--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As our closest relatives, they…" description: "\"As our closest relatives, they (chimpanzees) tell us special things about what it means to be a primate and, ultimately, what it means to be a human at..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b5/francis-collins-5281_chimpanzees_as-our-closest-relatives-they-chimpanzee_3202680.png" --- # As our closest relatives, they (chimpanzees) tell us… ![“As our closest relatives, they (chimpanzees) tell us special things about what it means to be a primate and, ultimately, what it means to be a human at the DNA level.” quote by Francis Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b5/francis-collins-5281_chimpanzees_as-our-closest-relatives-they-chimpanzee_3202680.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b5/francis-collins-5281_chimpanzees_as-our-closest-relatives-they-chimpanzee_3202680.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b5/francis-collins-5281_chimpanzees_as-our-closest-relatives-they-chimpanzee_3202680.png) > “As our closest relatives, they (chimpanzees) tell us special things about what it means to be a primate and, ultimately, what it means to be a human at the DNA level.” [Francis Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-collins/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Chimpanzees reveal genetic and behavioral links that illuminate human evolution and identity. **In simple terms:** Our closest relatives show us what it means to be human. Key Takeaway Study primates to understand ourselves. Themes evolution genetics identity Mood curious reflective Type scientific educational When to use this quote - anthropology research - education - public health awareness Key Concepts comparative genomics behavioral science Questions to Reflect On - How do primate studies reshape our view of humanity? - What ethical responsibilities arise from this knowledge? A Different Perspective Genetic similarity does not guarantee identical experiences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Chimpanzees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chimpanzees/) [Dna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dna/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Primates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/primates/) ## Related quotes > [The loss of body hair is interesting to anthropologists, because it is a feature that distinguishes us from our nearest living relatives, chimpanzees. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-stoneking/the-loss-of-body-hair-is-interesting-to-anthropologists-because-it-is/) Mark Stoneking > [“Watching our closest living relatives, the chimpanzees, is reading the first chapter of human-being’s adventures in this universe!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/watching-our-closest-living-relatives-the-chimpanzees-is-reading-the/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [I am a vegetarian because I realized that even little chickens suffer pain and fear, experience a range of feelings and emotions, and are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-mccartney/i-am-a-vegetarian-because-i-realized-that-even-little-chickens-suffer/) [Paul McCartney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-mccartney/) > [Primates stand at a turning point in the course of evolution. Primates are to the biologist what viruses are to the biochemist. They can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-jolly/primates-stand-at-a-turning-point-in-the-course-of-evolution-primates/) [Alison Jolly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-jolly/) > [We are just another primate but a very confused, malleable one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-sapolsky/we-are-just-another-primate-but-a-very-confused-malleable-one/) [Robert M. Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-sapolsky/) > [Marriage probably originated as a straightforward food-for-sex deal among foraging primates. Compatibility was not a big issue, nor, of course, was there any tension…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-ehrenreich/marriage-probably-originated-as-a-straightforward-food-for-sex-deal/) [Barbara Ehrenreich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-ehrenreich/) > [We're just a conceited naked ape, but in our minds we're some 'divine legend' and we see ourselves as some sort of god, thinking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-watson/we-re-just-a-conceited-naked-ape-but-in-our-minds-we-re-some-divine/) [Paul Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-watson/) > [“As I sit, my back leaning against a damp, moss-covered tree trunk, my eyes sweeping the canopy above, my ears straining to catch the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/birute-m-f-galdikas/as-i-sit-my-back-leaning-against-a-damp-moss-covered-tree-trunk-my/) Birute M.F. Galdikas > [The only option is politeness-remember always that you are dealing with other primates.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-ford/the-only-option-is-politeness-remember-always-that-you-are-dealing/) [Paul Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-ford/) > [Corruption, the most infallible symptom of constitutional liberty, was successfully practised; honours, gifts, and immunities were offered and accepted as the price of an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/corruption-the-most-infallible-symptom-of-constitutional-liberty-was/) [Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/) > [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/) > [The Jackdaw sat in the Cardinal's chair! Bishop and Abbot and Prior were there, Many a monk and many a friar, Many a knight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-harris-barham/the-jackdaw-sat-in-the-cardinal-s-chair-bishop-and-abbot-and-prior/) [Richard Harris Barham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-harris-barham/) > [No, nothing is sacred. And even if there were to be something called sacred, we mere primates wouldn't be able to decide which book…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/no-nothing-is-sacred-and-even-if-there-were-to-be-something-called/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [Unlike the primate hand, the elephant's grasping organ is also its nose. Elephants use their trunks not only to reach food but also to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/unlike-the-primate-hand-the-elephant-s-grasping-organ-is-also-its/) [Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/) > [The only way to stave off boredom, in a complex domesticated primate like humankind, is to increase one's intelligence. This is not appealing to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-anton-wilson/the-only-way-to-stave-off-boredom-in-a-complex-domesticated-primate/) [Robert Anton Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-anton-wilson/) ## More by Francis Collins > [The shelves of many evangelicals are full of books that point out the flaws in evolution, discuss it only as a theory, and almost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-collins/the-shelves-of-many-evangelicals-are-full-of-books-that-point-out-the/) [Francis Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-collins/) > [ \[Decoding the human genome sequence\] is the most significant undertaking that we have mounted so far in an organized way in all of science.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-collins/decoding-the-human-genome-sequence-is-the-most-significant/) [Francis Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-collins/) > [By committing the scientific method to religious claims you're committing a logical fallacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-collins/by-committing-the-scientific-method-to-religious-claims-you-re/) [Francis Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-collins/) > [All illnesses have some heredity contribution. It's been said that genetics loads the gun and environment pulls the trigger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-collins/all-illnesses-have-some-heredity-contribution-it-s-been-said-that/) [Francis Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-collins/) > [ As you kind of get over the anxiety about \[science and evolution\], it actually adds to your sense of awe about this amazing universe… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-collins/as-you-kind-of-get-over-the-anxiety-about-science-and-evolution-it/) [Francis Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-collins/) > [Successful weight management really means a permanent change in lifestyle - and success in this arena provides that person with a great opportunity to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-collins/successful-weight-management-really-means-a-permanent-change-in/) [Francis Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-collins/) > [I trained initially as a physical chemist, and then, after becoming interested in biology, I went to medical school and learned how to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-collins/i-trained-initially-as-a-physical-chemist-and-then-after-becoming/) [Francis Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-collins/) > [I think there are people who's lives have been saved because of the study of the genome.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-collins/i-think-there-are-people-who-s-lives-have-been-saved-because-of-the/) [Francis Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-collins/) > [I finished up my graduate degree in quantum mechanics, but underwent a bit of a personal crisis, recognizing that I didn't want to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-collins/i-finished-up-my-graduate-degree-in-quantum-mechanics-but-underwent-a/) [Francis Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-collins/) > [One must dig deeply into opposing points of view in order to know whether your own position remains defensible. Iron sharpens iron.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-collins/one-must-dig-deeply-into-opposing-points-of-view-in-order-to-know/) [Francis Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-collins/) > [Genes are effectively one-dimensional. If you write down the sequence of A, C, G and T, that's kind of what you need to know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-collins/genes-are-effectively-one-dimensional-if-you-write-down-the-sequence/) [Francis Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-collins/) > [By investigating God's majestic and awesome creation, science can actually be a means of worship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-collins/by-investigating-god-s-majestic-and-awesome-creation-science-can/) [Francis Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-collins/) > [Science is...a powerful way, indeed - to study the natural world. Science is not particularly effective...in making commentary about the supernatural world. Both worlds,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-collins/science-is-a-powerful-way-indeed-to-study-the-natural-world-science/) [Francis Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-collins/) > [I became an atheist because, as a graduate student studying quantum physics, life seemed to be reducible to second-order differential equations. Mathematics, chemistry and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-collins/i-became-an-atheist-because-as-a-graduate-student-studying-quantum/) [Francis Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-collins/) > [We give our kids vaccinations. That's a biological enhancement that's considered not just acceptable but actually admirable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-collins/we-give-our-kids-vaccinations-that-s-a-biological-enhancement-that-s/) [Francis Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-collins/) [Explore all 102 Francis Collins quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-collins/) ## More Chimpanzees quotes > [“Whereas chimpanzees spend five hours a day chewing raw food, a single hour suffices for people eating cooked food. The advent of cooking enabled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/whereas-chimpanzees-spend-five-hours-a-day-chewing-raw-food-a-single/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [Chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutan shave been living for hundreds of thousands of years in their forest,living fantastic lives, never overpopulating, never destroying the forest. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goodall/chimpanzees-gorillas-orangutan-shave-been-living-for-hundreds-of/) [Jane Goodall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goodall/) > [Through my work with PETA, I have learned a great deal about chimpanzee behavior and the plight of chimpanzees imprisoned in laboratories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-harrelson/through-my-work-with-peta-i-have-learned-a-great-deal-about/) [Woody Harrelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-harrelson/) > [I sometimes try to imagine what would have happened if we’d known the bonobo first and the chimpanzee only later—or not at all. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/i-sometimes-try-to-imagine-what-would-have-happened-if-we-d-known-the/) [Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/) > [It was both fascinating and appalling to learn that chimpanzees were capable of hostile and territorial behavior that was not unlike certain forms of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goodall/it-was-both-fascinating-and-appalling-to-learn-that-chimpanzees-were/) [Jane Goodall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goodall/) > [Basically we are chimpanzees with about two percent more intelligence and a little less hair.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-turner/basically-we-are-chimpanzees-with-about-two-percent-more-intelligence/) [Ted Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-turner/) > [It is hardly an exaggeration to say that a chimpanzee kept in solitude is not a real chimpanzee at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-kohler/it-is-hardly-an-exaggeration-to-say-that-a-chimpanzee-kept-in/) [Wolfgang Kohler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-kohler/) > [“Lucy preferred gin and tonics during the summer and switched over to whiskey sours in the winter. At dinner, a sit-down affair with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-hess/lucy-preferred-gin-and-tonics-during-the-summer-and-switched-over-to/) Elizabeth Hess > [I got to Africa. I got the opportunity to go and learn, not about any animal, but chimpanzees. I was living in my dream…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goodall/i-got-to-africa-i-got-the-opportunity-to-go-and-learn-not-about-any/) [Jane Goodall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goodall/) > [The suffix 'naut' comes from the Greek and Latin words for ships and sailing. Astronaut suggests 'a sailor in space.' Chimponaut suggests 'a chimpanzee…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/the-suffix-naut-comes-from-the-greek-and-latin-words-for-ships-and/) [Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/) > [Certainly the first true humans were unique by virtue of their large brains. It was because the human brain is so large when compared…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goodall/certainly-the-first-true-humans-were-unique-by-virtue-of-their-large/) [Jane Goodall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goodall/) > [What is the good of words if they aren't important enough to quarrel over? Why do we choose one word more than another if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-is-the-good-of-words-if-they-aren-t-important-enough-to-quarrel/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Rather than something like King Kong where I really went after studying gorillas in the wild and captivity. I based Caesar \[ from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-serkis/rather-than-something-like-king-kong-where-i-really-went-after/) [Andy Serkis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-serkis/) > [What a dull universe it would be if everything in it conformed to our expectations, if it held nothing to surprise or baffle us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/what-a-dull-universe-it-would-be-if-everything-in-it-conformed-to-our/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [I guess I'm just an old mad scientist at bottom. Give me an underground laboratory, half a dozen atom-smashers, and a beautiful girl in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-guess-i-m-just-an-old-mad-scientist-at-bottom-give-me-an/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 164 Chimpanzees quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chimpanzees/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "As our closest relatives, they (chimpanzees) tell us special things about what it means to be a primate and, ultimately, what it means to be a human at the DNA level.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Francis Collins" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-collins/as-our-closest-relatives-they-chimpanzees-tell-us-special-things/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Chimpanzees" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-collins/as-our-closest-relatives-they-chimpanzees-tell-us-special-things/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b5/francis-collins-5281_chimpanzees_as-our-closest-relatives-they-chimpanzee_3202680.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b5/francis-collins-5281_chimpanzees_as-our-closest-relatives-they-chimpanzee_3202680.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b5/francis-collins-5281_chimpanzees_as-our-closest-relatives-they-chimpanzee_3202680.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“As our closest relatives, they (chimpanzees) tell us special things about what it means to be a primate and…” — Francis Collins", "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": "Francis Collins", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-collins/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "As our closest relatives, they (chimpanzees)...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-collins/as-our-closest-relatives-they-chimpanzees-tell-us-special-things/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-collins/as-our-closest-relatives-they-chimpanzees-tell-us-special-things/#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 } } ] } ```