Barbara Delinsky Quotes

The wolf asketh not how many the sheep may be.

Animals need to understand other species, if only to prey on them or escape from them.

The Deer don't dineWhen a Wolf's about,And the PorcupineSticks his quill-points out.

Many expressions of a cat's feelings seem deeply related to the capture of live prey.

The cat does not negotiate with the mouse.

A wolf is not bad for eating and tearing apart something, if it's for survival. It doesn't do it to be menacing.

A hungry wolf at all the herd will run, In hopes, through many, to make sure of one.

It never troubles the wolf how many the sheep may be.

When a lion doesn't get its prey, it remains hungry. When the prey saves himself, he has not won, but has saved his life.

There are some dogs which, when you meet them, remind you that, despite thousands of years of manmade evolution, every dog is still only two meals away from being a wolf.

Where there are sheep, the wolves are never very far away.

In all of nature, there is no sound more pleasing than that of a hungry animal at its feed. Unless you are the food.

All beasts of prey are strong or treacherous.

The pike does not ask the frog's permission before dining.

The low bird is not picked tenderly out of the dust by its fellows; rather, it is dispatched quickly and without mercy.

This world belongs to the strong, my friend! The ritual of our existence is based on the strong getting stronger by devouring the weak. We must face up to this. No more than right that it should be this way. We must learn to accept it as a law of the natural world. The rabbits accept their role in the ritual and recognize the wolf as the strong. In defense, the rabbit becomes sly and frightened and elusive and he digs holes and hides when the wolf is about. And he endures, he goes on. He knows his place. He most certainly doesn't challenge the wolf to combat. Now, would that be wise? Would it?

One thing I am learning from the kitten is that everything he is doing seems to be in preparation for murder.

The cat dropped the rat between its two front paws. "There are those," it said with a sigh, in tones as smooth as oiled silk, "who have suggested that the tendency of a cat to play with its prey is a merciful one - after all, it permits the occasional funny little running snack to escape, from time to time. How often does your dinner get to escape?

There is no human law or law of God or national law that states that any healthy being has to permit the snake to eat the mouse - but on the other hand, it is perfectly justified to defend the mouse.

The whelp of a wolf must prove a wolf at last, notwithstanding he may be brought up by a man.

In the studio, I always put on National Geographic for inspiration. Looking at lions eating gazelles, all that type of stuff.

Whenever you see a toad jumping in broad daylight, then know that something is after its life.

If we want foxes, to observe and delight in, we must have hunting.

The wolf never kills for fun, which is probably one of the main differences distinguishing him from man.

The fox often offers the duck its pond.