I had never planned to become a savanna baboon when I grew up; instead, I had always assumed I would become a mountain gorilla.

The fascinating thing about our best and worst behaviors isn't the behavior itself - the brain tells the muscles to do something or other - big deal. It's the meaning of the behavior.

Genes are important for understanding our behavior. Incredibly important - after all, they code for every protein pertinent to brain function, endocrinology, etc.

Finish this lecture, go outside, and unexpectedly get gored by an elephant, and you are going to secrete glucocorticoids. There's no way out of it. You cannot psychologically reframe your experience and decide you did not like the shirt, here's an excuse to throw it out - that sort of thing.

The less it is possible that something can be, the more it must be.

Importantly, rather than promoting aggression, testosterone promotes whatever is needed to maintain status when challenged.

An open mind is a prerequisite to an open heart.