Hurt No Living Thing Quotes

Context

This line is from the poem "Hurt No Living Thing" by Christina Rossetti (1872).

Don't squash that bug, or Christina Rossetti will return from the grave and haunt your murderous butt.

Rossetti wrote romantic poetry and children's poems, and this is one of her simpler poems for children, encouraging them not to be little jerks and squish bugs. Instead she wanted us to respect all living creatures, no matter how small they are.

Where you've heard it

You've heard this from their vegan friends when you order a grilled chicken burrito bowl with extra cheese.

Hurt no living thing is a beautiful shade of purple.

Pretentious Factor

If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.

No living creatures were harmed during the writing of this poem—unless you count the bird the quill pen came from, or the food eaten by Christina while she wrote it, or the moth that got burned from the candle as she wrote at night…