Authors
Jane Goodall
1934 – 2025
Jane Goodall spent decades living among wild chimpanzees in Tanzania, discovering that they use tools and have close family bonds much like humans. She began that groundbreaking research at 26 with no university degree and no scientific training, later becoming one of the few people ever awarded a Cambridge PhD without first completing an undergraduate degree. Her patient, careful observations changed the way scientists understand animals forever, and she spent her life traveling the world encouraging young people to protect animals and nature.
Quotes
“Every individual matters. Every individual has a role to play.”
“I wanted to talk to the animals like Dr. Dolittle.”
“You do it wrong. You make a mistake but you don’t give up. You try again and you learn patience.”
“If you have empathy with your subject, then you begin to ask how you might behave in their situation.”
“Sharing these stories of people and nature, should fill people with hope because we can do it if we will.”
“Make the world better for the children that are coming after us and help them to make the world better for themselves.”
“But we’re not really a very intelligent species, are we, when we destroy our home.”
“The forest is for me a temple — a cathedral of tree canopies and dancing light.”
“And there is the understanding that our health depends on the health of the environment and other animals.”
“What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.”
“Only if we understand, can we care. Only if we care, we will help.”
“My mission is to create a world where we can live in harmony with nature.”
“If you are really and truly determined to work with animals, somehow, either now or later, you will find a way to do it.”
“The most important thing is to actually think about what you do.”