Animals Quote by Cheryl Strayed
““I was reading about animals a while back and there was this motherfucking scientist in France back in the thirties or forties or whenever the motherfuck it was and he was trying to get apes to draw these pictures, to make art pictures like the kinds of pictures in serious motherfucking paintings that you see in museums and shit. So the scientist keeps showing the apes these paintings and giving them charcoal pencils to draw with and then one day one of the apes finally draws something but it’s not the art pictures that it draws. What it draws is the bars of its own motherfucking cage. Its own motherfucking cage! Man, that's the truth, ain't it?””
About This Quote
Source Interview: Podcast episode, 2020, discussing animal cognition
A scientist attempted to teach apes to create human-like art, but the apes instead drew their own cage, revealing self-awareness and limits of imposed expectations.
In simple terms: Apes drew their cage, showing self‑recognition beyond imposed tasks.
Key Takeaway
Recognize and respect inherent perspectives.
Themes
creativity
self‑awareness
limitations
human‑animal relations
Mood
reflective
critical
thought‑provoking
Type
philosophical
inspirational
When to use this quote
- research labs
- art education
- animal behavior studies
- museum curation
Key Concepts
cognitive bias
symbolic representation
Questions to Reflect On
- What does the cage symbolize for you?
- How do we impose our expectations on others?
A Different Perspective
The anecdote may be exaggerated and lacks scientific citation.
