---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A chimpanzee who is really gearing up for…"
description: "\"A chimpanzee who is really gearing up for a fight doesn't waste time with gestures but just goes ahead and attacks.\" — Frans de Waal"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b0c/frans-de-waal-2997_ahead_a-chimpanzee-who-is-really-gearing-up-fo_3069310.png"
---

#  A chimpanzee who is really gearing up for a fight doesn't…

![“A chimpanzee who is really gearing up for a fight doesn't waste time with gestures but just goes ahead and attacks.” quote by Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b0c/frans-de-waal-2997_ahead_a-chimpanzee-who-is-really-gearing-up-fo_3069310.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b0c/frans-de-waal-2997_ahead_a-chimpanzee-who-is-really-gearing-up-fo_3069310.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b0c/frans-de-waal-2997_ahead_a-chimpanzee-who-is-really-gearing-up-fo_3069310.png)

> “A chimpanzee who is really gearing up for a fight doesn't waste time with gestures but just goes ahead and attacks.”

[Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

A prepared chimp attacks directly, skipping empty gestures.

**In simple terms:** When ready to fight, the chimp acts without pre‑talk.

Key Takeaway

Act decisively when prepared.

Themes

animal behavior conflict efficiency

Mood

analytical cautious

Type

theoretical practical

When to use this quote

- sports competition
- business negotiations
- self‑defense

Key Concepts

evolutionary psychology aggression

Questions to Reflect On

- When is direct action appropriate?
- What alternatives exist to aggression?

A Different Perspective

Aggression can have negative consequences.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Animal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) [Chimpanzee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chimpanzee/) [Chimpanzees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chimpanzees/) [Fight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fight/) [Gestures](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gestures/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Waste](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/waste/) [Wasting time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wasting-time/)

## Related quotes

> [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 is not only visitors to the zoo who are fascinated but uneasy in the presence of chimpanzees; the same is true of scientists.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/it-is-not-only-visitors-to-the-zoo-who-are-fascinated-but-uneasy-in/)

[Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/)

> [If we look straight and deep into a chimpanzee's eyes, an intelligent self-assured personality looks back at us. If they are animals, what must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/if-we-look-straight-and-deep-into-a-chimpanzee-s-eyes-an-intelligent/)

[Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/)

> [We evolved. We have only to look at the pouting face of a young chimpanzee to laugh at its reflections of ourselves. We know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-jolly/we-evolved-we-have-only-to-look-at-the-pouting-face-of-a-young/)

[Alison Jolly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-jolly/)

> [The mass are animal, in pupilage, and near chimpanzee.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-mass-are-animal-in-pupilage-and-near-chimpanzee/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [Children, behold the Chimpanzee: He sits on the ancestral tree From which we sprang in ages gone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-herford/children-behold-the-chimpanzee-he-sits-on-the-ancestral-tree-from/)

[Oliver Herford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-herford/)

> [One cannot watch chimpanzee infants for long without realizing that they have the same emotional need for affection and reassurance as human children.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goodall/one-cannot-watch-chimpanzee-infants-for-long-without-realizing-that/)

[Jane Goodall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goodall/)

> [A chimpanzee could learn what I do physically, but it goes way beyond that. When you play, you play life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaco-pastorius/a-chimpanzee-could-learn-what-i-do-physically-but-it-goes-way-beyond/)

[Jaco Pastorius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaco-pastorius/)

> [ Once I saw a chimpanzee gaze at a particularly beautiful sunset for a full 15 minutes, watching the changing colors \[and then\] retire to… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adriaan-kortlandt/once-i-saw-a-chimpanzee-gaze-at-a-particularly-beautiful-sunset-for-a/)

Adriaan Kortlandt

> [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/)

> [Shave a gorilla and it would be almost impossible, at twenty paces, to distinguish him from a heavyweight champion of the world. Skin a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/shave-a-gorilla-and-it-would-be-almost-impossible-at-twenty-paces-to/)

[H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/)

> [The best relationship you can have with a chimpanzee is total mutual trust.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goodall/the-best-relationship-you-can-have-with-a-chimpanzee-is-total-mutual/)

[Jane Goodall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goodall/)

> [The gods that we've made are exactly the gods you'd expect to be made by a species that's about half a chromosome away from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/the-gods-that-we-ve-made-are-exactly-the-gods-you-d-expect-to-be-made/)

[Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/)

> [“I guess you could say I’ve got a monkey on my back. A monkey named Darwin.” He shrugged off the trench coat and there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillip-andrew-bennett-low/i-guess-you-could-say-i-ve-got-a-monkey-on-my-back-a-monkey-named/)

[Phillip Andrew Bennett Low](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillip-andrew-bennett-low/)

> [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/)

## More by Frans de Waal

> [Dogmatists have one advantage: they are poor listeners.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/dogmatists-have-one-advantage-they-are-poor-listeners/)

[Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/)

> [If both parties have a stake in the other, the chances of them killing each other are going to be reduced.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/if-both-parties-have-a-stake-in-the-other-the-chances-of-them-killing/)

[Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/)

> [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/)

> [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/)

> [Science is not inherently good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/science-is-not-inherently-good/)

[Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/)

> [The possibility that empathy resides in parts of the brain so ancient that we share them with rats should give pause to anyone comparing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/the-possibility-that-empathy-resides-in-parts-of-the-brain-so-ancient/)

[Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/)

> [“on August 16, 1996, when an eight-year-old female gorilla named Binti Jua helped a three-year-old boy who had fallen eighteen feet into the primate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/on-august-16-1996-when-an-eight-year-old-female-gorilla-named-binti/)

[Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/)

> [We start out postulating sharp boundaries, such as between humans and apes, or between apes and monkeys, but are in fact dealing with sand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/we-start-out-postulating-sharp-boundaries-such-as-between-humans-and/)

[Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/)

> [Perhaps it's just me, but I am wary of any persons whose belief system is the only thing standing between them and repulsive behavior.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/perhaps-it-s-just-me-but-i-am-wary-of-any-persons-whose-belief-system/)

[Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/)

> [Personally, I think it is possible to build a society that is moral on a nonreligious basis, but the jury is still out on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/personally-i-think-it-is-possible-to-build-a-society-that-is-moral-on/)

[Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/)

> [“humans are a strange lot. We have the power to analyze and explore the world around us, yet panic as soon as the evidence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/humans-are-a-strange-lot-we-have-the-power-to-analyze-and-explore-the/)

[Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/)

> [Armies are a purely human invention. Most soldiers who go to war nowadays don't even do it because they're inherently aggressive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/armies-are-a-purely-human-invention-most-soldiers-who-go-to-war/)

[Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/)

> [There's actually a lot of evidence in primates and other animals that they return favors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/there-s-actually-a-lot-of-evidence-in-primates-and-other-animals-that/)

[Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/)

> [“In a world divided by chimpophiles and bonobophiles, we all had a good laugh when Stephen peeled his banana. (62)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/in-a-world-divided-by-chimpophiles-and-bonobophiles-we-all-had-a-good/)

[Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/)

> [In Africa, we have the bush meat trade, which means that, on a very large scale, animals are being killed in the forests and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/in-africa-we-have-the-bush-meat-trade-which-means-that-on-a-very/)

[Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/)

[Explore all 143 Frans de Waal quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/)

## More Ahead quotes

> [Anybody who thinks that they should lead the country should go ahead and put their hat in the ring. I am not among them.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-schatz/anybody-who-thinks-that-they-should-lead-the-country-should-go-ahead/)

[Brian Schatz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-schatz/)

> [If I have a problem with somebody, I go ahead and say what's on my mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nico-hulkenberg/if-i-have-a-problem-with-somebody-i-go-ahead-and-say-what-s-on-my-mind/)

[Nico Hulkenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nico-hulkenberg/)

> [I once invested in a risky business. Quite a few people warned me not to do so, but I still went ahead and invested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gautam-rode/i-once-invested-in-a-risky-business-quite-a-few-people-warned-me-not/)

[Gautam Rode](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gautam-rode/)

> [“What lies behind us is nothing compared to what lies within us and ahead of us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-r-covey/what-lies-behind-us-is-nothing-compared-to-what-lies-within-us-and/)

[Stephen R. Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-r-covey/)

> [In Life, We May Never Get The Same Opportunity Again, But There's Always Something Better Ahead...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pacifiersucker/in-life-we-may-never-get-the-same-opportunity-again-but-there-s/)

Pacifiersucker

> [Makeup is only fun if it's occasional and capricious - just like it's a treat to have an empty day ahead, but it wouldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-coren-mitchell/makeup-is-only-fun-if-it-s-occasional-and-capricious-just-like-it-s-a/)

[Victoria Coren Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-coren-mitchell/)

> [There is no such thing as disposable time if you want to stay ahead of the game](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-is-no-such-thing-as-disposable-time-if-you-want-to-stay-ahead/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I'm the kind of guy who comes home and checks scores for everything. I'm a sports fan in general, so I pretty much keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chadwick-boseman/i-m-the-kind-of-guy-who-comes-home-and-checks-scores-for-everything-i/)

[Chadwick Boseman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chadwick-boseman/)

> [People are flying you places in business class. Everyone wants to take pictures of you and find out information about you. It's a freak-out.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yolandi-visser/people-are-flying-you-places-in-business-class-everyone-wants-to-take/)

[Yolandi Visser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yolandi-visser/)

> [I wasn't putting my all into it and I was still managing to score goals, and that gave me something to dream about, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-gray/i-wasn-t-putting-my-all-into-it-and-i-was-still-managing-to-score/)

[Andre Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-gray/)

> [There's no limit to what you can accomplish, but there's always someone one step ahead of you, so it's a constant uphill battle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-mary-stewart/there-s-no-limit-to-what-you-can-accomplish-but-there-s-always/)

[Catherine Mary Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-mary-stewart/)

> [I was never bothered about my position in the industry. If I had believed in it, I wouldn't have allowed anyone to get ahead…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dharmendra/i-was-never-bothered-about-my-position-in-the-industry-if-i-had/)

[Dharmendra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dharmendra/)

> [I don't want to look too far ahead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jofra-archer/i-don-t-want-to-look-too-far-ahead/)

[Jofra Archer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jofra-archer/)

> [“one who takes the first step always remains one step ahead”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabi-shaheen/one-who-takes-the-first-step-always-remains-one-step-ahead/)

Rabi Shaheen

> [I am not interested to sing in Bollywood. I sing for only those actors whom I admire. I sing free of cost for them.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yo-yo-honey-singh/i-am-not-interested-to-sing-in-bollywood-i-sing-for-only-those-actors/)

[Yo Yo Honey Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yo-yo-honey-singh/)

Browse all 1,773 Ahead quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "A chimpanzee who is really gearing up for a fight doesn't waste time with gestures but just goes ahead and attacks.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Frans de Waal"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/a-chimpanzee-who-is-really-gearing-up-for-a-fight-doesn-t-waste-time/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Ahead"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/a-chimpanzee-who-is-really-gearing-up-for-a-fight-doesn-t-waste-time/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b0c/frans-de-waal-2997_ahead_a-chimpanzee-who-is-really-gearing-up-fo_3069310.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b0c/frans-de-waal-2997_ahead_a-chimpanzee-who-is-really-gearing-up-fo_3069310.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b0c/frans-de-waal-2997_ahead_a-chimpanzee-who-is-really-gearing-up-fo_3069310.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“A chimpanzee who is really gearing up for a fight doesn't waste time with gestures but just goes ahead and…” — Frans de Waal",
                "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": "Frans de Waal",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "A chimpanzee who is really gearing...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/a-chimpanzee-who-is-really-gearing-up-for-a-fight-doesn-t-waste-time/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/a-chimpanzee-who-is-really-gearing-up-for-a-fight-doesn-t-waste-time/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```