--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The chimpanzees taught me a lot about…" description: "\"The chimpanzees taught me a lot about nonverbal communication. The big difference between them and us is that they don't have spoken language. Everythi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/847/jane-goodall-950_animal_the-chimpanzees-taught-me-a-lot-about-no_3145857.jpg" --- # The chimpanzees taught me a lot about nonverbal… ![“The chimpanzees taught me a lot about nonverbal communication. The big difference between them and us is that they don't have spoken language. Everything else is almost the same: Kissing, embracing, swaggering, shaking the fist.” quote by Jane Goodall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/847/jane-goodall-950_animal_the-chimpanzees-taught-me-a-lot-about-no_3145857.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/847/jane-goodall-950_animal_the-chimpanzees-taught-me-a-lot-about-no_3145857.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/847/jane-goodall-950_animal_the-chimpanzees-taught-me-a-lot-about-no_3145857.jpg) > “The chimpanzees taught me a lot about nonverbal communication. The big difference between them and us is that they don't have spoken language. Everything else is almost the same: Kissing, embracing, swaggering, shaking the fist.” [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. She notes that chimpanzees share many nonverbal behaviors with humans, highlighting deep evolutionary connections. **In simple terms:** Apes communicate similarly to humans without words. Key Takeaway Observe and learn from animal behavior. Themes communication evolution behavior empathy Mood reflective hopeful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - education - conservation - therapy - team building - cross‑cultural training Key Concepts nonverbal cues social bonding Questions to Reflect On - What can we learn from animal nonverbal cues? - How does this affect our view of humanity? A Different Perspective Human language adds complexity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Animal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) [Chimpanzees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chimpanzees/) [Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Differences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/differences/) [Kissing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kissing/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Nonverbal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nonverbal/) [Nonverbal Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nonverbal-communication/) [Spoken language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spoken-language/) ## Related quotes > [Scientists attach great importance to the human capacity for spoken language. But we also have a parallel track of nonverbal communication, which may reveal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-mlodinow/scientists-attach-great-importance-to-the-human-capacity-for-spoken/) [Leonard Mlodinow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-mlodinow/) > [Nonverbal communication is an elaborate secret code that is written nowhere, known by none, and understood by all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-sapir/nonverbal-communication-is-an-elaborate-secret-code-that-is-written/) [Edward Sapir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-sapir/) > [Nonverbal communication forms a social language that is in many ways richer and more fundamental than our words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-mlodinow/nonverbal-communication-forms-a-social-language-that-is-in-many-ways/) [Leonard Mlodinow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-mlodinow/) > [“ BUT WHAT DO I SAY If you are most concerned about what to say when you first meet someone, you may be directing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-berent/but-what-do-i-say-if-you-are-most-concerned-about-what-to-say-when/) [Jonathan Berent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-berent/) > [“When it comes to leadership, silence is nonverbal communication. It communicates agreement and grants permission by saying, “What you’re doing is fine.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bevere/when-it-comes-to-leadership-silence-is-nonverbal-communication-it/) [John Bevere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bevere/) > [“This is the magic of nonverbal communication. It allows us to pursue illicit agendas, even ones that require coordinating with other people, while minimizing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-simler/this-is-the-magic-of-nonverbal-communication-it-allows-us-to-pursue/) [Kevin Simler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-simler/) > [I was analyzing the guys' nonverbal communication.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-davis/i-was-analyzing-the-guys-nonverbal-communication/) Glen Davis > [One of the most surprising forms of nonverbal communication is the way we automatically adjust the amount of time we spend looking into another's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-mlodinow/one-of-the-most-surprising-forms-of-nonverbal-communication-is-the/) [Leonard Mlodinow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-mlodinow/) > [“Another fascinating example of esoteric knowledge adopted by the informed to communicate secretly was the use of sign language for the deaf. Unknown to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-blech/another-fascinating-example-of-esoteric-knowledge-adopted-by-the/) [Benjamin Blech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-blech/) > [When you're around somebody for a long period of time, they know you and you know them. So, there's a lot of nonverbal communication…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-wagner/when-you-re-around-somebody-for-a-long-period-of-time-they-know-you/) [Bobby Wagner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-wagner/) > [“Did you get the cup?" I held it up. "Is it the right one?" she said. I am not good at nonverbal communication, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graeme-simsion/did-you-get-the-cup-i-held-it-up-is-it-the-right-one-she-said-i-am/) [Graeme Simsion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graeme-simsion/) > [I think we're still in a muddle with our language, because once you get words and a spoken language it gets harder to communicate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goodall/i-think-we-re-still-in-a-muddle-with-our-language-because-once-you/) [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/) > [Maternal behavior helps when you have to be patient with nonverbal creatures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goodall/maternal-behavior-helps-when-you-have-to-be-patient-with-nonverbal/) [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/) ## 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 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. 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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": "The chimpanzees taught me a lot about nonverbal communication. The big difference between them and us is that they don't have spoken language. 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