--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Chimpanzees have very strong preferences…" description: "\"Chimpanzees have very strong preferences and aversions that are completely personality-linked. The people who are unsuccessful in working with chimpanz..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d85/frans-de-waal-2997_animal_chimpanzees-have-very-strong-preferences_2930419.png" --- # Chimpanzees have very strong preferences and aversions… ![“Chimpanzees have very strong preferences and aversions that are completely personality-linked. The people who are unsuccessful in working with chimpanzees are those who take this personally.” quote by Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d85/frans-de-waal-2997_animal_chimpanzees-have-very-strong-preferences_2930419.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d85/frans-de-waal-2997_animal_chimpanzees-have-very-strong-preferences_2930419.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d85/frans-de-waal-2997_animal_chimpanzees-have-very-strong-preferences_2930419.png) > “Chimpanzees have very strong preferences and aversions that are completely personality-linked. The people who are unsuccessful in working with chimpanzees are those who take this personally.” [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. Chimpanzees exhibit strong personality‑driven preferences; taking failures personally hinders success. **In simple terms:** Personality influences preferences. Key Takeaway Recognize individual differences in work. Themes personality preferences relationships failure Mood analytical empathetic Type scientific practical When to use this quote - animal research - team management - customer service Key Concepts ethology psychology Questions to Reflect On - How can you separate personal bias from objective feedback? - What strategies respect individual differences? A Different Perspective Not all failures are personality‑based. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Animal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) [Chimpanzees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chimpanzees/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) ## 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/) > [A chimpanzee who is really gearing up for a fight doesn't waste time with gestures but just goes ahead and attacks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/a-chimpanzee-who-is-really-gearing-up-for-a-fight-doesn-t-waste-time/) [Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/) > [When it comes to social interaction, the chimpanzees appear to be just as intelligent as we are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/when-it-comes-to-social-interaction-the-chimpanzees-appear-to-be-just/) [Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/) > [There are beautiful examples of art done by chimpanzees in human care.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/there-are-beautiful-examples-of-art-done-by-chimpanzees-in-human-care/) [Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/) > [Male chimpanzees have an extraordinarily strong drive for dominance. They're constantly jockeying for position.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/male-chimpanzees-have-an-extraordinarily-strong-drive-for-dominance/) [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/) > [Wild groups of chimpanzees attack their enemies like gangs. What they completely lack, precisely because of their strong territorial behavior, is a friendly relationship…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/wild-groups-of-chimpanzees-attack-their-enemies-like-gangs-what-they/) [Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/) > [I've argued that many of what philosophers call moral sentiments can be seen in other species. In chimpanzees and other animals, you see examples…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/i-ve-argued-that-many-of-what-philosophers-call-moral-sentiments-can/) [Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/) > [I describe in 'Chimpanzee Politics' how the alpha male needs broad support to reach the top spot. He needs some close allies and he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/i-describe-in-chimpanzee-politics-how-the-alpha-male-needs-broad/) [Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/) > [Chimpanzees, typically, kiss and embrace after fights. They first make eye contact from a distance to see the mood of the others. Then they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/chimpanzees-typically-kiss-and-embrace-after-fights-they-first-make/) [Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/) > [We are territorial, power-hungry and even more brutal than chimpanzees.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/we-are-territorial-power-hungry-and-even-more-brutal-than-chimpanzees/) [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/) > [The chimpanzees could tear me apart in no time. They're many times stronger than we are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/the-chimpanzees-could-tear-me-apart-in-no-time-they-re-many-times/) [Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/) > [Chimps don't have language. Humans actively instruct others about how things should be done. Chimpanzees probably pick up cultural traditions by observation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/chimps-don-t-have-language-humans-actively-instruct-others-about-how/) [Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/) > [Most men probably wouldn't want to live the lives of bonobos. They're constantly clinging to their mothers' apron strings. They lack the ability to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/most-men-probably-wouldn-t-want-to-live-the-lives-of-bonobos-they-re/) [Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/) ## 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 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": "Chimpanzees have very strong preferences and aversions that are completely personality-linked. 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