5 quotes from Jane Goodall that will make you think

Jane Goodall’s phrases convey a wonderful purpose: to reconcile human beings with respect for nature.. One of its purposes has always been to force people to redefine ourselves, to come down from our proud pedestal to understand that species like primates also have emotions, are intelligent, empathize and have a social system.

In addition to being a primatologist, ethologist, anthropologist and UN peace messenger, Jane Goodall is a legend. We are before one of those eminences who, due to his humanity, transcendence and clarity in his message, continues to move the world with his lectures. She is already 84 years old, but she is still distinguished by her ponytail, her serene smile and that sensitive look of someone who observes the world with a childlike curiosity, despite being one of the most revolutionary scientists in the world. the history.

“I like some animals more than some people, some people more than some animals.”

-Jane Goodall-

It was Jane Goodall who 50 years ago he challenged the world and the most agnostic scientific community by demonstrating that animals also have intelligence. What’s more, his field of study was not limited to chimpanzees alone. One more passion that defines this English ethologist is bird watching. She was one of the first voices to talk about how mammals and birds like crows are capable of planning, solving simple problems, building gadgets to obtain food or organizing themselves in social structures.

His theoretical contribution has impacted a large field of disciplines, including psychology itself. Concepts such as self-awareness, empathy, altruism or deception are no longer exclusive “products” of the human race…

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Jane Goodall phrases to reflect on

Jane Goodall’s phrases show us that although she has not found the missing link in human evolution, No one has ever come so close to showing us how linked we are to great primates. What’s more, for this ethologist and primatologist the only thing that differentiates us from them is language, something that, without a doubt, should force human beings to reflect and redefine themselves in many aspects.

Let’s look at some quotes from Jane Goodall to better understand her legacy, which we can also find in books like “In the path of man”, “Reasons for hope” either “My life with chimpanzees.”

1. Animals have feelings

“You can’t share your life with a dog or a cat if you don’t understand that they also have personality, feelings and a mind.”

We said it at the beginning. Jane Goodall’s contributions to psychology are also notable. She more than anyone has emphasized the need to become aware of animal psychology. Because not only primates show obvious characteristics of social intelligence, complex emotions and a mind that is aware of itself.

Our most common pets, such as dogs or cats, also have their personalities.their emotional needs and that empathy capable of not only connecting with their own kind, but also with ourselves.

2. It doesn’t matter who you are, but what you are capable of doing

“The human being is an extraordinary creature, but the way we achieved it does not matter. Evolution itself is meaningless if we are not able to do great things with who we are now.”

This is one of the most interesting Jane Goodall quotes. It contains within itself an idea that many current anthropologists also share. Often, The scientific community is obsessed with being able to explain our evolutionary line, with knowing whether Homo heidelbergensis comes before or after the ancestor. or whether Neanderthals are a distinct species or subspecies of the genus Homo sapiens.

3. Harmony in the animal world, disharmony in the civilized world

“Chimpanzees, gorillas and orangutans have lived thousands of years in their forest, living fantastic lives, in environments where balance reigns, in spaces where it has never occurred to them to destroy the forest, destroy their world. “I would say they have been more successful than us in terms of being in harmony with the environment.”

This is undoubtedly another wonderful reflection that speaks for itself. No animal conceives the idea of destroying its own home. From cutting down the trees, burning the grasslands, destroying the savannahs, polluting the rivers, dirtying the oceans… We consider species of animals wild that all they do is live in their environment and in harmony, while we do the opposite.

4. Protect nature for our psychological health

“Many studies have shown that plants are good for our psychological development. If we put gardens and green environments in cities, the crime rate decreases. Assault victims, the mentally ill, and hospital patients begin to recover when they spend time in nature. So we need them, we need forests and natural environments because they give us a deep psychological meaning.”

Jane Goodall continues to lead this natural and social activism where we raise awareness of the importance of conserving forests. To protect nature and wildlife. This priority even affects our psychological well-being, a detail of immense relevance that we are not yet fully aware of. Nature is not just life, but it makes life possible.

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5. We have a responsibility

“When you meet chimpanzees you realize that each one has a personality. When a baby chimpanzee looks at you, it’s like a human baby. We have a responsibility to them.”

This is undoubtedly another of Jane Goodall’s most legendary phrases. We have a responsibility with the animals, with the chimpanzees, with the gorillas and with all those species that we are displacing from their habitats due to human voracity.. For producing more palm oil, for having more natural resources to exploit and land from which to obtain those essential minerals for the technology industry.

We are creating incurable wounds to our planet, to animals and also to ourselves. Messages like Jane Goodall’s are those that help us become aware, to come down from our proud evolutionary scale to look at ourselves with more humility, to see animals as brothers, as humble inhabitants of Gaia, of a planet that we do not take care of as we normally would. deserves.