--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: And I thought how sad it was that, for…" description: "\"And I thought how sad it was that, for all our sophisticated intellect, for all our noble aspirations, our aggressive behavior was not just similar in ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2fe/jane-goodall-950_aggressive_and-i-thought-how-sad-it-was-that-for-al_2959331.jpg" --- # And I thought how sad it was that, for all our… ![“And I thought how sad it was that, for all our sophisticated intellect, for all our noble aspirations, our aggressive behavior was not just similar in many ways to that of the chimpanzees - it was even worse. Worse because human beings have the potential to rise above their baser instincts…” quote by Jane Goodall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2fe/jane-goodall-950_aggressive_and-i-thought-how-sad-it-was-that-for-al_2959331.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2fe/jane-goodall-950_aggressive_and-i-thought-how-sad-it-was-that-for-al_2959331.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2fe/jane-goodall-950_aggressive_and-i-thought-how-sad-it-was-that-for-al_2959331.jpg) > “And I thought how sad it was that, for all our sophisticated intellect, for all our noble aspirations, our aggressive behavior was not just similar in many ways to that of the chimpanzees - it was even worse. Worse because human beings have the potential to rise above their baser instincts, whereas chimpanzees probably do not.” [Jane Goodall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goodall/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Humans share aggressive traits with primates, but can surpass them through higher reasoning. **In simple terms:** Humans can be worse than chimps because we can choose. Key Takeaway Recognize and channel higher reasoning for better behavior. Themes human nature ethics evolution Mood reflective concerned Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - education - policy making - personal development Key Concepts self‑awareness responsibility Questions to Reflect On - How can we ensure higher reasoning guides actions? - What structures promote ethical behavior? A Different Perspective Humans may still act on base instincts despite intellect. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Aggressive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aggressive/) [Animal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) [Aspiration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aspiration/) [Behavior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/behavior/) [Chimpanzees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chimpanzees/) [Chimpanzees Probably](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chimpanzees-probably-502915/) [Chimpanzees Worse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chimpanzees-worse-4499001/) [Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) [Habits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/habits/) [Human beings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-beings/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Instinct](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instinct/) [Instincts Chimpanzees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instincts-chimpanzees-4499002/) [Intellect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intellect/) [Noble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/noble/) [Rise above](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rise-above/) [Sophisticated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sophisticated/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [Ways Chimpanzees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ways-chimpanzees-4499003/) ## Related quotes > [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/) > [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/) > [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/) > [Other people have talked about chimpanzees being a window into the past, which I suppose is true, in a way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goodall/other-people-have-talked-about-chimpanzees-being-a-window-into-the/) [Jane Goodall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goodall/) > [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/) > [I never wanted to give up. I thought I might have to. Especially at the beginning when chimpanzees had never seen a white person…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goodall/i-never-wanted-to-give-up-i-thought-i-might-have-to-especially-at-the/) [Jane Goodall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goodall/) > [We now know that the structure of the DNA in humans and chimpanzees differs by only just over one percent. You could even have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goodall/we-now-know-that-the-structure-of-the-dna-in-humans-and-chimpanzees/) [Jane Goodall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goodall/) > [In what terms should we think of these beings, nonhuman yet possessing so very many human-like characteristics? How should we treat them? Surely we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goodall/in-what-terms-should-we-think-of-these-beings-nonhuman-yet-possessing/) [Jane Goodall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goodall/) > [Chimpanzees are incredibly intelligent. They can learn more than 400 signs of American Sign Language. They have memories for spatial distribution, like numbers on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goodall/chimpanzees-are-incredibly-intelligent-they-can-learn-more-than-400/) [Jane Goodall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goodall/) > [Chimpanzees have given me so much. The long hours spent with them in the forest have enriched my life beyond measure. What I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goodall/chimpanzees-have-given-me-so-much-the-long-hours-spent-with-them-in/) [Jane Goodall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goodall/) > [We are unique. Chimpanzees are unique. Dogs are unique. But we humans are just not as different as we used to think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goodall/we-are-unique-chimpanzees-are-unique-dogs-are-unique-but-we-humans/) [Jane Goodall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goodall/) > [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/) > [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/) > [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/) > [If we start with chimpanzees, they differ from us with the composition of the DNA by only just over one percent. So, as far…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goodall/if-we-start-with-chimpanzees-they-differ-from-us-with-the-composition/) [Jane Goodall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goodall/) ## More by Jane Goodall > [The voice of the natural world would be, "Could you please give us space and leave us alone to get along with our own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goodall/the-voice-of-the-natural-world-would-be-could-you-please-give-us/) [Jane Goodall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goodall/) > [What makes us human, I think, is an ability to ask questions, a consequence of our sophisticated spoken language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goodall/what-makes-us-human-i-think-is-an-ability-to-ask-questions-a/) [Jane Goodall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goodall/) > [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/) > [I did this book 'Harvest for Hope,' and I learned so much about food. And one thing I learned is that we have the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goodall/i-did-this-book-harvest-for-hope-and-i-learned-so-much-about-food-and/) [Jane Goodall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goodall/) > [From my perspective, I absolutely believe in a greater spiritual power, far greater than I am, from which I have derived strength in moments…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goodall/from-my-perspective-i-absolutely-believe-in-a-greater-spiritual-power/) [Jane Goodall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goodall/) > [We are always talking about how we can get more environmental and humanitarian education. It is about listening to the voice of young people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goodall/we-are-always-talking-about-how-we-can-get-more-environmental-and/) [Jane Goodall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goodall/) > [Some humans are mathematicians-others aren't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goodall/some-humans-are-mathematicians-others-aren-t/) [Jane Goodall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goodall/) > [We started off with physical evolution and got our form. Then we somehow developed language, which meant cultural evolution could race so we could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goodall/we-started-off-with-physical-evolution-and-got-our-form-then-we/) [Jane Goodall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goodall/) > [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/) > [I wanted to talk to the animals like Dr. Dolittle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goodall/i-wanted-to-talk-to-the-animals-like-dr-dolittle/) [Jane Goodall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goodall/) > [Some people say, therefore, that violence and war are inevitable. I say rubbish: Our brains are fully capable of controlling instinctive behavior.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goodall/some-people-say-therefore-that-violence-and-war-are-inevitable-i-say/) [Jane Goodall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goodall/) > [It's been proven by quite a few studies that plants are good for our psychological development. If you green an area, the rate of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goodall/it-s-been-proven-by-quite-a-few-studies-that-plants-are-good-for-our/) [Jane Goodall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goodall/) > [Having respect for animals makes us better humans..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goodall/having-respect-for-animals-makes-us-better-humans/) [Jane Goodall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goodall/) > [If we kill off the wild, then we are killing a part of our souls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goodall/if-we-kill-off-the-wild-then-we-are-killing-a-part-of-our-souls/) [Jane Goodall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goodall/) > [“We still have a long way to go. But we are moving in the right direction. If only we can overcome cruelty, to human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goodall/we-still-have-a-long-way-to-go-but-we-are-moving-in-the-right/) [Jane Goodall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goodall/) [Explore all 321 Jane Goodall quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goodall/) ## More Aggressive quotes > [So the fool, as distinct from the scoundrel, is completely self- satisfied; in fact, he can easily become dangerous, as it does not take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/so-the-fool-as-distinct-from-the-scoundrel-is-completely-self/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [Because of the womb being a central phenomenon in the feminine body, the whole psychology of woman differs: she is non-aggressive, non-inquiring, non-questioning, non-doubting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/because-of-the-womb-being-a-central-phenomenon-in-the-feminine-body/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [Good girls don't hurt other people's feelings. Good girls are not overly aggressive, competitive, or boastful. Good girls please others. But what good girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-jane-gilman/good-girls-don-t-hurt-other-people-s-feelings-good-girls-are-not/) [Susan Jane Gilman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-jane-gilman/) > [It’s a shameful moment for U.S. media when it insists on being subservient to the grotesque propaganda agencies of a violent, aggressive state.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/it-s-a-shameful-moment-for-u-s-media-when-it-insists-on-being/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [“Passive...Aggressive...Pussy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-azzarello/passive-aggressive-pussy/) [Brian Azzarello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-azzarello/) > [I'm not a fan of endless mystery in storytelling - I like to know where the mythology's going; I like to get there in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-kripke/i-m-not-a-fan-of-endless-mystery-in-storytelling-i-like-to-know-where/) [Eric Kripke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-kripke/) > [Most conservatives - by which I mean normal people - have little conception of the aggressive and revolutionary force that confronts them. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-bethell/most-conservatives-by-which-i-mean-normal-people-have-little/) [Tom Bethell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-bethell/) > [If I serve good and play aggressive from the baseline, I can beat everyone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karolina-pliskova/if-i-serve-good-and-play-aggressive-from-the-baseline-i-can-beat/) [Karolina Pliskova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karolina-pliskova/) > [I'm just trying to be aggressive. Be aggressive with my shot. Be aggressive going to the rim.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamal-murray/i-m-just-trying-to-be-aggressive-be-aggressive-with-my-shot-be/) [Jamal Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamal-murray/) > [I see other teams playing aggressive, attacking football, they are games I switch on and watch. They are the football teams I want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angelos-postecoglou/i-see-other-teams-playing-aggressive-attacking-football-they-are/) [Angelos Postecoglou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angelos-postecoglou/) > [You cannot will yourself to be happy while believing that you have no right to happiness, or that you are unworthy of it. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-roberts/you-cannot-will-yourself-to-be-happy-while-believing-that-you-have-no/) [Jane Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-roberts/) > [I have definitely noticed I am very passionate. So if I'm fighting with someone I'll be SO super loud and aggressive, and make sure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melanie-martinez/i-have-definitely-noticed-i-am-very-passionate-so-if-i-m-fighting/) [Melanie Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melanie-martinez/) > [ I think the president's \[Barack Obama\] position has been very clear on Syria. He wants more aggressive, he's put the Special Ops on the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-williams/i-think-the-president-s-barack-obama-position-has-been-very-clear-on/) [Juan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-williams/) > [As Americans, we want peace - we work and sacrifice for peace. But there can be no peace if our security depends on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/as-americans-we-want-peace-we-work-and-sacrifice-for-peace-but-there/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [It is deeply concerning to learn that Linda Thomas-Greenfield repeatedly praised autocratic China's aggressive and troubling expansion into Africa during a 2019 speech at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hagerty/it-is-deeply-concerning-to-learn-that-linda-thomas-greenfield/) [Bill Hagerty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hagerty/) [Browse all 1,351 Aggressive quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aggressive/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "And I thought how sad it was that, for all our sophisticated intellect, for all our noble aspirations, our aggressive behavior was not just similar in many ways to that of the chimpanzees - it was even worse. 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