In Tanzania, the chimps are isolated in a very tiny patch of forest. I flew over it 13 years ago and realized that, basically, all the trees had gone, that people all around the park are struggling to survive. It became very clear that there was no way to protect the chimps while the people were in this dire circumstance.

Chimps are very quick to have a sudden fight or aggressive episode, but they're equally as good at reconciliation.

Young people, when informed and empowered, when they realize that what they do truly makes a difference, can indeed change the world.

You have to really care about what you say. And if you don't, it will never come out quite right, unless you go into acting, in which case you have to act fast before you realize it is something which you do not believe in.

Words can be said in bitterness and anger, and often there seems to be an element of truth in the nastiness. And words don't go away, they just echo around.

Other people have talked about chimpanzees being a window into the past, which I suppose is true, in a way.

We, as humans, have actually developed a sense of social responsibility. We have gone beyond our basic instincts.