52 Jane Goodall Quotes From The Chimpanzee Expert

Jane Goodall is a renowned anthropologist and primatologist born on 3 April 1934.

Jane is considered to be the world's foremost expert on chimpanzees. She is well known for her 60-year study of social and family interactions of wild chimpanzees since 1960.

Having dedicated her efforts to wildlife from an early age, Goodall spent over 25 years in the jungles of Africa and Asia, discovering all there is to know about primates. She first went to Gombe Stream National Park in Tanzania, where she observed human-like behaviors in chimpanzees, including armed conflict. She has worked extensively on conservation and animal welfare issues and is the founder of the Jane Goodall Institute and the Roots & Shoots Program.

Jane Goodall has plenty of famous quotes; her claim that "what you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make," is particularly famous and gives a great insight into her values and beliefs.

Let's take a look at a few of Jane Goodall's best quotes. After reading these Jane Goodall quotes, do read these [conservation quotes] and David Attenborough quotes too.
 

Ready to discover the best Jane Goodall quotes? Let us have a look at a few Jane Goodall quotes that will motivate you and teach you more about humanity. Which of these Jane Goodall quotes is your favorite?

1. "Here we are, the most clever species ever to have lived. So how is it we can destroy the only planet we have?"

- Jane Goodall.

2. "The greatest danger to our future is apathy."

- Jane Goodall.

3. "I think empathy is really important, and I think only when our clever brain and our human heart work together in harmony can we achieve our full potential."

- Jane Goodall.

4. "You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you."

- Jane Goodall.

5. "If we kill off the wild, then we are killing a part of our souls."

- Jane Goodall.

6. "Chimpanzees, more than any other living creature, have helped us to understand that there is no sharp line between humans and the rest of the animal kingdom."

- Jane Goodall.

7. "Let us develop respect for all living things."

- Jane Goodall.

8. "To reconnect with nature is key if we want to save the planet."

- Jane Goodall.

9. "Let us try to replace violence and intolerance with understanding and compassion. And love."

- Jane Goodall.

10. "What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make."

- Jane Goodall.

11. "Nature can win if we give her a chance."

- Jane Goodall.

12. "You may not believe in evolution, and that’s all right. How we humans came to be the way we are is far less important than how we should act now to get out of the mess we have made for ourselves."

- Jane Goodall.

13. "As thy days, so shall thy strength be."

- Jane Goodall.

Jane Goodall is so concerned about animals that she won't rest until proper conservation efforts are in place. Here are some great Jane Goodall quotes by the chimpanzee expert who might just change the world.

14. "Without patience, I could never have succeeded."

- Jane Goodall.

15. "We need to raise the standard of living for 80% of the world’s people while bringing it down considerably for the 20% who are destroying our natural resources."

- Jane Goodall.

16. "Our brains are fully capable of controlling instinctive behavior. We’re not very good at it though, are we?"

- Jane Goodall.

17. "Any little thing that brings us back into communion with the natural world and the spiritual power that permeates all life will help us to move a little further along the path of human moral and spiritual evolution."

- Jane Goodall.

18. "It actually doesn’t take much to be considered a difficult woman. That’s why there are so many of us."

- Jane Goodall.

19. "I think the best evenings are when we have messages, things that make us think."

- Jane Goodall.

20. "We find animals doing things that we, in our arrogance, used to think was 'just human.'"

- Jane Goodall.

21. "There is a powerful force unleashed when young people resolve to make a change."

- Jane Goodall.

22. "I became totally absorbed into this forest existence."

- Jane Goodall.

23. "The hardest part of returning to a truly healthy environment may be changing the current totally unsustainable heavy-meat-eating culture of increasing numbers of people around the world."

- Jane Goodall.

24. "If only we can overcome cruelty, to human and animal, with love and compassion we shall stand at the threshold of a new era in human moral and spiritual evolution ― and realize, at last, our most unique quality: humanity."

- Jane Goodall.

25. "The least I can do is speak out for those who cannot speak for themselves."

- Jane Goodall.

26. "But let us not forget that human love and compassion are equally deeply rooted in our primate heritage."

- Jane Goodall.

27. "And always I have this feeling ― which may not be true at all ― that I am being used as a messenger."

- Jane Goodall.

28. "I like some animals more than some people, some people more than some animals."

- Jane Goodall.

29. "I don’t think that faith, whatever you’re being faithful about, really can be scientifically explained."

- Jane Goodall.

30. "Words don’t go away, they just echo around."

- Jane Goodall.

Ready for the final installment of Jane Goodall quotes? Jane Goodall's will to change the world's thoughts on animals and their importance to ecological balance are pretty inspirational for all of us. Let's have a look at a few powerful Jane Goodall quotes by the primatologist. Which of these Jane Goodall quotes will inspire you?

31. "Lasting change is a series of compromises. And compromise is all right, as long your values don’t change."

- Jane Goodall.

32. "We are, indeed, often cruel and evil. Nobody can deny this. We gang up on each one another, we torture each other, with words as well as deeds."

- Jane Goodall.

33. "Words can be said in bitterness and anger, and often there seems to be an element of truth in the nastiness."

- Jane Goodall.

34. "We are also capable of the noblest, generous, and heroic behavior."

- Jane Goodall.

35. "Each one of us must take responsibility for our own lives, and above all, show respect and love for living things around us, especially each other."

- Jane Goodall.

36. "All the time I was getting closer to animals and nature, and as a result, closer to myself and more and more in tune with the spiritual power."

- Jane Goodall.

37. "Each one of us matters, has a role to play, and makes a difference."

- Jane Goodall.

38. "If we do not do something to help these creatures, we make a mockery of the whole concept of justice."

- Jane Goodall.

39. "I think the most important thing is to keep active and to hope that your mind stays active."

- Jane Goodall.

40. "One thing I had learned from watching chimpanzees with their infants is that having a child should be fun."

- Jane Goodall.

41. "I’m always pushing for human responsibility."

- Jane Goodall.

42. "Every individual matters. Every individual has a role to play. Every individual makes a difference."

- Jane Goodall.

43. "What makes us human, I think, is an ability to ask questions, a consequence of our sophisticated spoken language."

- Jane Goodall.

44. "Only if we understand, can we care. Only if we care, we will help. Only if we help, we shall be saved."

- Jane Goodall.

45. "We have the choice to use the gift of our life to make the world a better place ― or not to bother."

- Jane Goodall.

46. "Change happens by listening and then starting a dialogue with the people who are doing something you don't believe is right."

- Jane Goodall.

47. "We have so far to go to realize our human potential for compassion, altruism, and love."

- Jane Goodall.

48. "I do have reasons for hope: our clever brains, the resilience of nature, the indomitable human spirit, and above all, the commitment of young people when they’re empowered to take action."

- Jane Goodall.

49. "Together we can bring change to the world, gradually replacing fear and hatred with compassion and love. Love for all living beings."

- Jane Goodall.

50. "Farm animals are far more aware and intelligent than we ever imagined and, despite having been bred as domestic slaves, they are individual beings in their own right."

- Jane Goodall.

51. "If the factory farm does indeed unravel – and it must – then there is hope that we can, gradually, reverse the environmental damage it has caused."

- Jane Goodall.

52. "And if we dare to look into those eyes, then we shall feel their suffering in our hearts. More and more people have seen that appeal and felt it in their hearts."

- Jane Goodall.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly quotes for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for 51+ Jane Goodall quotes from the chimpanzee expert, why not look at these wildlife quotes and Steve Irwin quotes for more quotes about doing what we believe is right?