Being Vegan Quotes & Sayings

Being vegan is not just a matter of being 'kind' to animals. First and foremost, it is a matter of being just and observing our moral obligation to not treat other sentient beings as things. — Gary L. Francione

We are vegans not simply because being vegan will reduce suffering. We are vegan because every sentient being values her or his life even if no one else does. We are vegan because justice minimally requires that we not take life for trivial purposes. — Gary L. Francione

Being a vegan just helps me build up my self-esteem. I feel good about it every time I eat a meal. — Steve-O

Non-injury to all living beings is the only religion." (first truth of Jainism) "In happiness and suffering, in joy and grief, we should regard all creatures as we regard our own self, and should therefore refrain from inflicting upon others such injury as would appear undesirable to us if inflicted upon ourselves." "This is the quintessence of wisdom; not to kill anything. All breathing, existing, living sentient creatures should not be slain, nor treated with violence, nor abused, nor tormented, nor driven away. This is the pure unchangeable Law. Therefore, cease to injure living things." "All living things love their life, desire pleasure and do not like pain; they dislike any injury to themselves; everybody is desirous of life and to every being, his life is very dear."
Yogashastra (Jain Scripture) (c. 500 BCE) — Anonymous

Being vegan helped me realize I can say and do what I believe is right. That's powerful. — Alicia Silverstone

I find it very annoying that so many animal advocates talk about the difficulty of being vegan. Many animal advocates are inclined to make the issue their suffering and not the animals' suffering, and I suppose that accounts for part of the reason that veganism is portrayed as such a "sacrifice." And many animal advocates are not vegans, or are "flexible vegans," which means that they do not observe veganism at all or not consistently, and emphasizing the supposed difficulty of veganism is part of justifying their own behavior. — Gary L. Francione

I remember talking to someone who is vegan. At the time, I would hear a lot of outrageous claims from vegans about the good that being a vegan can do for you, for your health and whatnot. I remember someone once told me vegans don't sweat, so I started my mind going. — Bryan Lee O'Malley

I made the choice to be vegan because I will not eat (or wear, or use) anything that could have an emotional response to its death or captivity. I can well imagine what that must feel like for our non-human friends - the fear, the terror, the pain - and I will not cause such suffering to a fellow living being. — Rai Aren

Being vegan provides us with the peace of knowing that we are no longer participants in the hideous violence that is animal exploitation. — Gary L. Francione

I like being vegan, I think it's good for my health. — Moby

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

I thought being vegan was going to be some really horrible way of life that had no flavor. — Robin Quivers

Being a vegan is pretty easy these days, as almost every town and city has health food stores and vegetarian-friendly restaurants. — Moby

I am moving towards being vegan. When I crack an egg now, I look and think could that have become a baby — Heather Mills

Obviously, I think being vegan is important. But no one should judge anybody. I'm not a dictator and I don't expect anyone to be any certain way. — Pamela Anderson

And Casey said, "We could go get a pizza and a beer, maybe? If you wanted to."
And this. This was on the list. Gus was prepared for this. And before he could think it through, Gus said, "Hey, bro, I have a better idea. Let's go try that heart-healthy vegan restaurant that just opened over on Main Street. I hear their crispy kale and tofu salad is the bomb."
Lottie dropped the smoothie she was making. It exploded as soon as it hit the ground, berry juice spraying all over her. "Sorry," she exclaimed. "So sorry! It just slipped!"
Gus didn't pay much attention because he was in the throes of realizing two things at once: first, no new heart-healthy vegan restaurant has opened in Abby, much less on Main Street. And two, being normal was a lot harder than it looked because what the hell had he just done? — T.J. Klune

My own view is that being a vegetarian or vegan is not an end in itself, but a means towards reducing both human and animal suffering and leaving a habitable planet to future generations. — Peter Singer

There is a stereotype that vegans talk about being vegan all the time. The irony is, once people find out I'm vegan, I quickly become their confessor, counselor, and sounding board. — Colleen Patrick-Goudreau

I have to say that being a vegan in 1986 or whenever was a lot different than being a vegan in 2012. You'd go to health foods stores and basically your choice was between Mung beans and nutritional yeast, and that's about it. — Moby

Just how destructive does a culinary preference have to be before we decide to eat something else? If contributing to the suffering of billions of animals that live miserable lives and (quite often) die in horrific ways isn't motivating, what would be? If being the number one contributor to the most serious threat facing the planet (global warming) isn't enough, what is? And if you are tempted to put off these questions of conscience, to say not now, then when? — Jonathan Safran Foer

I'm killing two birds at once, so to speak. Animal-based food kills people. This way, by going vegan ... we get healthy and save animals. I'm being selfish, too, because if I can get my employees healthier, we cut down on sick days and gain more productivity. — Steve Wynn

Being vegan is not the key to immortality. We're all going to get sick and die. But to know you're living without harming? That's the loveliest feeling. — Victoria Moran

As a vegan body-builder I want to show others that it is possible to gain significant muscle and strength on a vegan diet and I want to inspire others to follow this lifestyle. I love being vegan and knowing that I am having a positive impact on our society. — Robert Cheeke

I'm a vegan. I lost 150 pounds because of being a vegan. — Mike Tyson

Try to be likeable but stay true to your self. There will be times when you have to do or say something at the expense of being popular. If you've built up enough goodwill, you'll get away with it. People understand that difficult decisions have to be made and, if you've paid enough into your 'likeability deposit', they will hate the decision but not the person making it.

There may be moments in your life when you have to choose between 'being liked' and what you really want to do. Imagine your future spouse is a vegan and does not enjoy being with people who eat meat. Could you imagine putting aside your beliefs and feelings, to show support, love and understanding for your partner's? — Nigel Cumberland

Being vegan doesn't make you a stronger, better athlete. But it allows you to make yourself a stronger, better athlete. — Brendan Brazier

Being a thoughtful vegan makes our time on this Earth more peaceful and joyous, because you get to have a hand in promoting and increasing the happiness, good health and well-being of others
both animal and human
rather than being an instrument of their suffering and death. — Russell Simmons

Being vegan is a glorious adventure. It touches every aspect of my life - my relationships, how I relate to the world. — Victoria Moran

Stop being a vegan and start enjoying what you eat. — Jamie Oliver

One of the main reasons I'm vegan is because I'm ethically lazy. My friends who eat meat or who eat eggs have to sometimes wrestle with the ethical consequences of their actions. By being vegan, I take the easy way out. — Moby

I'm still vegetarian - no, pescatarian, because I eat fish. I eat pretty much vegan at home, but when I'm on the road, I'm a bit more flexible. That was the kind of thing I learned as I got older - being flexible with it and listening to my body. — Amanda Crew

I'm always active in trying to educate people when it comes to eating animal products, testing on animals, and the health benefits of being vegan, although I'm probably not the best person to be talking about the latter at the moment. — Daniel Johns

The hardest part about being vegan is shoes. I mean, really, that's the only difficult part, finding shoes that don't have leather on them. — Lisa Edelstein

Vegetarian is like raising a kid Mennonite. It's difficult but not that different. Raising your kid vegan is like being Amish. A totally different world. — Victoria Moran

Being vegan or vegetarian isn't just about compassion for animals. Most of the destruction of the planet is the result of all the clear-cutting, groundwater contamination, grain production, fuel consumption, greenhouse gas, viral proliferation - the direct result of livestock production. — William McNamara

I juice a lot; I get as much protein as I can, because being a vegan, there isn't much protein. But that's pretty much it. I just drink lots of water, too. I'll have a protein shake as well every morning. — Travis Barker

If you think that being vegan is difficult, imagine how difficult it is for animals that you are not vegan. — Gary L. Francione

Being vegan just gives you such great karma. — Alicia Silverstone

I'm close to being a vegan, but I'm not one, technically. I don't eat eggs, or nearly any dairy - no cheese or milk. I do eat honey, and a piece of milk chocolate here and there. 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. It had to be the perfect bite, with no fat or gristle or bone or anything like that. I don't judge people who eat meat - that's not for me to say - but the whole thing just sort of bums me out. — Tobey Maguire

Being vegan is not always easy and accessible. But it's a way of life and makes me as a person feel really good and physically look better. — Olivia Wilde

Whatever the country or the venue, whoever I find myself with, I strongly believe that whenever you agree to pay for something, you vote for it. I personally try to be in coherence with my core values (as much as possible) so, since I do not want to vote for animal exploitation in any form or under any circumstance, I do not derogate from my chosen alimentation. I do not un-veganize myself for the time of a meal. Even if it implies eating only bread and drinking only water... And being made fun of by workmates in a convention (be there, done that, got the t-shirt). — Martin Blais

Each day we wake up and make myriad choices that affect others. We clothe ourselves with shirts, pants, and shoes that may have been sewn together by women working in factories fourteen-plus hours a day for a nonliving wage; we buy products manufactured in ways the destroy forests, pollute waterways, and poison the air; we wash our hair with shampoos that may have been squeezed into the eyes of conscious rabbits or force-fed to them in quantities that kill; and on and on. As Derrick Jensen has written in his book "The Culture of Make Believe", "It is possible to destroy a culture without being aware of its existence. It is possible to commit genocide or ecocide from the comfort of one's living room — Zoe Weil

Being vegan for me is a cleaner way of not participating in practices that don't align with my values. — Cory Booker

There's a stigma about being vegan. Some people say it doesn't taste great. Don't knock it until you try it! — Tia Mowry

L-EVELS
O-F
V-ARYING
E-MOTIONS


BEING IN LOVE IS ALWAYS A
COMPLICATED RELATIONSHIP! — Qwana M. BabyGirl Reynolds-Frasier

Being vegan truly is the secret to my life's joy and peace. I feel physically and spiritually better than I could have ever imagined knowing that I am doing everything I can to reduce animal suffering with simple lifestyle choices like being vegan, never wearing any products made from animals (like wool and leather), and buying only from companies that NEVER test their products or ingredients on animals. — Alicia Silverstone

Nothing's changed my life more. I feel better about myself as a person, being conscious and responsible for my actions and I lost weight and my skin cleared up and I got bright eyes and I just became stronger and healthier and happier. Can't think of anything better in the world to be but be vegan. — Alicia Silverstone

My reverence for all life has become my guiding principle. It informs every aspect of my existence, including my choices about work, entertainment, home decor, healthcare, fashion, and, of course, diet. I have found my core belief surprisingly simple to adhere to. They are not sacrifices. If compassion is my religion, these are the actions I use to celebrate it. These are my rituals. For me, living fully awake means embracing all species with the same level of respect and kindness. Being a joyful vegan doesn't take willpower - just a willingness to try new things and choose mercy over misery. — Mark Hawthorne

Being a vegan is a first-world phenomenon, completely self-indulgent. — Anthony Bourdain

Being vegan is not a matter of "lifestyle." It is a matter of fundamental moral obligation. Is being vegan a matter of "choice"? Only insofar as we are able to choose to ignore our moral obligations not to exploit the vulnerable. — Gary L. Francione

Well, everything with being vegan and vegetarian is a really big commitment. You have to do what you feel is best and what you believe in and what your body is telling you that it needs. I really think everyone should do what's best for them, and what's best for me may not be best for someone else. — Lea Michele

I think 'vegan' is a beautiful word. It is more than just a description for our diet. I see it as a visible template for an ethical, healthy, responsible, and rational life. Because it describes our character, it says we do not take the life of another living being to satisfy our wants. — Philip Wollen

Being vegan is easy. Are there social pressures that encourage you to continue to eat, wear, and use animal products? Of course there are. But in a patriarchal, racist, homophobic, and ableist society, there are social pressures to participate and engage in sexism, racism, homophobia, and ableism. At some point, you have to decide who you are and what matters morally to you. And once you decide that you regard victimizing vulnerable nonhumans is not morally acceptable, it is easy to go and stay vegan — Gary L. Francione

I thought a vegan diet would be too difficult, being on the road so much, but it's been far easier than I thought. — Michelle Forbes

If you are not vegan, please consider going vegan. It's a matter of nonviolence. Being vegan is your statement that you reject violence to other sentient beings, to yourself, and to the environment, on which all sentient beings depend. — Gary L. Francione

People say that being a vegan creates a social problem in that others may react negatively. But isnt that the case if you take a principled position on any issue, whether its racism, sexism, heterosexism, violence as a general matter - or speciesism? The key is to educate others about *why* you take the position. — Gary L. Francione

I got into being vegan because I was simply looking to benefit from being more compassionate. I have since come to learn that it is an animal-based diet that is responsible for the overwhelming majority of cases of cancer, heart disease, diabetes, obesity, multiple sclerosis, and all kinds of other problems. — Steve-O

A vegan diet is one of the best things you can do for your health and the well being of our planet. — Robert Cheeke

Eric Leeds said at one point Prince wanted the band to all be vegan. Alan told his brother that to survive being in Prince's band you had to at least pretend to drink the Kool-Aid, so, Eric said, you had guys being vegan when Prince was around and eating whatever they wanted when he wasn't around. "He attached some spiritual component to it but looked at it as another way for him to exercise control," Eric said. "If you're gonna work for me then you have to conform to my ideal. — Toure

I transitioned to being a vegan slowly. I took out beef and chicken first and did research on alternative forms of protein. Then after a few months, I gave up something else but added in new things. You need to bring in new food when you take away the old food you are giving up. Learn about what foods you should be eating. — Kim Barnouin

I am an urban vegan. I love the glossy pages of 'Vogue,' even though I won't purchase the leather shoes and bags I see there, and being reminded that the fur trade even exists breaks my heart. — Victoria Moran