About this quote

This line points to the way silly ideas sound amazing in the abstract and awful in practice. It cuts through the charm of reckless schemes with a laugh and a dose of reality. Ask yourself who keeps pitching the risky, gross stunts and refuse to be the one who goes along. Set a clear boundary and offer a safer plan so everyone keeps their dignity and the animals stay unharmed.

When to use it

• At a college dorm meeting when someone plots an animal prank, I say, "Remember when you tried to feed a pie to the mallards? Not happening."
• During an office team-building brainstorm, I use the line to kill a gross idea: "Like the cannibal-duck plan? Let's pick something else."
• At a family picnic when a relative suggests tossing cooked scraps to the pond, I tell them plainly, "Nope — last time you had those brilliant plans we nearly had a mess."
• On a wildlife rehab shift, if a volunteer jokes about testing odd experiments on birds, I quote it and stop the conversation right there.