--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Some people say, therefore, that violence…" description: "\"Some people say, therefore, that violence and war are inevitable. I say rubbish: Our brains are fully capable of controlling instinctive behavior.\" — J..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5cf/jane-goodall-950_behavior_some-people-say-therefore-that-violence_112622.jpg" --- # Some people say, therefore, that violence and war are… ![“Some people say, therefore, that violence and war are inevitable. I say rubbish: Our brains are fully capable of controlling instinctive behavior.” quote by Jane Goodall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5cf/jane-goodall-950_behavior_some-people-say-therefore-that-violence_112622.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5cf/jane-goodall-950_behavior_some-people-say-therefore-that-violence_112622.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5cf/jane-goodall-950_behavior_some-people-say-therefore-that-violence_112622.jpg) > “Some people say, therefore, that violence and war are inevitable. I say rubbish: Our brains are fully capable of controlling instinctive behavior.” [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. Human cognition can override primal impulses, allowing societies to choose peaceful solutions over inevitable conflict. **In simple terms:** Our minds can control violent instincts. Key Takeaway Self‑control can break cycles of violence. Themes human nature peacebuilding cognitive control social evolution Mood hopeful determined Type philosophical activist When to use this quote - conflict resolution workshops - education on emotional regulation - policy debates on war Key Concepts neuroplasticity ethical responsibility Practical Applications - Teach mindfulness in schools - Promote diplomatic negotiation training Questions to Reflect On - How can societies institutionalize self‑control? - What limits exist on cognitive regulation? A Different Perspective Violence often stems from structural pressures, not just individual instinct. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Behavior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/behavior/) [Brain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brain/) [Habits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/habits/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Violence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/violence/) [Violence and war](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/violence-and-war/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [“Operant conditioning is not confined to deliberate training; it is one way that cats learn how to deal with whatever surroundings they find themselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bradshaw/operant-conditioning-is-not-confined-to-deliberate-training-it-is-one/) [John Bradshaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bradshaw/) > [Women are rising. And I think that's all the violence and war - it could be the last gasp of the patriarchy, actually.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-fonda/women-are-rising-and-i-think-that-s-all-the-violence-and-war-it-could/) [Jane Fonda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-fonda/) > [Heaven, the seat of bliss, Brooks not the works of violence and war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-milton/heaven-the-seat-of-bliss-brooks-not-the-works-of-violence-and-war/) [John Milton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-milton/) > [ “\[T\]he life of a person does not first leave when the heart weakens and ceases to beat. The life of a person first leaves… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelleen-goerlitz/t-he-life-of-a-person-does-not-first-leave-when-the-heart-weakens-and/) Kelleen Goerlitz > [For the sake of peace, religious beliefs must never be allowed to be abused in the cause of violence and war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/for-the-sake-of-peace-religious-beliefs-must-never-be-allowed-to-be/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [“I reiterate my dedication to advocating for effective preventive strategies to end gun violence once and for all. In the face of the rising tensions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/widad-akreyi/i-reiterate-my-dedication-to-advocating-for-effective-preventive/) [Widad Akreyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/widad-akreyi/) > [It takes a touch of genius-and a lot of Courage-to move in the opposite direction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/it-takes-a-touch-of-genius-and-a-lot-of-courage-to-move-in-the/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [Until we stop harming all other living beings, we are still savages.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/until-we-stop-harming-all-other-living-beings-we-are-still-savages/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [People are still thinking of solving problems by violence and war, and that has to stop.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoko-ono/people-are-still-thinking-of-solving-problems-by-violence-and-war-and/) [Yoko Ono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoko-ono/) > [Even today we raise our hand against our brother... We have perfected our weapons, our conscience has fallen asleep, and we have sharpened our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/even-today-we-raise-our-hand-against-our-brother-we-have-perfected/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [I have always been vitally interested in physical conditioning. I have long believed that athletic competition among people and nations should replace violence and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-weissmuller/i-have-always-been-vitally-interested-in-physical-conditioning-i-have/) [Johnny Weissmuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-weissmuller/) > [There is a great streak of violence in every human being. If it is not channeled and understood, it will break out in war…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-peckinpah/there-is-a-great-streak-of-violence-in-every-human-being-if-it-is-not/) [Sam Peckinpah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-peckinpah/) > [When love is the trend, there is no room for violence and war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-bernstein/when-love-is-the-trend-there-is-no-room-for-violence-and-war/) [Gabrielle Bernstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-bernstein/) > [In the seed and the soil, we find the answers to every one of the crises we face. The crises of violence and war.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vandana-shiva/in-the-seed-and-the-soil-we-find-the-answers-to-every-one-of-the/) [Vandana Shiva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vandana-shiva/) > [Violence and war lead only to death...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/violence-and-war-lead-only-to-death/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) ## 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/) > [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/) > [Hundreds and thousands of young people around the world can break through and can make this a better world for all living things. Once…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goodall/hundreds-and-thousands-of-young-people-around-the-world-can-break/) [Jane Goodall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goodall/) [Explore all 321 Jane Goodall quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goodall/) ## More Behavior quotes > [The vision of the left, full of envy and resentment, takes its worst toll on those at the bottom - whether black or white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-vision-of-the-left-full-of-envy-and-resentment-takes-its-worst/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [As you begin changing your thinking, start immediately to change your behaviour. Begin to act the part of the person you would like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-you-begin-changing-your-thinking-start-immediately-to-change-your/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I now know that deep within the human concept is something dark, selfish, and completely willing to do whatever is necessary to support the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-west/i-now-know-that-deep-within-the-human-concept-is-something-dark/) [Melissa West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-west/) > [“We are endowed with genes which code out our reaction to beavers and otters, maybe our reaction to each other as well. We are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-thomas/we-are-endowed-with-genes-which-code-out-our-reaction-to-beavers-and/) [Lewis Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-thomas/) > [The number of poor, and poorly prepared, students who succeed in college and beyond undercuts the simplistic notion that economic or educational disadvantage is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-merullo/the-number-of-poor-and-poorly-prepared-students-who-succeed-in/) [Roland Merullo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-merullo/) > [To behave creatively in art means behavior with skill; and skill comes from discipline, not derangement. The artist who knows the rules -and proportion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burne-hogarth/to-behave-creatively-in-art-means-behavior-with-skill-and-skill-comes/) Burne Hogarth > [You don't put milk in chamomile tea - that's disgusting behavior! That's not right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-fraser/you-don-t-put-milk-in-chamomile-tea-that-s-disgusting-behavior-that-s/) [Laura Fraser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-fraser/) > [The laws of thermodynamics, as empirically determined, express the approximate and probable behavior of systems of a great number of particles, or, more precisely,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-willard-gibbs/the-laws-of-thermodynamics-as-empirically-determined-express-the/) J. Willard Gibbs > [I started with the belief that every person who came to the laboratory was free to accept or to reject the dictates of authority.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-milgram/i-started-with-the-belief-that-every-person-who-came-to-the/) [Stanley Milgram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-milgram/) > [The tipping point is that magic moment when an idea, trend, or social behavior crosses a threshold, tips, and spreads like wildfire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/the-tipping-point-is-that-magic-moment-when-an-idea-trend-or-social/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [I think we've told a lot of lies about human behavior through film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-arquette/i-think-we-ve-told-a-lot-of-lies-about-human-behavior-through-film/) [Patricia Arquette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-arquette/) > [The strongest rebellion may be expressed in quiet, undramatic behavior.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-spock/the-strongest-rebellion-may-be-expressed-in-quiet-undramatic-behavior/) [Benjamin Spock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-spock/) > [The behavior of any bureaucratic organization can best be understood by assuming that it is controlled by a secret cabal of its enemies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-conquest/the-behavior-of-any-bureaucratic-organization-can-best-be-understood/) [Robert Conquest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-conquest/) > [If you want good behavior, don't pay on a commission basis. 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