Alicia Silverstone
(1976-)

American Actress, Environmentalist, Animal Rights Activist

birthdate: October 4
birthplace:
San Francisco, California

QUOTES

...you can make little choices that can change the world to be a better, happier, lovelier place every day

I've gained so much confidence as a woman from figuring out that I don't want to be destructive. I don't want to stomp through the world and be number one. I just want to tread really lightly and not destroy anything. Hopefully, I can try to mend some things. That's my goal.

"My life has become about trying to find effective ways to be as responsible with the choices I make -- in food, clothing and everything else. I don't want to be responsible for the harm of any creature, person or animal."

It's important to see what we can do to make a difference, but it's more important to me to do it every single day.

Once people spend time with farm animals in a loving way ... a pig or cow or a little chicken or a turkey, they might find they relate with them the same way they relate with dogs and cats. People don't really think of them that way because they're on the plate. Why should they be food when other animals are pets? I would never eat my doggies.

Animals are being exploited in such an unbelievable way; it's not acceptable. PETA is trying to get your attention, and they're successful at it. ... If you talk to people who grew up on a farm, they'll tell you that they had an experience where they were taking care of a cow, and one day their parents took it away and killed it. It's a torturous experience for them, and that's when they became hard. People are taught to be grown-up or whatever, and that's dumb. That bond they had with that cow or chicken was real.

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.

I don't have any understanding of a human being who doesn't respect the beauty of life and that goes for all creatures that have thoughts,feelings and needs.

 

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