Is it not possible that the chimpanzees are responding to some feeling like awe? A feeling generated by the mystery of water; water that seems alive, always rushing past yet never going, always the same yet ever different. Was it perhaps similar feelings of awe that gave rise to the first animistic religions, the worship of the elements and the mysteries of nature over which there was no control? Only when our prehistoric ancestors developed language would it have been possible to discuss such internal feelings and create a shared religion.
Jane GoodallPrimates are very territorial. It is in their nature to protect their food resources as well as their females and young.
Jane GoodallThere are many people out there (me being one of them) who can vouch that animals have feelings; they feel compassion and love, as well as pain!
Jane GoodallYou 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.
Jane GoodallWe are always talking about how we can get more environmental and humanitarian education. It is about listening to the voice of young people - how they feel, and what would be most meaningful for them.
Jane GoodallEvery single day, we could be in a motorcar accident, so, we have to carry on with our lives, and not imagine terror around every corner.
Jane GoodallChimpanzees are incredibly intelligent. They can learn more than 400 signs of American Sign Language. They have memories for spatial distribution, like numbers on a TV screen, way better than ours. You come onto the emotions: happiness, sadness, fear, and despair - all the things for which I was accused of being anthropomorphic when I ascribed them to chimpanzees.
Jane Goodall