Dr. Jane Goodall is a renowned English primatologist and anthropologist, best known for her 60-year study of wild chimpanzees in Gombe Stream National Park, Tanzania. Her groundbreaking research revolutionized our understanding of primates and our connection to them, enlightening the world about conservation and animal rights topics. Regarded as the world’s foremost primatologist, her words inspire people across the globe to appreciate and respect the natural world and all its inhabitants.
Here are some of the most popular Jane Goodall quotes:
- “The greatest danger to our future is apathy.”
- “Only if we understand, will we care. Only if we care, will we help. Only if we help shall all be saved.”
- “Every individual matters. Every individual has a role to play. Every individual makes a difference.”
- “What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.”
- “If we kill off the wild, then we are killing a part of our souls.”
- “The least I can do is speak out for those who cannot speak for themselves.”
- “Let us develop respect for all living thing. Let us try to replace violence and intolerance with understanding and compassion. And love.”
- “One individual cannot possibly make a difference, alone. It is individual efforts, collectively, that makes a noticeable difference—all the difference in the world!”
- “Lasting change is a series of compromises. And compromise is all right, as long your values don’t change.”
- “In what terms should we think of these beings, nonhuman yet possessing so many human-like characteristics? How should we treat them? Surely we should treat them with the same consideration and kindness as we show to other humans.”
- “There is still a lot in the world worth fighting for.”
- “Every day you live, you impact the planet.”
- “Every single individual makes some impact on the planet every single day, and we have a choice as to what kind of difference we’re going to make.”
- “Chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans have been living for hundreds of thousands of years in their forest, living fantastic lives, never overpopulating, never destroying the forest. I would say that they have been in a way more successful than us as far as being in harmony with the environment.”
- “We have the choice to use the gift of our lives to make the world a better place.”
- “Think occasionally of the suffering of which you spare yourself the sight.”
- “You cannot share your life with a dog, as I had done in Bournemouth, or a cat, and not know perfectly well that animals have personalities and minds and feelings.”
- “Change happens by listening and then starting a dialogue with the people who are doing something you don’t believe is right.”
- “As with all my children, you must find your own path, and through that discovery, you will decide what each earth child must try to learn.”
- “Here we are, the most clever species ever to have lived. So how is it we can destroy the only planet we have?”
Dr. Goodall’s words echo her life’s dedication to understanding and preserving our natural world. Her inspiration encourages us to respect all life forms, make conscious choices, and take collective action for the betterment of our planet.