“But let us not forget that human love and compassion are equally deeply rooted in our primate heritage, and in this sphere too our sensibilities are of a higher order of magnitude than those of chimpanzees.”

The least I can do is speak out for the hundreds of chimpanzees who, right now, sit hunched, miserable and without hope, staring out with dead eyes from their metal prisons. They cannot speak for themselves.

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

I never wanted to be a scientist per se. I wanted to be a naturalist.

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

We have the choice to use the gift of our life to make the world a better place–or not to bother

So, let us move forward with faith in ourselves, in our intelligence, in our indomitable spirit. Let us develop respect for all living things. Let us try to replace violence and intolerance with understanding and compassion and love.

Sometimes I [longed to be a chimp] I just wanted to know. what it felt like in the evening to be making a nest and what it felt like to be a female when a big male comes thundering in.

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

People said, Jane, forget about this nonsense with Africa. Dream about things you can achieve.

We have the choice to use the gift of our life to make the world a better place.

I don’t have any idea of who or what God is. But I do believe in some great spiritual power. I feel it particularly when I’m out in nature. It’s just something that’s bigger and stronger than what I am or what anybody is. I feel it. And it’s enough for me.

As thy days, so shall thy strength be.

How can you stop yourself from yelling and shouting and accusing everyone of cruelty? The easy answer is that the aggressive approach simply doesn’t work.

Here was a chimpanzee using a tool. That was object modification- the crude beginning of tool making.

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

Attacks by other chimpanzees are the second most frequent cause of death at Gombe, after disease.

Man is an animal which, alone among the animals, refuses to be satisfied by the fulfillment of animal desires.

As a camel kneels before his master to have him remove his burden at the end of the day, so kneel each night and let the Master take your burden.

Defend the Bible? I’d sooner defend a lion. You don’t defend the Bible; you open its cage and let it roar.

You never know how a horse will pull until you hook him to a heavy load.

A time will come when instead of shepherds feeding the sheep, the church will have clowns entertaining the goats.

Having a teenage daughter is like riding a young horse over an unknown steeplechase course. You don’t know when to pull up the reins, when to let the horse have its head – or what.

I never said all actors are cattle; what I said was all actors should be treated like cattle.

If you can’t sleep, count sheep. Don’t count endangered animals. You will run out.