"It is grievous to see or hear, and almost to hear of, any man, or
even any animal whatever, in torture. For example, when a man turns
aside to avoid crushing an insect, why does he do so? Certainly not
because of any reasoned conviction as to the sufferings of the 'poor
beetle that we tread upon', but for the simple fact that, consciously
or unconsciously, he is humane; the sight of suffering, however
slight, is distasteful to him as being human. Of all mistaken notions
concerning humanitarianism, the most mistaken is that which regards it
as some extraneous artificial cult, forced on human nature from
without; whereas in truth it is founded on an instinctive conviction
from within, a very part of human development. When we talk of a man
'becoming a humanitarian', what we really mean is that he has
recognized a fact that was already within his consciousness -- the
kinship of all sentient life -- of which humanitarianism is the avowed
and definite proclamation." -- Henry Stephens Salt