It often happens that we go into an interaction with the idea that we’re going to lay out the arguments for veganism, and the other person will simply accept them or not. It will help a lot to move into the interaction with a goal of finding common ground. So, for example, if a person asks you why you are a vegetarian, and you know that he or she has a dog or cat, you can say, “I know that you care very much about Max, your dog. For me, veganism is an extension of my love for animals like Max—I don’t want to cause any animals to suffer.” Or if someone has a shirt on that supports a particular political candidate, you can say, “I see that you care about politics. For me, vegetarianism is a way of taking my political beliefs to the next level, voting for a better world every time I sit down to eat,” and so on. In any discussion, you’ll learn about the other person and be able to relate animal issues to something the other person cares about.