We human beings regard ourselves as (or compare ourselves to) animals only when it suits us.
humor people joke religion humanity humour funny human humans animals civilization wild human-race satire jokes human-beings aphorism animal creature convenience creatures homo-sapiens primitive ignorant civilized species anthropocentrism aphorisms heathen savage aphorist aphorists civilize uncivilized suit persons anthropocentric compare-to compare vulgar barbarism barbarian neanderthal barbaric barbarous brutish convenient expedience expedient liken liken-to uncultivated
It be urged that the wild and uncultivated tree, hitherto yielding sour and bitter fruit only, can never be made to yield better; yet we know that the grafting art implants a new tree on the savage stock, producing what is most estimable in kind and degree. Education, in like manner, engrafts a new man on the native stock, and improves what in his nature was vicious and perverse into qualities of virtue and social worth.