--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Let's put a chimpanzee in a tiny cage…" description: "\"“Let's put a chimpanzee in a tiny cage fronted by concrete bars. The animal would go berserk, throw itself against the walls, rip out its hair, inflict..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0c3/michel-houellebecq-1497_animal_let-s-put-a-chimpanzee-in-a-tiny-cage-fr_1535233.png" --- # Let's put a chimpanzee in a tiny cage fronted by concrete… ![“Let's put a chimpanzee in a tiny cage fronted by concrete bars. The animal would go berserk, throw itself against the walls, rip out its hair, inflict cruel bites on itself, and in 73% of cases will actually end up killing itself. Let's now make a breach in one of the walls, which we will place…” quote by Michel Houellebecq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0c3/michel-houellebecq-1497_animal_let-s-put-a-chimpanzee-in-a-tiny-cage-fr_1535233.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0c3/michel-houellebecq-1497_animal_let-s-put-a-chimpanzee-in-a-tiny-cage-fr_1535233.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0c3/michel-houellebecq-1497_animal_let-s-put-a-chimpanzee-in-a-tiny-cage-fr_1535233.png) > ““Let's put a chimpanzee in a tiny cage fronted by concrete bars. The animal would go berserk, throw itself against the walls, rip out its hair, inflict cruel bites on itself, and in 73% of cases will actually end up killing itself. Let's now make a breach in one of the walls, which we will place next to a bottomless precipice. Our friendly sample quadrumane will approach the edge, he'll look down, but remain at the edge for ages, return there time and again, but generally he won't teeter over the brink; and in all events his nervous state will be radically assuaged.”” [Michel Houellebecq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-houellebecq/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Confinement causes extreme distress; providing an escape restores calm. **In simple terms:** Being trapped drives madness; freedom eases it. Key Takeaway Offer freedom to alleviate suffering. Themes psychology freedom mental health behavior Mood anxious hopeful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - prison reform - animal welfare - mental health treatment - design of confinement spaces - stress management programs Key Concepts reactance stress relief environmental influence Questions to Reflect On - How does perceived control affect mental well‑being? - Can safe alternatives replace harsh confinement? A Different Perspective Assumes all individuals will respond similarly to escape opportunities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Animal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) [Cage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cage/) [Chimpanzee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chimpanzee/) [Chimpanzee Tiny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chimpanzee-tiny-5706266/) [Let Chimpanzee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/let-chimpanzee-5706265/) [Tiny Cage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tiny-cage-4611974/) ## Related quotes > [A breeding sow spends most of her life in a tiny cage. It's usually about seven feet long and two feet wide. She cannot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-velez-mitchell/a-breeding-sow-spends-most-of-her-life-in-a-tiny-cage-it-s-usually/) [Jane Velez-Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-velez-mitchell/) > [On my keychain, I have a citrine crystal in a tiny cage. It's for protection and good vibes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendi-mclendon-covey/on-my-keychain-i-have-a-citrine-crystal-in-a-tiny-cage-it-s-for/) [Wendi McLendon-Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendi-mclendon-covey/) > [When I was 7 and went to the zoo with my second-grade class, I saw chimpanzee eyes for the first time - the eyes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-e-butler/when-i-was-7-and-went-to-the-zoo-with-my-second-grade-class-i-saw/) [Octavia E. Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-e-butler/) > [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/) > [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 don't think I'm a celebrity. A chimpanzee could have done what I did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-david-chapman/i-don-t-think-i-m-a-celebrity-a-chimpanzee-could-have-done-what-i-did/) [Mark David Chapman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-david-chapman/) > [“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/) > [How smart does a chimpanzee have to be before killing him constitutes murder?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/how-smart-does-a-chimpanzee-have-to-be-before-killing-him-constitutes/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [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/) > [“In time the earth will be inhabited by almost god-like beings who shall analyze and discuss the remnants of humanity as we now discuss…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ella-wheeler-wilcox/in-time-the-earth-will-be-inhabited-by-almost-god-like-beings-who/) [Ella Wheeler Wilcox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ella-wheeler-wilcox/) > [“Now you’re trying to set me up with a jewel thief?” “At this point, sir, I would set you up with a chimpanzee if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-cox/now-you-re-trying-to-set-me-up-with-a-jewel-thief-at-this-point-sir-i/) [Greg Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-cox/) > [I am blessed with the energy of a chimpanzee. There is nothing I can't get up for and give it a hundred percent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-iovine/i-am-blessed-with-the-energy-of-a-chimpanzee-there-is-nothing-i-can-t/) [Jimmy Iovine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-iovine/) > [“In our own genetic profile, believe it or not, scientific evidence indicates that we humans share 99.4% of our total DNA sequences with the chimpanzee.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-bolte-taylor/in-our-own-genetic-profile-believe-it-or-not-scientific-evidence/) [Jill Bolte Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-bolte-taylor/) > [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/) > [“Man's closest relative is not the chimpanzee, as the TV people believe, but is, in fact, the dog. "Enzo" I admire the female sex.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-stein/man-s-closest-relative-is-not-the-chimpanzee-as-the-tv-people-believe/) [Garth Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-stein/) ## More by Michel Houellebecq > [I think it's more difficult to live without a religion, definitely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-houellebecq/i-think-it-s-more-difficult-to-live-without-a-religion-definitely/) [Michel Houellebecq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-houellebecq/) > [I think that if writers don't speak about real life, it's because they don't know it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-houellebecq/i-think-that-if-writers-don-t-speak-about-real-life-it-s-because-they/) [Michel Houellebecq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-houellebecq/) > [“In my life, I had known suffering, oppression, anxiety; I had never known boredom. I could see no objection to the endless, imbecile repetition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-houellebecq/in-my-life-i-had-known-suffering-oppression-anxiety-i-had-never-known/) [Michel Houellebecq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-houellebecq/) > [I admit that invective is one of my pleasures. This only brings me problems in life, but that's it. I attack, I insult. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-houellebecq/i-admit-that-invective-is-one-of-my-pleasures-this-only-brings-me/) [Michel Houellebecq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-houellebecq/) > [“... I spent whole afternoons at Bon Marché looking at pullovers, there was no sense in going on like that.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-houellebecq/i-spent-whole-afternoons-at-bon-march-looking-at-pullovers-there-was/) [Michel Houellebecq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-houellebecq/) > [I've lived so little that I tend to imagine I'm not going to die; it seems improbable that human existence can be reduced to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-houellebecq/i-ve-lived-so-little-that-i-tend-to-imagine-i-m-not-going-to-die-it/) [Michel Houellebecq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-houellebecq/) > [Rumor had it that he was homosexual; in reality, in recent years, he was simply a garden-variety alcoholic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-houellebecq/rumor-had-it-that-he-was-homosexual-in-reality-in-recent-years-he-was/) [Michel Houellebecq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-houellebecq/) > [“He doesn't know it yet, but the infinity of childhood is brief.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-houellebecq/he-doesn-t-know-it-yet-but-the-infinity-of-childhood-is-brief/) [Michel Houellebecq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-houellebecq/) > [“Olga was nice, Olga was nice and loving, Olga loved him, he repeated to himself with a growing sadness as he also realised that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-houellebecq/olga-was-nice-olga-was-nice-and-loving-olga-loved-him-he-repeated-to/) [Michel Houellebecq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-houellebecq/) > [“Regarde, c’est la mort, mon amour.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-houellebecq/regarde-c-est-la-mort-mon-amour/) [Michel Houellebecq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-houellebecq/) > [“The problem is, it's just not enough to live according to the rules. Sure, you manage to live according to the rules. Sometimes it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-houellebecq/the-problem-is-it-s-just-not-enough-to-live-according-to-the-rules/) [Michel Houellebecq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-houellebecq/) > [“Life sometimes offers you a chance, he thought, but when you are too cowardly or too indecisive to seize it life takes the cards…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-houellebecq/life-sometimes-offers-you-a-chance-he-thought-but-when-you-are-too/) [Michel Houellebecq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-houellebecq/) > [“An entire life spent reading would have fulfilled my every desire; I already knew that at the age of seven. The texture of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-houellebecq/an-entire-life-spent-reading-would-have-fulfilled-my-every-desire-i/) [Michel Houellebecq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-houellebecq/) > [Of course, we can distinguish between males and females; we can also, if we choose, distinguish between different age categories; but any more advanced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-houellebecq/of-course-we-can-distinguish-between-males-and-females-we-can-also-if/) [Michel Houellebecq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-houellebecq/) > [A source of permanent, accessible pleasure, our genitals exist. The god who created our misfortune, who made us short-lived, vain and cruel, has also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-houellebecq/a-source-of-permanent-accessible-pleasure-our-genitals-exist-the-god/) [Michel Houellebecq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-houellebecq/) [Explore all 144 Michel Houellebecq quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-houellebecq/) ## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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": "“Let's put a chimpanzee in a tiny cage fronted by concrete bars. The animal would go berserk, throw itself against the walls, rip out its hair, inflict cruel bites on itself, and in 73% of cases will actually end up killing itself. Let's now make a breach in one of the walls, which we will place next to a bottomless precipice. 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