Gorillas are almost altruistic in nature. There's very little if any 'me-itis.' When I get back to civilization I'm always appalled by 'me, me, me.'

I had this great urge... I had it the day I was born. Some may call it destiny. My parents and friends called it dismaying.

It was their individuality combined with the shyness of their behavior that remained the most captivating impression of this first encounter with the greatest of the great apes.

The extraordinary gentleness of the adult male with his young dispels all the King Kong mythology.

I had a wonderful contact, especially with Uncle Bert who was an angel and led the whole group over to my side of a steep ravine I could not cross to get over to them

When you realize the value of all life, you dwell less on what is past and concentrate more on the preservation of the future.

[About gorillas] You take these fine, regal animals. How many (human) fathers have the same sense of paternity? How many human mothers are more caring? The family structure is unbelievably strong.