Frans de Waal

Quotes

• “I sometimes try to imagine what would have happened if we'd known the bonobo first and the chimpanzee only later or not ...”
• “I sometimes try to imagine what would have happened if we’d known the bonobo first and the chimpanzee only later—or not ...”
• “Our societies probably work best if they mimic as closely as possible the small-scale communities of our ancestors. We c...”
• “Popular culture bombards us with examples of animals being humanized for all sorts of purposes, ranging from education t...”
• “The term 'alpha female' originated in my field of animal behavior, but has acquired new meaning. It refers to women who ...”
• “If you look at human society, it is very easy, of course, to compare our warfare and territoriality with the chimpanzee....”
• “Unlike the primate hand, the elephant's grasping organ is also its nose. Elephants use their trunks not only to reach fo...”
• “The intuitive connection children feel with animals can be a tremendous source of joy. The unconditional love received f...”
• “Deep down, creationists realize they will never win factual arguments with science. This is why they have construed thei...”
• “The initial animosity between divergent approaches can be overcome if we realize that each has something to offer that t...”
• “Without agreement on rank and a certain respect for authority there can be no great sensitivity to social rules, as anyo...”
• “Experiments with animals have long been handicapped by our anthropocentric attitude: We often test them in ways that wor...”
• “The enemy of science is not religion. Religion comes in endless shapes and forms... The true enemy is the substitution o...”
• “If we look straight and deep into a chimpanzee's eyes, an intelligent self-assured personality looks back at us. If they...”
• “If faith makes people buy an entire package of myths and values without asking too many questions, scientists are only s...”
• “Ironically, torture requires empathy, too, in the sense that one cannot deliberately inflict pain without realizing what...”
• “It is said that man is wolf to man. I find this very unfair to wolves.”