• […] When we have passed beyond humanity, then we shall be the Man.
  The Animal was the helper; the Animal is the bar. […]
  Transform the Animal into the Driver of the herds; let all thyself be Krishna. This is thy goal.
  Sri Aurobindo (1872-1950) Indian British philosopher, Hindu mystic, poet, Thoughts and Glimpses, Sri Aurobindo Ashram Publications, Pondicherry, India, May 1916, August 1917, paperback edition 1. January 1973, December 1987

• In arriving at the stage of Self consciousness, the consciousness of Man has undergone three previous transitions from the state of spiritual consciosness, as Virgin Spirit, namely
  1. Deep, trance-like consciousness – Mineral stage,
  2. Dreamless sleep consciousness – Vegetable stage,
  3. Dream sleep consciousness – Animal stage,
  4. Full waking consciousness – Human stage.

• Monotheism does not mirror human society. Humans are first and foremost social animals. A deity who was alone, not by choice but because there were no other companions for Him, was a concept without parallel in human society. The god of the Israelites did not have a wife, a son, a daughter, or a mother.
  Leonard Shlain, M.D. sextimeandpower.com (1937-2009) US American chairman of laparoscopic surgery, associate professor of surgery, UC San Francisco, researcher, writer, The Alphabet Versus the Goddess, Penguin, 1. September 1999

• The absence of a neocortex does not appear to preclude an organism from experiencing affective states. Convergent evidence indicates that non-human animals have the neuroanatomical, neurochemical, and neurophysiological substrates of conscious states along with the capacity to exhibit intentional behaviors.
  Cited in: article Scientists declare that animals have conscious awareness, like us, presented by the publication "animal Equality", 2. September 2012, updated 12. July 2022

• [Paraphrased:] Seven levels of existence
  1. Mineral
  2. Vegetal
  3. Animal
  4. Man[*]
  5. Angel
  6. Seraphim
  7. The One Source of all things, both masculine and feminine, translatable as He/She

[*]The task of the "new man" (in 4th density) is to fill the breach in creation and reunite the lower and higher levels, to reconcile both aspects of creation: the first 3 first levels are "more" material and created by the higher levels. The last 3 levels are less material and endowed with creative abilities.

Common cuckoo [Cuculus canorus], 2006

• Many people think of humans and animals to be mostly driven by reward. I do this thing so that I can get something back. I think that is wrong. I think you do things because you have a drive to do things, sometimes even if it’s bad for you or if it hurts you, you will still do it. […] You will say, why do you scale the mountain? Because I feel good. Nonsense. […] You have no choice. That is the kind of animal you are and that is the beauty of it all. You can always say, because I love it, or I do it because it's there, which is not a description of anything. You have no choice, the system has as one of its properties, the pull to do things, to be active, to look, and you can see how this would be a very important selection principle. Animals that explore, animals that move, are the much likeliest possibility to survive than animals that sit.
  Removed video interview with Rodolfo Llinás, Columbian-American neuroscientist, professor of neuroscience, chairman of the department of physiology and neuroscience, NYU School of Medicine, Enter the "i of the vortex", presented by The Science Net-
  work (TSN), The Science Studio, host Roger Bingham, 1:12:00 duration, 17. April 2007

• In our field we have had a tragedy in the behaviorists' denial of mind, especially the emotional mind that we [humans] share with the other animals.
  Vimeo video presentation by Jaak Panksepp, Ph.D. (1943-2017) Estonian-born American professor of psychology, Bowling Green State University, psychobiologist, neuroscientist, College of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University, author, The social affective foundations of mind: from depressive psychic pain to primal joy, sponsored by conferências do cinquentenário (ISPA), Lisboa, Portugal, 16. November 2012, minute 1:19:18, 1:44:36 duration, posted 27. December 2012

Altruism research: "This new science of altruism and the physiological underpinnings of compassion is finally catching up with Darwin’s observations nearly 130 years ago, that sympathy is [humanity's] strongest instinct."  Dacher Keltner, Ph.D.(*1962) US American professor of psychology, University of California, Berkeley, altruism researcher, director of the Greater Good Science Center, author, cited in: article 'Survival of the Kindest' – Sympathy is Strongest Human Instinct, presented by the publication impactlab.com, 9. December 2009

• For firstly, the social instincts lead an animal to take pleasure in the society of his fellows, to feel a certain amount of sympathy with them, and to perform various services for them. […] Such actions as the above appear to be the simple result of the greater strength of the social or maternal instincts than that of any other instinct or motive; for they are performed too instantaneously for reflection, or for pleasure or even misery might be felt. In a timid man, on the other hand, the instinct of self-preservation might be so strong, that he would be unable to force himself to run any such risk, perhaps not even for his own child. Charles Darwin (1809-1882) English naturalist, author of the biological theory of evolution, The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex, 1871

• In however complex a manner compassion [sympathy] may have originated as it is one of high importance to all those animals which aid and defend one another it will have been increased through natural selection for those communities which included the greatest number of the most compassionate [sympathetic] members would flourish best and rear the greatest number of offspring.
  Charles Darwin (1809-1882) English naturalist, author of the biological theory of evolution, The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex, S. 130, 1871

• The universal struggle for life must be thoroughly ingrained in the mind or the whole economy of nature with every fact in it will be dimly seen or misunderstood. It is the doctrine of Malthus applied with manifold force to the whole animal and vegetable kingdom.
  Charles Darwin (1809-1882) English naturalist, author of the biological theory of evolution, The Origin of Species, 1859, cited in: Elisabet Sahtouris, Ph.D. sahtouris.com (*1950) Greek-American post-Darwinian creationist evolutionary biologist, pastist/futurist, promoter of anthropomorphism over mechanomorphism, business consultant, former UN consultant, Learning from Nature to Create Global Family, sponsored by the World Wisdom Council, theme "Creating a New Civilization", sponsored by Goi Peace Foundation, Tokyo, 12. November 2005

Study on group decision-making in animals, University of Essex in Cornwall, England: British biologists Roper and Conradt concluded: The alpha deer has only sexual preference choice. The herd makes a majority democratic decision where to graze next. Democracy is wired into the brains of creatures.

• We've always assumed that animals are hierarchical in their social structures: that there’s a lead animal who makes decisions for the group. Particularly in mammali-
  an species, there is an alpha male, or in some cases – wolves, for example – an alpha female, and the assumption was that the alpha male or female had absolute control over the group’s actions, like a monarch. But it turns out that’s not true. Roper and Conradt found that if the herd stops chewing grass and heads to the watering hole, it’s not because the lead animal gave the command. Instead, when 51 percent of the animals start pointing toward the water hole, then the whole herd moves. This is how flocks of birds and schools of fish move, too. And the thre-
  sholds vary. When there are predators around, decisions require a super ma-
  jority: two-thirds have to be pointing toward the water hole before they move. And this goes across the spectrum in biology, from insects to orangutans. By their actions, the members of the group all "vote," if you will. Democracy is in our DNA. Jefferson was right. Video interview with Thom Hartmann thomhartmann.com (*1951) US American journalist, progressive political commentator, former psychotherapist and entrepreneur, radio host, author of Threshold. The Crisis of Western Culture, The Crisis of Western Culture, YouTube film, minute 7:13, 29:05 minutes duration, posted 30. July 2009

• Women and cats will do as they please.
  Men and dogs had better get used to it.
  Robert Heinlein (1907-1988) US American science fiction writer, cited in: Goodreads Quotable Quote

Two Bee or Not Two Bee, Summer Farewell [Dalea pinnata],
Jonathan Dickinson State Park, Florida

• Owners of dogs will have noticed that, if you provide them with food and water and shelter and affection, they will think you are god. Whereas owners of cats are compelled to realize that, if you provide them with food and water and shelter and affection, they draw the conclusion that they are gods.
  Christopher Hitchens (1949-2011) English-American journalist, atheistic author, The Portable Atheist. Essential Readings for the Nonbeliever, Da Capo Press, 1st edition 6. November 2007

• Interesting to know is that Egypt before Israel had a scape-
  goat because there were two goats always sacrificed. One
  would be killed and one would be allowed to leave the town
  taking the sins of the town with him. So the one animal that
  left would be said to have escaped. And that's where we get
  the term 'scapegoat' [from]. Deleted video presentation by Jordan Maxwell (1940-2022) US American esoteric scholar, radio host, lecturer, author, Ancient Belief Systems, presented by Light-
  works Audio & Video, 1991, YouTube film, starting minute 11:28, minute 49:55, 1:00:52 duration, posted 25. May 2012

• As social animals we are all victims of culturally induced brainwashing whose effectiveness correlates with our inability to think outside the box of our given acculturation. Article Religious fundamentalism could soon be treated as mental illness, presented by the publica-
  tion New Age is l am, John Thomas Didymus, 2. June 2013

• Horses are far more perceptive than most people realize. They have an innate sense of understanding people's cha-
  racters and personalities and an ability to sense the unspoken. They know your intentions and agenda sometimes
  even before you do. You can lie to a therapist. You can lie to a friend. You can lie to yourself. But you can’t lie to a
  horse. Article by Anna Twinney, US American horse whisperer, Reach Out to Wisdom. Three Days Away From Your Destiny, presented by the blogspot Reach Out to Wisdom, 2012-2016

• If your horse says no, you either asked the wrong question, or asked the question wrong.
  Pat Parelli, US American horse trainer, horse whisperer, cited in: Horse quotes, presented by the blogspot angelfire.com

• A study at Yale, New Haven Hospital trains capuchin monkeys to use silver discs as money in order to study their economic behavior. The discs could be exchanged by the monkeys for various treats. During one chaotic incident, a researcher observed what appeared to be a monkey exchanging a disc for sex. The monkey that was paid for sex immediately traded the silver disc for a grape. The researcher took steps to prevent any possibility of coins being traded for sex
  after his suspicions were aroused. Wikipedia entry Prostitution among animals
  • When taught to use money, a group of capuchin monkeys responded quite rationally to simple incentives; responded irrationally to risky gambles; failed to save; stole when they could; used money for food and, on occasion, sex. In other words, they behaved a good bit like the creature that most of Chen's more traditional colleagues study: Homo sapiens.

• When the seagulls follow the trawler, it is because they think sardines will be thrown into the sea. Eric Cantona (*1966) French footballer, actor, philosopher, cited in: article When the seagulls follow the trawler, it is because they think sardines will be thrown into the sea, presented by the centre-left British online newspaper The Independent, Simon Midgley, 1. April 1995

• A nation's progress can be judged by how they treat their animals.   Falsely attributed to Mohandas Karamchand Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948) Indian Hindu sage, spiritual activist leader, humanitarian, lawyer, nonviolent freedom fighter, cited in: article Gandhi's Hoax Quote, presented by the Indian newspaper Hindustan Times, Vikram Jit Singh, 26. October 2014

• When it rains, most birds head for shelter;
  the Eagle is the only bird that, in order to avoid the rain, starts flying above the cloud. Anonymous