--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Basically, we are all chimps. The human…" description: "\"Basically, we are all chimps. The human side is at the front of our forehead, but the chimp is the part that lashes out. When I play, I am completely c..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee3/craig-bellamy-10254_animal_basically-we-are-all-chimps-the-human-si_709365.jpg" --- # Basically, we are all chimps. The human side is at the… ![“Basically, we are all chimps. The human side is at the front of our forehead, but the chimp is the part that lashes out. When I play, I am completely chimp-orientated.” quote by Craig Bellamy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee3/craig-bellamy-10254_animal_basically-we-are-all-chimps-the-human-si_709365.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee3/craig-bellamy-10254_animal_basically-we-are-all-chimps-the-human-si_709365.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee3/craig-bellamy-10254_animal_basically-we-are-all-chimps-the-human-si_709365.jpg) > “Basically, we are all chimps. The human side is at the front of our forehead, but the chimp is the part that lashes out. When I play, I am completely chimp-orientated.” [Craig Bellamy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-bellamy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human behavior is driven by primitive instincts that surface especially in competitive or playful contexts, despite our rational façade. **In simple terms:** We act on animal instincts, especially when playing. Key Takeaway Recognize and channel instinctive impulses constructively. Themes instinct competition self-awareness Mood intense reflective Type observational motivational When to use this quote - sports teams - gaming - creative brainstorming - conflict resolution Key Concepts evolutionary psychology behavioral drives identity control Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance instinct and reason? - When does play become counterproductive? A Different Perspective Instincts can undermine rational decision‑making if unchecked. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Animal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) [Chimp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chimp/) [Human](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) ## Related quotes > [Studying chimps, I came to the conclusion that being evil is something that only humans are capable of. A chimp would never plan to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goodall/studying-chimps-i-came-to-the-conclusion-that-being-evil-is-something/) [Jane Goodall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goodall/) > [I had bought two male chimps from a primate colony in Holland. They lived next to each other in separate cages for several months…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christiaan-barnard/i-had-bought-two-male-chimps-from-a-primate-colony-in-holland-they/) [Christiaan Barnard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christiaan-barnard/) > [Chimps can do all sorts of things we thought that only we could do - like tool-making and abstraction and generalisation. They can learn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goodall/chimps-can-do-all-sorts-of-things-we-thought-that-only-we-could-do/) [Jane Goodall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goodall/) > [When you meet chimps you meet individual personalities. When a baby chimp looks at you it's just like a human baby. We have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goodall/when-you-meet-chimps-you-meet-individual-personalities-when-a-baby/) [Jane Goodall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goodall/) > [When chimps threaten, they open their mouth and show their teeth. It's a little like waving a knife in front of you. It's very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-fisher/when-chimps-threaten-they-open-their-mouth-and-show-their-teeth-it-s/) [Helen Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-fisher/) > [If chimpanzees have consciousness, if they are capable of abstractions, do they not have what until now has been described as 'human rights'? How…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/if-chimpanzees-have-consciousness-if-they-are-capable-of-abstractions/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [I'm not much for cats. I'm terrified of mice. I've worked a lot with elephants, and they are extremely intelligent and sensitive, and thankfully,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ellen-mark/i-m-not-much-for-cats-i-m-terrified-of-mice-i-ve-worked-a-lot-with/) [Mary Ellen Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ellen-mark/) > [I think of the chimp, the one with the talking hands. In the course of the experiment, that chimp had a baby. Imagine how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-hempel/i-think-of-the-chimp-the-one-with-the-talking-hands-in-the-course-of/) [Amy Hempel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-hempel/) > [The chimpanzee and the human share about 99.5 percent of their evolutionary history, yet most human thinkers regard the chimp as a malformed, irrelevant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-trivers/the-chimpanzee-and-the-human-share-about-99-5-percent-of-their/) [Robert Trivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-trivers/) > [Not even the type that we consider a pimp, youre out ya monkey ass mind the type we consider a chimp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stack-bundles/not-even-the-type-that-we-consider-a-pimp-youre-out-ya-monkey-ass/) Stack Bundles > [A chimp would never plan to pull another's nails out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goodall/a-chimp-would-never-plan-to-pull-another-s-nails-out/) [Jane Goodall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goodall/) > [There are certain characteristics that define a good chimp mother. She is patient, she is protective but she is not over-protective - that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goodall/there-are-certain-characteristics-that-define-a-good-chimp-mother-she/) [Jane Goodall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goodall/) > [“If you wake during the night, any thoughts and feelings you might have are from your Chimp and they are often very disturbing, catastrophic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-wake-during-the-night-any-thoughts-and-feelings-you-might-have/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“We're allowed to go on living happy, healthy lives because tens of thousands of animals like this chimp sacrifice their lives. But all people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m/we-re-allowed-to-go-on-living-happy-healthy-lives-because-tens-of/) M > [I can tell in two minutes if I should hire someone in the kitchen. Two minutes. It's his desire. It's that open-eyed, attentive expression.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-batali/i-can-tell-in-two-minutes-if-i-should-hire-someone-in-the-kitchen-two/) [Mario Batali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-batali/) ## More by Craig Bellamy > [Certain players need twice the recovery time of others because they run much more - not because they put in more effort but because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-bellamy/certain-players-need-twice-the-recovery-time-of-others-because-they/) [Craig Bellamy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-bellamy/) > [All I want to do now is prove my temperament is not a problem and get people talking about my football again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-bellamy/all-i-want-to-do-now-is-prove-my-temperament-is-not-a-problem-and-get/) [Craig Bellamy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-bellamy/) > [David Brooks - every time I see him, I like him. He breaks lines, runs beyond, and I like him a lot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-bellamy/david-brooks-every-time-i-see-him-i-like-him-he-breaks-lines-runs/) [Craig Bellamy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-bellamy/) > [My brother is gay - he's a couple of years older than me, and I could not be more proud of him. It was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-bellamy/my-brother-is-gay-he-s-a-couple-of-years-older-than-me-and-i-could/) [Craig Bellamy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-bellamy/) > [When I left Liverpool, my aim was to get into the top six, and I was looking for a team that could get involved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-bellamy/when-i-left-liverpool-my-aim-was-to-get-into-the-top-six-and-i-was/) [Craig Bellamy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-bellamy/) > [I joined Norwich when I was 15 and moved away from a life living on an estate in Cardiff and everything I knew. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-bellamy/i-joined-norwich-when-i-was-15-and-moved-away-from-a-life-living-on/) [Craig Bellamy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-bellamy/) > [I surround myself with family. I have got the most incredible wife in the world and unbelievable kids.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-bellamy/i-surround-myself-with-family-i-have-got-the-most-incredible-wife-in/) [Craig Bellamy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-bellamy/) > [Life isn't just about football. The adventure starts when you finish, and I'm looking forward to that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-bellamy/life-isn-t-just-about-football-the-adventure-starts-when-you-finish/) [Craig Bellamy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-bellamy/) > [I do have to pinch myself at times when I look back at some of the things I have achieved. I really do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-bellamy/i-do-have-to-pinch-myself-at-times-when-i-look-back-at-some-of-the/) [Craig Bellamy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-bellamy/) > [It's up to people to judge whether I'm a good fella.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-bellamy/it-s-up-to-people-to-judge-whether-i-m-a-good-fella/) [Craig Bellamy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-bellamy/) > [Manchester City is the richest club in the world. They work to a budget that no one else works to, so they can write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-bellamy/manchester-city-is-the-richest-club-in-the-world-they-work-to-a/) [Craig Bellamy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-bellamy/) > [The lads I played football with on the street when I was a kid in Cardiff were as good as me, and in many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-bellamy/the-lads-i-played-football-with-on-the-street-when-i-was-a-kid-in/) [Craig Bellamy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-bellamy/) > [I've been playing at a professional level for 17, 18 years now, and there's more to life. I love the game, don't get me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-bellamy/i-ve-been-playing-at-a-professional-level-for-17-18-years-now-and/) [Craig Bellamy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-bellamy/) > [I've kept my nose clean when I've been asked to to play out of position, and I've done it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-bellamy/i-ve-kept-my-nose-clean-when-i-ve-been-asked-to-to-play-out-of/) [Craig Bellamy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-bellamy/) > [I want to make sure that I am always ready: that if I step off the bench, I will make a contribution, then be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-bellamy/i-want-to-make-sure-that-i-am-always-ready-that-if-i-step-off-the/) [Craig Bellamy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-bellamy/) [Explore all 67 Craig Bellamy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-bellamy/) ## More Animal quotes > [I was 3-years-old - to this day it is a vivid memory. My family and I were on a boat, catching fish. As one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joaquin-phoenix/i-was-3-years-old-to-this-day-it-is-a-vivid-memory-my-family-and-i/) [Joaquin Phoenix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joaquin-phoenix/) > [Animals know nothing of themselves, and they also know nothing of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/animals-know-nothing-of-themselves-and-they-also-know-nothing-of-the/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [Humans are animals too, but some do not like to work from expectations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/humans-are-animals-too-but-some-do-not-like-to-work-from-expectations/) Mak\_786 > [When grubbing for necessities man is still an animal. He becomes uniquely human when he reaches out for the superfluous and extravagant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/when-grubbing-for-necessities-man-is-still-an-animal-he-becomes/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [I'm 38 and I'm single, and I'm having my most intense and gratifying relationship with a dog. But we all learn about love in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-knapp/i-m-38-and-i-m-single-and-i-m-having-my-most-intense-and-gratifying/) [Caroline Knapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-knapp/) > [Practically all animals which move fast in a homogeneous medium have found means of giving their body a streamlined shape, thereby reducing friction to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/practically-all-animals-which-move-fast-in-a-homogeneous-medium-have/) [Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/) > [A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/a-horse-a-horse-my-kingdom-for-a-horse/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“it is a federal system of sadistic torture, vivisection, and animal genocide, which has been carried on for decades under the fraudulent guise of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-tobias/it-is-a-federal-system-of-sadistic-torture-vivisection-and-animal/) [Michael Tobias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-tobias/) > [“What does it mean to be a self-conscious animal? The idea is ludicrous, if it is not monstrous. It means to know that one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-becker/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-self-conscious-animal-the-idea-is-ludicrous/) [Ernest Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-becker/) > [We must love animals in such a powerful way that we should reject to eat them!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/we-must-love-animals-in-such-a-powerful-way-that-we-should-reject-to/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [“The universe contains any amount of horrible ways to be woken up, such as the noise of the mob breaking down the front door,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/the-universe-contains-any-amount-of-horrible-ways-to-be-woken-up-such/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [This brings me back to the image of Kafka standing before a fish in the Berlin aquarium, a fish on which his gaze fell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/this-brings-me-back-to-the-image-of-kafka-standing-before-a-fish-in/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [That dog, I say that dog is lower than a snake full of buckshot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/foghorn-leghorn/that-dog-i-say-that-dog-is-lower-than-a-snake-full-of-buckshot/) [Foghorn Leghorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/foghorn-leghorn/) > [I bet plants go like 'Weeeeeeeee!' whenever they're swallowed by a giraffe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-bet-plants-go-like-weeeeeeeee-whenever-they-re-swallowed-by-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Animal rights without veganism is like human rights with slavery. It makes no sense. None whatsoever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-l-francione/animal-rights-without-veganism-is-like-human-rights-with-slavery-it/) [Gary L. Francione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-l-francione/) [Browse all 13,456 Animal quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Basically, we are all chimps. The human side is at the front of our forehead, but the chimp is the part that lashes out. When I play, I am completely chimp-orientated.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Craig Bellamy" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-bellamy/basically-we-are-all-chimps-the-human-side-is-at-the-front-of-our/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Animal" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-bellamy/basically-we-are-all-chimps-the-human-side-is-at-the-front-of-our/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee3/craig-bellamy-10254_animal_basically-we-are-all-chimps-the-human-si_709365.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee3/craig-bellamy-10254_animal_basically-we-are-all-chimps-the-human-si_709365.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee3/craig-bellamy-10254_animal_basically-we-are-all-chimps-the-human-si_709365.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Basically, we are all chimps. The human side is at the front of our forehead, but the chimp is the part that…” — Craig Bellamy", "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": "Craig Bellamy", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-bellamy/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Basically, we are all chimps. The...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-bellamy/basically-we-are-all-chimps-the-human-side-is-at-the-front-of-our/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-bellamy/basically-we-are-all-chimps-the-human-side-is-at-the-front-of-our/#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 } } ] } ```