"If a man earnestly seeks a righteous life, 
his first act of abstinence is from animal food..."

COUNT LEO TOLSTOY (1828-1910)
Russian novelist and philosopher

"I am conscious that meat eating
is not in accordance with the finer feelings,
and I abstain from it whenever I can."

ALBERT SCHWEITZER, M.D. (1875-1965)
Alsatian philosopher and medical missionary;
1952 Nobel Peace Prize recipient

"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 (1425-1519)
Italian sculptor, artist and inventor

"The obligations of law and equity reach only to mankind;
but kindness and beneficence should be extended
to the creatures of every species,
and these will flow from the breast of a true man,
as streams that issue from the living fountain."

PLUTARCH (46-120 AD.)
Greek philosopher and moralist

"It is very significant
that some of the most
thoughtful and cultured men
are partisans of a pure vegetable diet."

MAHATMA GANDHI (1869-1948)
Hindu pacifist, spiritual leader

"But for the sake of some little mouthful of meat, 
we deprive a soul of the sun and light, 
and of that proportion of life and time it had been 
born into the world to enjoy."

SENECA (C.5 - C.E.65)
Roman philosopher, tutor to Nero

"The gods created certain kinds of beings
to replenish our bodies...
they are the trees and the plants and the seeds."

PLATO (circa 428-347 B.C.)
Greek philosopher

"Every man who has ever been earnest to preserve 
his higher or poetic faculties in the best condition, 
has been particularly inclined to abstain from animal food."

HENRY DAVID THOREAU (1817-1862)
American author, poet, and naturalist

"The animals share with us
the privilege of having a soul."

PYTHAGORAS (circa 582-507 B.C.)
Greek philosopher, mathematician, mystic
"Father of Vegetarianism"

"People often say that humans have always eaten animals, 
as if this is a justification for continuing the practice. 
According to this logic, we should not try
to prevent people from murdering other people,
 since this has also been done since the earliest of times."

ISAAC BASHEVIS SINGER (1904-1991)
Laureate of Literature,
1978 Nobel Prize recipient

"The eating of meat extinguishes
the seed of great compassion."

The BUDDHA (circa 563-483 B.C.)
Indian avatar

"The moral duty of man consists of imitating
the moral goodness and beneficence of God,
manifested in the creation, toward all His creatures."

THOMAS PAINE (1737-1809)
English born American patriot, author and political thinker
The Age of Reason

"The average age (longevity) of a meat-eater is 63.
I am on the verge of 85 and still at work as hard as ever. 
I have lived quite long enough and am trying to die,
but I simply cannot do it.  A single beef-steak would finish
me, but I cannot bring myself to swallow it. 
I am oppressed with a dread of living forever. 
That is the only disadvantage of vegetarianism."

GEORGE BERNARD SHAW (1856-1950)
Anglo-Irish author and playwright

"The love for all living creatures
is the most noble attribute of man."

CHARLES DARWIN (1809-1882)
English biologist and naturalist

"My refusing to eat meat occasioned an inconveniency, 
and I have been frequently chided for my singularity. 
But my light repast allows for greater progress, 
for greater clearness of head and quicker comprehension."

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN (1706-1790)
American statesman, inventor and author