldwin
“I love animals. All animals. I wouldn’t hurt a cat or a dog — or a chicken, or a cow. And I wouldn’t ask someone else to hurt them for me. That’s why I’m a vegetarian.” – Peter Dinklage
“Nobody really needs a mink coat… Except the mink.” – Glenda Jackson
“Cruelty might be very human, and it might be cultural, but it’s not acceptable.” – Jodie Foster
“Being a vegan just helps me build up my self-esteem. I feel good about it every time I eat a meal.” – Steve-O
“Cruelty is one fashion statement we can all do without.” – Rue McClanahan
“Animals are my friends. And I don’t eat my friends.” – George Bernard Shaw
“Please don’t refuse with your eyes what the animals endure with their bodies.” – Shaun Monson
“I’m a vegan. It makes me feel really good and bright.” – Lea Michelle
“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 Gellar
Alicia Silverstone on Veganism and Animal Rights
“I can’t think of anything better in the world to be but a vegan.”
“I know what it feels like to be hurt, and I don’t want to cause that pain to any other person or creature. But somehow, in society, we numb ourselves in order to make money or to feel better about ourselves, such as with cosmetics or food. We say to ourselves, “I’m going to use this animal. I’m going to say it doesn’t have much worth so that I can allow myself to do these cruel things.” And that just isn’t fair.”
“Like most people, I wasn’t always a vegetarian, but I’ve always loved animals. If you ever have a chance to meet a cow, pig, turkey, or goat, you will see that they are just as cute and funny as your dogs and cats and that they, too, want to live and feel love. They don’t like pain. Now when I see a steak, it makes me feel sad and sick because right away, I see my dog or the amazing cows I met at a sanctuary.”
“I did it for political, moral reasons, thinking that I was making this great sacrifice, but it was absolutely necessary; I was not going to contribute to the violence in the world anymore.”
“Being vegan just gives you such great karma.”
Quotes on Veganism by Comedians
“Animals don’t have a voice, but I do. A loud one. A big fucking mouth. My voice is for them. And I’ll never shut up while they suffer.” – Ricky Gervais
“I don’t see why someone should lose their life just so you can have a snack.” – Russell Brand
“Don’t listen to me. I’m a maniac, but the voice in your head, ask it “Is it right to kill 200 million animals simply for fun?”. What did it say? Right. There you go.” – Russell Brand
“As I improved my diet, I started to learn to love my self, probably for the first time ever.” – Frank Ferrante
“People eat meat and think they will become as strong as an ox, forgetting that the ox eats grass.” – Pino Caruso
Quotes on Veganism by Musicians
“Vegan food is soul food in its truest form. Soul food means to feed the soul. And to me, your soul is your intent. If your intent is pure, you are pure.” – Erykah Badu
“Veganism is not a sacrifice. It is a joy.” – Gary L. Francione
“Only when we have become non-violent towards all life will we have learned to live well ourselves,” – Cesar Chavez
“I’ve been vegan since I got out of the hospital… It’s another eye opener. It changed my life in a number of ways.” – Travis Barker
“If you don’t want to be beaten, imprisoned, mutilated, killed or tortured then you shouldn’t condone such behavior towards anyone, be they human or not.” – Moby
“Could you look an animal in the eyes and say to it, ‘My appetite is more important than your suffering’?” -Moby
“We all love animals. Why do we call some ‘pets’ and others ‘dinner?’” – K.D. Lang
“Every living creature has the right to live ethically.” – Dirk Verbeuren
“Animals are not ingredients.” – Barbara Thompson
“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
“If slaughterhouses had glass walls, we’d all be vegetarian.” – Paul McCartney
“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
“The concept that you are not ingesting rotting flesh sort of sums it up for me.” – Bryan Adams
Quotes on Veganism and Animal Rights by Morrissey
“You either approve of violence or you don’t, and nothing on earth is more violent or extreme than the meat industry.”
“Eating meat is the most disgusting thing I can think of. It’s like biting into your grandmother.”
“And the calf that you carve with a smile. It is murder.”
“There is a load of ridiculous fighting that goes on between some groups, and so if you do a show for one you can find yourself in trouble with the others. I think we contribute a great lot to the animal rights movement in that it is our main theme. We really get a lot of people thinking and talking and help keep the issue going strong, at least in England. It’s our big platform and we use it, and I think that’s as effective as doing benefits.”
Vegan Quotes by Philosophers
“My body will not be a tomb for other creatures.” – Leonardo Da Vinci
“The soul is the same in all living creatures, although the body of each is different.” – Hippocrates
“The Gods created certain kinds of beings to replenish our bodies; they are the trees and the plants and the seeds.” – Plato
“May all that have life be delivered from suffering.” – Buddha
“Animal factories are one more sign of the extent to which our technological capacities have advanced faster than our ethics.” – Peter Singer, moral philosopher
“An animal’s eyes have the power to speak a great language.” – Martin Buber
“The question is not, Can they reason? nor, Can they talk? but, Can they suffer?” – Jeremy Bentham
“We are, quite literally, gambling with the future of our planet- for the sake of hamburgers.” – Pete Singer, moral philosopher
Vegan Quotes by Writers
“We consume the carcasses of creatures of like appetites, passions and organs as our own, and fill the slaughterhouses daily with screams of pain and fear.” – Robert Louis Stevenson
“Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it’s time to pause and reflect.” – Mark Twain
“Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.” – Maya Angelou
“To get mud off your hands, use soap and water. To get blood off your hands, go vegan.” – John Sakars
“Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened.” – Anatole France
“Science that fails to embrace all living beings is far more dangerous than any virus!” – Steve Simmons
“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
“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
“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
“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
“Poor animals, how jealously they guard their bodies, for to us is merely an evening’s meal, but to them is life itself.” – T. Casey Brennan
“Becoming vegan is the most important and direct change we can immediately make to save the planet and its species.” – Chris Hedges
Quotes on Veganism by Scientists
“There is no fundamental difference between man and animals in their ability to feel pleasure and pain, happiness, and misery.” – Charles Darwin
“Non-violence leads to the highest ethics, which is the goal of all evolution. Until we stop harming all other living beings, we are still savages” – Thomas Edison
“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
“The love for all living creatures is the most noble attribute of man.” – Charles Darwin
“We cannot have peace among men whose hearts find delight in killing any living creature.” -Rachel Carson
“People are the only animals that drink the milk of the mother of another species. All other animals stop drinking milk altogether after weaning. It is unnatural for a dog to nurse from a mother giraffe; it is just as unnatural for a human being to drink the milk of a cow.” – Michael Klaper
Quotes from Albert Einstein
“The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing.”
“Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet.”
“It almost seems to me that man was not born to be a carnivore.”
Vegan Quotes by Politicians and World Leaders
“It is much easier to show compassion to animals. They are never wicked.” – Haile Selassie
“Legislatively, I want to continue to be a part of a movement of folk who are fighting against corporate interests that are undermining the public good and the public welfare. I believe that Americans do care about the cruelty to animals…so, I think there’s a lot of legislation we could be doing to stop sort of corporate power from reigning over the power of individuals to have freedom of choice, to see more compassion, to see a focus on public health.” – Cory Booker
“Over a year ago I changed my diet to a vegan diet, really just to experiment to see what it was like. … Now, for many people, that choice is connected to environmental ethics and health issues and all that stuff. … In a visceral way, I felt better, so I’ve continued with it and I’m likely to continue it for the rest of my life.” – Al Gore
“I just decided that I was the high-risk person, and I didn’t want to fool with this anymore. And I wanted to live to be a grandfather, so I decided to pick the diet that I thought would maximize my chances of long-term survival. The main thing that was hard for me actually—much harder than giving up meat, turkey, chicken and fish—was giving up yogurt and hard cheese. I love that stuff, but it really made a big difference when I did it. If you don’t have the willpower to do it for yourself, do it for your loved ones. You have a responsibility to try to be as healthy as possible.” – Bill Clinton
Quotes on Veganism from Animal Rights and Vegan Activists
“The problem is that humans have victimized animals to such a degree that they are not even considered victims. They are not even considered at all. They are commodities like TV sets and cell phones. We have actually turned animals into inanimate objects – sandwiches and shoes.” Gary Yourofsky
“If you think that being vegan is difficult, imagine being a factory farmed animal.” – Davegan Raza – twitter personality
“No animal needs to die in order for me to live. And that makes me feel good.” – Howard Lynan
“When humans act with cruelty we characterize them as “animals”, yet the only animal that displays cruelty is humanity.” – Anthony Douglas Williams
“No other animal on Earth has portrayed such a disregard for life than mankind.” – Anthony Douglas Williams
“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
“Earth was created for all of us, not some of us.” – Anthony Douglas Williams
“To face animal suffering is to face our responsibility in their suffering.” – JoAnne McArthur
“I am grateful to realize that my desires do not entitle me to add to another’s suffering.” – Zoe Weil
“You can’t do anything violent humanely.” – James Wildman
“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
Quotes on Veganism by Doctors
“The idea that some lives matter less is the root of all that is wrong in the world.” – Dr. Paul Farmer
“As vegan diets gain popularity across the country for a way to improve health and the welfare of animals, it’s no secret that the environmental effects of this diet can have a positive effect on our planet.”- Neal Barnard – President, Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine
“Using a balanced, plant-based diet, I have dramatically reduced risk factors for heart disease in countless patients.” – Terry Shintani, MD
Quotes on Veganism by Athletes
“Veganism is not about how hard it is for you. It’s about every animal’s right not to be used as a slave.” – Randy Sandberg
“As a professional athlete what I put in my body for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, are some of the most important decisions I make every day. I must ensure I’m consuming sufficient calories to keep full and have the energy to perform at my peak while not overloading and slowing my body down. My career depends on it. So many people are shocked when they learn that I fuel my body with a plant-based—vegan—diet. I’m just shocked that it took me 26 years to gain the wisdom to do it!” – David Cartner
Anonymous Quotes on Veganism
“When diet is wrong, medicine is of no use. When diet is correct, medicine is of no need.” – Ayurvedic proverb
“All life deserves respect, dignity, and compassion. All life.” – Anonymous
Quotes on Veganism by Cartoon Characters
“Always let your conscience be your guide.” – Jiminy Cricket
“I’m strong to the finish ’cause I eats me spinach.” – Popeye
“No, I don’t eat any food that comes from an animal. Yes I do think (that you are a monster). But I learned long ago, Lisa, to tolerate others rather than forcing my beliefs on them.” – Apu
Ready to Go Vegan?
Well, it goes without saying that there are a lot of inspiring quotes on veganism in this article. If they inspired you to take the next step, check out my article: Veganism for Beginners to get started.
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