“Among the beasts of prey, man is certainly the worst.”
Johann Most (1846–1906) German-American anarchist politician, newspaper editor, and orator
This expression, very commonly made nowadays, is only relatively true. Not man as such, but man in connection with wealth is a beast of prey. The richer a man, the greater his greed for more. We may call such a monster the "beast of property". It now rules the world, makes mankind miserable, and gains in cruelty and voracity with the progress of our so-called "civilization".
The Beast of Property (1884)