--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It was final sour proof of something…" description: "\"“It was final sour proof of something Harvey had suspected for years: \"Man, \"he declared, \"is but a great mischievous baboon.”\" — Carl Zimmer" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ec/carl-zimmer-16331_baboon_it-was-final-sour-proof-of-something-har_2134201.png" --- # It was final sour proof of something Harvey had suspected… ![“It was final sour proof of something Harvey had suspected for years: "Man, "he declared, "is but a great mischievous baboon.” quote by Carl Zimmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ec/carl-zimmer-16331_baboon_it-was-final-sour-proof-of-something-har_2134201.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ec/carl-zimmer-16331_baboon_it-was-final-sour-proof-of-something-har_2134201.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ec/carl-zimmer-16331_baboon_it-was-final-sour-proof-of-something-har_2134201.png) > ““It was final sour proof of something Harvey had suspected for years: "Man, "he declared, "is but a great mischievous baboon.”” [Carl Zimmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-zimmer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote humorously suggests humans are essentially mischievous primates, reflecting on our animal nature despite self‑importance. **In simple terms:** Humans are like mischievous baboons. Key Takeaway Recognize our animal instincts. Themes humor anthropology humility Mood playful reflective Type humorous philosophical When to use this quote - science communication - public talks - teaching biology - debates on human exceptionalism Key Concepts Evolution primate behavior self‑deception Questions to Reflect On - How does seeing ourselves as baboons change our behavior? - What are the limits of this analogy? A Different Perspective It may oversimplify complex cognition and culture. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Baboon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/baboon/) ## Related quotes > [Then there was the man who declared in court, he wasn't a person. "Excuse me, sir, why haven't you paid your taxes." "Well, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-black/then-there-was-the-man-who-declared-in-court-he-wasn-t-a-person/) [Lewis Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-black/) > [“Over the last fifty years,” the tall man declared, “our sins against Mother Nature have grown exponentially.” He paused. “I fear for the soul…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/over-the-last-fifty-years-the-tall-man-declared-our-sins-against/) [Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/) > [Never call anyone a baboon unless you are sure of your facts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-cuppy/never-call-anyone-a-baboon-unless-you-are-sure-of-your-facts/) [Will Cuppy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-cuppy/) > [You are one freaking awesome baboon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/you-are-one-freaking-awesome-baboon/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [“We must protect them (animals) and this land. If the animals die, this land dies. If this land dies, we die.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-van-der-westhuizen/we-must-protect-them-animals-and-this-land-if-the-animals-die-this/) Diane van der Westhuizen > [We were alone in a strange mansion with a baboon, a crocodile, and a weird cat. And apparently, the entire world was in danger.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/we-were-alone-in-a-strange-mansion-with-a-baboon-a-crocodile-and-a/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [“One thing that man HAS learned from history, is how to kill (animals) more efficiently.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-van-der-westhuizen/one-thing-that-man-has-learned-from-history-is-how-to-kill-animals/) Diane van der Westhuizen > [Our baboon was going completely sky goddess - which is to say, nuts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/our-baboon-was-going-completely-sky-goddess-which-is-to-say-nuts/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [A baboon in a forest is a matter of legitimate speculation; a baboon in a zoo is an object of public curiosity; but a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-baboon-in-a-forest-is-a-matter-of-legitimate-speculation-a-baboon/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There once was a brainy baboon, Who always breathed down a bassoon, For he said, It appears That in billions of years I shall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-once-was-a-brainy-baboon-who-always-breathed-down-a-bassoon-for/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [In the Baboon community, it is not how strong you are that is important, but who you know that counts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-attenborough/in-the-baboon-community-it-is-not-how-strong-you-are-that-is/) [David Attenborough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-attenborough/) > [It was on a trip to Africa with my family - I was eight - and an angry baboon jumped through the window of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cressida-bonas/it-was-on-a-trip-to-africa-with-my-family-i-was-eight-and-an-angry/) [Cressida Bonas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cressida-bonas/) > [Right,” I said. “So the baboon, the crocodile…any other pets I should know about?” Amos thought for a moment. “Visible ones? No, I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/right-i-said-so-the-baboon-the-crocodile-any-other-pets-i-should-know/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [“Our descent, then, is the origin of our evil passions!! The devil under form of Baboon is our grandfather. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/our-descent-then-is-the-origin-of-our-evil-passions-the-devil-under/) [Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/) > [“We don’t know very well those we love But I understand them fairly well Being all these people myself I who am however but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-jacob/we-don-t-know-very-well-those-we-love-but-i-understand-them-fairly/) [Max Jacob](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-jacob/) ## More by Carl Zimmer > [“I never knew any man who had once tasted the sweetness of experimental knowledge, that ever afterward fasted after ye Vapour garlick and onions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-zimmer/i-never-knew-any-man-who-had-once-tasted-the-sweetness-of/) [Carl Zimmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-zimmer/) > [If the world goes crazy for a lovely fossil, that's fine with me. But if that fossil releases some kind of mysterious brain ray…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-zimmer/if-the-world-goes-crazy-for-a-lovely-fossil-that-s-fine-with-me-but/) [Carl Zimmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-zimmer/) > [Today, when we look at a brain, we see an intricate network of billions of neurons in constant, crackling communication, a chemical labyrinth that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-zimmer/today-when-we-look-at-a-brain-we-see-an-intricate-network-of-billions/) [Carl Zimmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-zimmer/) > [“The extra clutter adds no important insight; instead, it offers more clutter in which erros can lurk.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-zimmer/the-extra-clutter-adds-no-important-insight-instead-it-offers-more/) [Carl Zimmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-zimmer/) > [Evolution has led to some populations of people being able to digest milk without much trouble when they're adults as well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-zimmer/evolution-has-led-to-some-populations-of-people-being-able-to-digest/) [Carl Zimmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-zimmer/) > [Medicine allows people to live who would otherwise die, so antibiotics will let people survive infections that they might be otherwise very vulnerable to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-zimmer/medicine-allows-people-to-live-who-would-otherwise-die-so-antibiotics/) [Carl Zimmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-zimmer/) > [“Two hallmarks of Homo Sapiens are decoration and self-identification.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-zimmer/two-hallmarks-of-homo-sapiens-are-decoration-and-self-identification/) [Carl Zimmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-zimmer/) > [Over millions of years the viruses in our genome mutate more and more so the look less and less and less recognizable as viruses…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-zimmer/over-millions-of-years-the-viruses-in-our-genome-mutate-more-and-more/) [Carl Zimmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-zimmer/) > [ “\[Writing to Lucretius, on Epicurus' belief that the soul was no different from the rest of the cosmos; made of atoms\] "Death is therefore… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-zimmer/writing-to-lucretius-on-epicurus-belief-that-the-soul-was-no/) [Carl Zimmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-zimmer/) > [We may be sucking in all sorts of viruses and we really don't know the full range of them. Maybe we've got flu virus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-zimmer/we-may-be-sucking-in-all-sorts-of-viruses-and-we-really-don-t-know/) [Carl Zimmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-zimmer/) > [“It may be hard to imagine a world before antibiotics, but now we must imagine a world where antibiotics are not the only weapon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-zimmer/it-may-be-hard-to-imagine-a-world-before-antibiotics-but-now-we-must/) [Carl Zimmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-zimmer/) > [We really depend on viruses for our complete survival.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-zimmer/we-really-depend-on-viruses-for-our-complete-survival/) [Carl Zimmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-zimmer/) > [“Based on the number of viruses she found in her samples, Proctor estimated that every liter of seawater contained up to one hundred billion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-zimmer/based-on-the-number-of-viruses-she-found-in-her-samples-proctor/) [Carl Zimmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-zimmer/) > [Researchers keep identifying new species, but they have no idea about the life cycle of a given species or its other hosts. They cut…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-zimmer/researchers-keep-identifying-new-species-but-they-have-no-idea-about/) [Carl Zimmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-zimmer/) > [One of the big challenges now is to figure out just how many viruses there really are in the human genome. So far the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-zimmer/one-of-the-big-challenges-now-is-to-figure-out-just-how-many-viruses/) [Carl Zimmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-zimmer/) [Explore all 40 Carl Zimmer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-zimmer/) ## More Baboon quotes > [“We don’t know very well those we love But I understand them fairly well Being all these people myself I who am however but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-jacob/we-don-t-know-very-well-those-we-love-but-i-understand-them-fairly/) [Max Jacob](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-jacob/) > [“Our descent, then, is the origin of our evil passions!! The devil under form of Baboon is our grandfather. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/our-descent-then-is-the-origin-of-our-evil-passions-the-devil-under/) [Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/) > [Right,” I said. “So the baboon, the crocodile…any other pets I should know about?” Amos thought for a moment. “Visible ones? No, I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/right-i-said-so-the-baboon-the-crocodile-any-other-pets-i-should-know/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [It was on a trip to Africa with my family - I was eight - and an angry baboon jumped through the window of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cressida-bonas/it-was-on-a-trip-to-africa-with-my-family-i-was-eight-and-an-angry/) [Cressida Bonas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cressida-bonas/) > [In the Baboon community, it is not how strong you are that is important, but who you know that counts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-attenborough/in-the-baboon-community-it-is-not-how-strong-you-are-that-is/) [David Attenborough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-attenborough/) > [There once was a brainy baboon, Who always breathed down a bassoon, For he said, It appears That in billions of years I shall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-once-was-a-brainy-baboon-who-always-breathed-down-a-bassoon-for/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A baboon in a forest is a matter of legitimate speculation; a baboon in a zoo is an object of public curiosity; but a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-baboon-in-a-forest-is-a-matter-of-legitimate-speculation-a-baboon/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Our baboon was going completely sky goddess - which is to say, nuts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/our-baboon-was-going-completely-sky-goddess-which-is-to-say-nuts/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [“One thing that man HAS learned from history, is how to kill (animals) more efficiently.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-van-der-westhuizen/one-thing-that-man-has-learned-from-history-is-how-to-kill-animals/) Diane van der Westhuizen > [We were alone in a strange mansion with a baboon, a crocodile, and a weird cat. And apparently, the entire world was in danger.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/we-were-alone-in-a-strange-mansion-with-a-baboon-a-crocodile-and-a/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [“We must protect them (animals) and this land. If the animals die, this land dies. If this land dies, we die.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-van-der-westhuizen/we-must-protect-them-animals-and-this-land-if-the-animals-die-this/) Diane van der Westhuizen > [You are one freaking awesome baboon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/you-are-one-freaking-awesome-baboon/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [Never call anyone a baboon unless you are sure of your facts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-cuppy/never-call-anyone-a-baboon-unless-you-are-sure-of-your-facts/) [Will Cuppy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-cuppy/) > [What are you going to do for a face when that baboon asks for its ass back??!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-are-you-going-to-do-for-a-face-when-that-baboon-asks-for-its-ass/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [He who understands baboon would do more towards metaphysics than Locke.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/he-who-understands-baboon-would-do-more-towards-metaphysics-than-locke/) [Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/) [Browse all 34 Baboon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/baboon/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“It was final sour proof of something Harvey had suspected for years: \"Man, \"he declared, \"is but a great mischievous baboon.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Carl Zimmer" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-zimmer/it-was-final-sour-proof-of-something-harvey-had-suspected-for-years/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Baboon" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-zimmer/it-was-final-sour-proof-of-something-harvey-had-suspected-for-years/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ec/carl-zimmer-16331_baboon_it-was-final-sour-proof-of-something-har_2134201.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ec/carl-zimmer-16331_baboon_it-was-final-sour-proof-of-something-har_2134201.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ec/carl-zimmer-16331_baboon_it-was-final-sour-proof-of-something-har_2134201.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It was final sour proof of something Harvey had suspected for years: \"Man, \"he declared, \"is but a great…” — Carl Zimmer", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Carl Zimmer", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-zimmer/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“It was final sour proof of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-zimmer/it-was-final-sour-proof-of-something-harvey-had-suspected-for-years/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-zimmer/it-was-final-sour-proof-of-something-harvey-had-suspected-for-years/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```