Females avoid conflict. They are afraid of violence. The males, on the other hand, are less averse to strife. But once conflict breaks out, the males are much better at reconciling. In a study done in Finland, children who had quarreled were asked how much longer they intended to be angry at one another. The boys proudly said: "Oh, at least one or two days." The girls said "forever".

Armies are a purely human invention. Most soldiers who go to war nowadays don't even do it because they're inherently aggressive.

Female bonobos form a strong sisterhood. They rule through female solidarity.

Future benefits rarely figure in the minds of animals.

The sturdiest pillars of human morality are compassion and a sense of justice.

The possibility that empathy resides in parts of the brain so ancient that we share them with rats should give pause to anyone comparing politicians with those poor, underestimated creatures.

After World War II it was decided that, in order to prevent the Germans and the French from having another war, it would be better to tie them together into one economic pact so they would invest in each other and have mutual stakes. Until now, that has worked to prevent warfare between the two.