Whales quotes

Whales

181 quotes on this topic — from poets, philosophers, and thinkers across history.

181 quotes
Rachel Hunter
Rachel Hunter Model, Actress

"The fidelity question is difficult for me. Society has made us believe we're supposed to be monogamous when we're not killer whales, or whatever the monogamous species is."

Lewis Thomas
Lewis Thomas Physician, Author

"It is from the progeny of this parent cell that we all take our looks; we still share genes around, and the resemblance of the enzymes of grasses to those of whales is in fact a family resemblance."

William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare Playwright, Poet

"Do you see yonder cloud that’s almost in shape of a camel? Polonius: By the mass, and ‘tis like a camel, indeed. Hamlet: Methinks it is like a weasel. Polonius: It is backed like a weasel. Hamlet: Or like a whale? Polonius: Very like a whale."

Explore further

Browse quotes that often appear alongside whales — connected by shared ideas and recurring themes.

Quote collection

Whales quotes (page 1 of 10)

Follow a thought to its author, or read the full quote page.

John Green Author, YouTuber
Whales

"She has great breasts," the Colonel said without looking up from the whale. "DO NOT OBJECTIFY WOMEN'S BODIES!" Alaska shouted. Now he looked up. "Sorry. Perky breasts." "That's not any better!"

Read quote 51 likes
Bob Brown Politician
Whales

"Seeing the whales off James Price Point, mothers, babies, bull whales, seeing the count, going up into the thousands of these whales, the assurance that they will be ok with a mega port, mega ships and a huge factory ashore, is now clearly proven wrong."

Read quote 46 likes
Paul Watson Journalist
Whales

"I have been honored to serve the whales, dolphins, seals - and all the other creatures on this Earth. Their beauty, intelligence, strength, and spirit have inspired me. These beings have spoken to me, touched me, and I have been rewarded by friendship with many members of different species. If the whales survive and flourish, if the seals continue to live and give birth, and if I can contribute to ensuring their future prosperity, I will be forever happy."

Read quote 21 likes
Paul Watson Journalist
Whales

"We don't give a damn what you or anybody else on this planet thinks. We didn't sink those ships for you. We did it for the whales."

Read quote 18 likes
Rachel Carson Biologist, Conservationist, Author
Whales

"Eventually man, too, found his way back to the sea. Standing on its shores, he must have looked out upon it with wonder and curiosity, compounded with an unconscious recognition of his lineage. He could not physically re-enter the ocean as the seals and whales had done. But over the centuries, with all the skill and ingenuity and reasoning powers of his mind, he has sought to explore and investigate even its most remote parts, so that he might re-enter it mentally and imaginatively."

Read quote 14 likes
Jack London Novelist, Journalist
Whales

". . . and God knows we are sensitive to the suffering that has sometimes broken loose to come billowing forth from your appendages like the pungent vapors of whales - often it appears that in this life of experience and accommodation we pay just as dearly for our triumphs as we do for our defeats. But Sissy . . . hold on!"

Read quote 14 likes
Johnny Carson Television Host
Whales

"I would like to say, for the record, that I am in favor of using more American Indians and other minorities in motion pictures, I am against polluting the oceans of the world, I am for every nationality having its own homeland, I am against whacking baby seals on the head, and I am for saving the whales."

Read quote 14 likes
Paul Watson Journalist
Whales

"My position is this. If we can't protect sanctuaries, if we can't save the whales, the sharks, the fish, our oceans will die."

Read quote 13 likes
John Adams Founding Father, Politician
Whales

"Human passions unbridled by morality and religion...would break the stronges cords of our Constitution as a whale goes through a net."

Read quote 10 likes
Charles Bukowski Poet, Novelist
Whales

"This is a world where everybody’s gotta do something. Ya know, somebody laid down this rule that everybody’s gotta do something, they gotta be something. You know, a dentist, a glider pilot, a narc, a janitor, a preacher, all that . . . Sometimes I just get tired of thinking of all the things that I don’t wanna do. All the things that I don’t wanna be. Places I don’t wanna go, like India, like getting my teeth cleaned. Save the whale, all that, I don’t understand that . . ."

Read quote 8 likes
Allen Ginsberg Poet, Activist
Whales

"Man’s usurpation over nature is an egotism that will destroy human as well as whale kingdoms. … Academies should return to wisdom study in tree groves rather than robot study in plastic cells"

Read quote 7 likes