--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's not enough to do research from a…" description: "\"“It's not enough to do research from a distance. It's by living beside animals that you learn their behavior and psychology.\" On Jan's daily”\" — Diane ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c5/diane-ackerman-1035_animal_it-s-not-enough-to-do-research-from-a-di_1570969.png" --- # It's not enough to do research from a distance. It's by… ![“It's not enough to do research from a distance. It's by living beside animals that you learn their behavior and psychology." On Jan's daily” quote by Diane Ackerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c5/diane-ackerman-1035_animal_it-s-not-enough-to-do-research-from-a-di_1570969.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c5/diane-ackerman-1035_animal_it-s-not-enough-to-do-research-from-a-di_1570969.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c5/diane-ackerman-1035_animal_it-s-not-enough-to-do-research-from-a-di_1570969.png) > ““It's not enough to do research from a distance. It's by living beside animals that you learn their behavior and psychology." On Jan's daily”” [Diane Ackerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-ackerman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. True understanding of animal behavior comes from close, lived experience rather than distant observation. **In simple terms:** Live with animals to truly learn them. Key Takeaway Engage directly with subjects. Themes observation empathy learning Mood inquisitive thoughtful Type educational inspirational When to use this quote - fieldwork - wildlife conservation - education - animal training Key Concepts ethology immersive study interdisciplinary research Questions to Reflect On - How can you apply immersive learning in your field? - What limits prevent close observation? A Different Perspective Direct contact may be impractical or risky. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Animal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) [Habits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/habits/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Research](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/research/) ## Related quotes > [“It's not enough to do research from a distance. It's by living beside animals that you learn their behavior and psychology.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-ackerman/it-s-not-enough-to-do-research-from-a-distance-it-s-by-living-beside/) [Diane Ackerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-ackerman/) > [Living with animals can be a wonderful experience, especially if we choose to learn the valuable lessons animals teach through their natural enthusiasm, grace,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-pitcairn/living-with-animals-can-be-a-wonderful-experience-especially-if-we/) Richard Pitcairn > [“In the distance are the lights of town. People must be finishing their workdays, picking up their kids, figuring out dinner. They're talking to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-lacour/in-the-distance-are-the-lights-of-town-people-must-be-finishing-their/) [Nina LaCour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-lacour/) > [“They both have that distance, living in the world their thoughts create.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-destefano/they-both-have-that-distance-living-in-the-world-their-thoughts-create/) [Lauren DeStefano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-destefano/) > [“Children don't learn from lessons or teaching. They learn from what we honestly have to say about our feelings, and they learn from our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-gottlieb/children-don-t-learn-from-lessons-or-teaching-they-learn-from-what-we/) [Daniel Gottlieb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-gottlieb/) > [Of course as children, we all, in all cultures and societies, learn behavior from observation, imitation, and encouragement of various kinds. So by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-gygax/of-course-as-children-we-all-in-all-cultures-and-societies-learn/) [Gary Gygax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-gygax/) > [“What we learn from behavior economics is that the moment a metric is created it generates an incentive for people to pursue it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-amerland/what-we-learn-from-behavior-economics-is-that-the-moment-a-metric-is/) [David Amerland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-amerland/) > [“While many animals learn from members of their own species, dogs are one of the few that can learn from other species.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-berns/while-many-animals-learn-from-members-of-their-own-species-dogs-are/) [Gregory Berns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-berns/) > [“Animals learn early on that man holds dominion over them. Man on the other hand takes a bit longer to learn. Man is given…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-mcgahan/animals-learn-early-on-that-man-holds-dominion-over-them-man-on-the/) [Kate McGahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-mcgahan/) > [If we could talk to the animals, learn their languages, maybe take an animal degree...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rex-harrison/if-we-could-talk-to-the-animals-learn-their-languages-maybe-take-an/) [Rex Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rex-harrison/) > [Most Africans don't get to see these wild animals at all. Once they see and learn about them, they are much more likely to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goodall/most-africans-don-t-get-to-see-these-wild-animals-at-all-once-they/) [Jane Goodall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goodall/) > [We have more to learn from animals than animals have to learn from us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-d-williams/we-have-more-to-learn-from-animals-than-animals-have-to-learn-from-us/) [Anthony D. Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-d-williams/) > [Animals can learn, but it is not by learning that they become dogs, cats, or horses. Only man has to learn to become what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/animals-can-learn-but-it-is-not-by-learning-that-they-become-dogs/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [Zoo is an institution for animals to learn about human behavior.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tasneem-hameed/zoo-is-an-institution-for-animals-to-learn-about-human-behavior/) [Tasneem Hameed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tasneem-hameed/) > [Bush reiterated his stand to conservatives opposing his decision on stem cell research. He said today he believes life begins at conception and ends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/bush-reiterated-his-stand-to-conservatives-opposing-his-decision-on/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) ## More by Diane Ackerman > [A self is a frightening thing to waste, it's the lens through which one's whole life is viewed, and few people are willing to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-ackerman/a-self-is-a-frightening-thing-to-waste-it-s-the-lens-through-which/) [Diane Ackerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-ackerman/) > [“Our lives together, our duet, also continues to evolve, and even if we can’t go back to how it was, we’re designing a good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-ackerman/our-lives-together-our-duet-also-continues-to-evolve-and-even-if-we/) [Diane Ackerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-ackerman/) > [Hit a tripwire of smell and memories explode all at once. A complex vision leaps out of the undergrowth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-ackerman/hit-a-tripwire-of-smell-and-memories-explode-all-at-once-a-complex/) [Diane Ackerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-ackerman/) > [Horses have made civilization possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-ackerman/horses-have-made-civilization-possible/) [Diane Ackerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-ackerman/) > [Look at your feet. You are standing in the sky. When we think of the sky, we tend to look up, but the sky…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-ackerman/look-at-your-feet-you-are-standing-in-the-sky-when-we-think-of-the/) [Diane Ackerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-ackerman/) > [Who would deduce the dragonfly from the larva, the iris from the bud, the lawyer from the infant? ...We are all shape-shifters and magical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-ackerman/who-would-deduce-the-dragonfly-from-the-larva-the-iris-from-the-bud/) [Diane Ackerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-ackerman/) > [Though we marry as adults, we don't marry adults. We marry children who have grown up and still rejoice in being children, especially if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-ackerman/though-we-marry-as-adults-we-don-t-marry-adults-we-marry-children-who/) [Diane Ackerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-ackerman/) > [Libraries change lives. They are the soul of a people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-ackerman/libraries-change-lives-they-are-the-soul-of-a-people/) [Diane Ackerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-ackerman/) > [“The etymology of the Hebrew word for prophet, navi, combines three processes: navach (to cry out), nava (to gush or flow), and navuv (to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-ackerman/the-etymology-of-the-hebrew-word-for-prophet-navi-combines-three/) [Diane Ackerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-ackerman/) > [Knee-deep in the cosmic overwhelm, I’m stricken by the ricochet wonder of it all: the plain everythingness of everything, in cahoots with the everythingness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-ackerman/knee-deep-in-the-cosmic-overwhelm-i-m-stricken-by-the-ricochet-wonder/) [Diane Ackerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-ackerman/) > [ Symbolic of life, hair bolts from our head\[s\]. Like the earth, it can be harvested, but it will rise again. We can change its… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-ackerman/symbolic-of-life-hair-bolts-from-our-head-s-like-the-earth-it-can-be/) [Diane Ackerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-ackerman/) > [“Most people know that 30 to 40 percent of the world's Jews were killed during World War II, but not that 80 to 90…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-ackerman/most-people-know-that-30-to-40-percent-of-the-world-s-jews-were/) [Diane Ackerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-ackerman/) > [Choice is a signature of our species.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-ackerman/choice-is-a-signature-of-our-species/) [Diane Ackerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-ackerman/) > [The further we distance ourselves from the spell of the present, explored by our senses, the harder it will be to understand and protect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-ackerman/the-further-we-distance-ourselves-from-the-spell-of-the-present/) [Diane Ackerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-ackerman/) > [Culture is what people invent when they have lost nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-ackerman/culture-is-what-people-invent-when-they-have-lost-nature/) [Diane Ackerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-ackerman/) [Explore all 304 Diane Ackerman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-ackerman/) ## 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": "“It's not enough to do research from a distance. It's by living beside animals that you learn their behavior and psychology.\" On Jan's daily”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Diane Ackerman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-ackerman/it-s-not-enough-to-do-research-from-a-distance-it-s-by-living-beside-2/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Animal" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-ackerman/it-s-not-enough-to-do-research-from-a-distance-it-s-by-living-beside-2/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c5/diane-ackerman-1035_animal_it-s-not-enough-to-do-research-from-a-di_1570969.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c5/diane-ackerman-1035_animal_it-s-not-enough-to-do-research-from-a-di_1570969.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c5/diane-ackerman-1035_animal_it-s-not-enough-to-do-research-from-a-di_1570969.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It's not enough to do research from a distance. It's by living beside animals that you learn their behavior…” — Diane Ackerman", "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": "Diane Ackerman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-ackerman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“It's not enough to do research...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-ackerman/it-s-not-enough-to-do-research-from-a-distance-it-s-by-living-beside-2/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-ackerman/it-s-not-enough-to-do-research-from-a-distance-it-s-by-living-beside-2/#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 } } ] } ```