--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I guess you could say I’ve got a monkey…" description: "\"“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 she was, clinging tightly to his..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a78/phillip-andrew-bennett-low-330_chimpanzee_i-guess-you-could-say-i-ve-got-a-monkey_680045.jpg" --- # I guess you could say I’ve got a monkey on my back. A… ![“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 she was, clinging tightly to his shoulders. The hunch on his back wasn’t a hunch at all, but as fine a specimen of a female chimpanzee as I’m ever likely to see.” quote by Phillip Andrew Bennett Low](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a78/phillip-andrew-bennett-low-330_chimpanzee_i-guess-you-could-say-i-ve-got-a-monkey_680045.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a78/phillip-andrew-bennett-low-330_chimpanzee_i-guess-you-could-say-i-ve-got-a-monkey_680045.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a78/phillip-andrew-bennett-low-330_chimpanzee_i-guess-you-could-say-i-ve-got-a-monkey_680045.jpg) > ““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 she was, clinging tightly to his shoulders. The hunch on his back wasn’t a hunch at all, but as fine a specimen of a female chimpanzee as I’m ever likely to see.”” [Phillip Andrew Bennett Low](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillip-andrew-bennett-low/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator likens his burden to a monkey named Darwin, symbolizing evolutionary pressure and personal weight. **In simple terms:** A personal burden is compared to a monkey named Darwin. Key Takeaway Identify and confront personal burdens. Themes burden evolution self‑reflection Mood thoughtful introspective Type metaphorical literary When to use this quote - personal struggle - creative writing - self‑analysis Key Concepts symbolism psychology identity Questions to Reflect On - What does the “monkey” represent for you? - How does evolution relate to personal challenges? A Different Perspective The metaphor may obscure rather than clarify the issue. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Chimpanzee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chimpanzee/) [Chimpanzee Likely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chimpanzee-likely-5382414/) [Chimpanzees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chimpanzees/) [Christian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christian/) [Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/darwin/) [Evolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evolution/) [Female Chimpanzee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/female-chimpanzee-5382415/) [Humor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humor/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [Monkey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/monkey/) [Monkey Monkey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/monkey-monkey-1808504/) [Monkey Named](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/monkey-named-5382413/) [Religious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religious/) ## 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/) > [An evolutionary biologist and a fundamentalist may see the same chimpanzee sitting in a cage, but in another important way, they do not. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peg-o-connor/an-evolutionary-biologist-and-a-fundamentalist-may-see-the-same/) [Peg O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peg-o-connor/) > [We evolved. We have only to look at the pouting face of a young chimpanzee to laugh at its reflections of ourselves. We know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-jolly/we-evolved-we-have-only-to-look-at-the-pouting-face-of-a-young/) [Alison Jolly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-jolly/) > [The mass are animal, in pupilage, and near chimpanzee.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-mass-are-animal-in-pupilage-and-near-chimpanzee/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Children, behold the Chimpanzee: He sits on the ancestral tree From which we sprang in ages gone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-herford/children-behold-the-chimpanzee-he-sits-on-the-ancestral-tree-from/) [Oliver Herford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-herford/) > [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/) > [A chimpanzee could learn what I do physically, but it goes way beyond that. When you play, you play life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaco-pastorius/a-chimpanzee-could-learn-what-i-do-physically-but-it-goes-way-beyond/) [Jaco Pastorius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaco-pastorius/) > [ Once I saw a chimpanzee gaze at a particularly beautiful sunset for a full 15 minutes, watching the changing colors \[and then\] retire to… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adriaan-kortlandt/once-i-saw-a-chimpanzee-gaze-at-a-particularly-beautiful-sunset-for-a/) [Adriaan Kortlandt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adriaan-kortlandt/) > [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/) > [Shave a gorilla and it would be almost impossible, at twenty paces, to distinguish him from a heavyweight champion of the world. Skin a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/shave-a-gorilla-and-it-would-be-almost-impossible-at-twenty-paces-to/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [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/) > [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/) > [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/) > [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/) > [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/) ## More by Phillip Andrew Bennett Low > [“The jolly old elf’s nose was red, but not from cold — rather, from the brutality of a dozen boxes of Kleenex. Mucus flowed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillip-andrew-bennett-low/the-jolly-old-elf-s-nose-was-red-but-not-from-cold-rather-from-the/) [Phillip Andrew Bennett Low](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillip-andrew-bennett-low/) > [“Her eyes narrowed. “That is not the boy I raised.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillip-andrew-bennett-low/her-eyes-narrowed-that-is-not-the-boy-i-raised/) [Phillip Andrew Bennett Low](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillip-andrew-bennett-low/) > [“Every muscle in his body tensed for action, adrenalin pounding through his tiny veins, he crept down the stairs, keeping to the corners (where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillip-andrew-bennett-low/every-muscle-in-his-body-tensed-for-action-adrenalin-pounding-through/) [Phillip Andrew Bennett Low](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillip-andrew-bennett-low/) > [“I was staring at one of the most famous images of Santa Claus of all time — one by Thomas Nast, from Harper’s Weekly, 1881.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillip-andrew-bennett-low/i-was-staring-at-one-of-the-most-famous-images-of-santa-claus-of-all/) [Phillip Andrew Bennett Low](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillip-andrew-bennett-low/) > [“Oh, this is not the time for us to get into that meshugenah debate again! Look, the point is that Jesus of Nazareth, who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillip-andrew-bennett-low/oh-this-is-not-the-time-for-us-to-get-into-that-meshugenah-debate/) [Phillip Andrew Bennett Low](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillip-andrew-bennett-low/) > [“And dozens of tiny hands reached up, and cast back dozens of tiny hoods. The robes fell away, revealing a motley of brightly-colored, dwarfish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillip-andrew-bennett-low/and-dozens-of-tiny-hands-reached-up-and-cast-back-dozens-of-tiny/) [Phillip Andrew Bennett Low](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillip-andrew-bennett-low/) > [“The good news was that we’d found Santa. The bad news was that he was floating in a giant tube of clear fluid, seemingly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillip-andrew-bennett-low/the-good-news-was-that-we-d-found-santa-the-bad-news-was-that-he-was/) [Phillip Andrew Bennett Low](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillip-andrew-bennett-low/) > [“She sighed and stepped out of the room, pulling the door shut behind her. Turning around, she nearly tripped over some of the help.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillip-andrew-bennett-low/she-sighed-and-stepped-out-of-the-room-pulling-the-door-shut-behind/) [Phillip Andrew Bennett Low](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillip-andrew-bennett-low/) > [“The Revelation of Hashmal, which GOD gave unto him, to shew unto His servants things which shortly must come to pass; and Hashmal sent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillip-andrew-bennett-low/the-revelation-of-hashmal-which-god-gave-unto-him-to-shew-unto-his/) [Phillip Andrew Bennett Low](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillip-andrew-bennett-low/) > [“Jesus shrugged. “Have you read the Torah? God doesn’t pick the best of the best. He picks the guys who need help.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillip-andrew-bennett-low/jesus-shrugged-have-you-read-the-torah-god-doesn-t-pick-the-best-of/) [Phillip Andrew Bennett Low](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillip-andrew-bennett-low/) > [“Jesus shook his head slowly from side to side, then thrust his left hand deep into Santa’s sack. Out came something resembling raw steak,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillip-andrew-bennett-low/jesus-shook-his-head-slowly-from-side-to-side-then-thrust-his-left/) [Phillip Andrew Bennett Low](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillip-andrew-bennett-low/) > [“Don't you understand? If that's the case, then - then everything is dicated by random chance! Somewhere, there's a universe where you - for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillip-andrew-bennett-low/don-t-you-understand-if-that-s-the-case-then-then-everything-is/) [Phillip Andrew Bennett Low](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillip-andrew-bennett-low/) > [“The crucified figure had not been idle. A series of elaborate twists activated a cunning mechanism; the base of the cross blew apart, revealing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillip-andrew-bennett-low/the-crucified-figure-had-not-been-idle-a-series-of-elaborate-twists/) [Phillip Andrew Bennett Low](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillip-andrew-bennett-low/) > [“There he was, skipping lightly across the surface of the water. He caught my eye and gave me that shit-eating grin again. “Be of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillip-andrew-bennett-low/there-he-was-skipping-lightly-across-the-surface-of-the-water-he/) [Phillip Andrew Bennett Low](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillip-andrew-bennett-low/) [Explore all 15 Phillip Andrew Bennett Low quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillip-andrew-bennett-low/) ## More Chimpanzee quotes > [“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/) > [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/) > [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/) > [“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/) > [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/) > [“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/) > [“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/) > [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/) > [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/) > [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/) > [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/) > [“A chimpanzee can’t win an argument with a Homo sapiens, but the ape can rip the man apart like a rag doll.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/a-chimpanzee-can-t-win-an-argument-with-a-homo-sapiens-but-the-ape/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“You can't teach calculus to a chimpanzee. So just share your banana.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-rachel/you-can-t-teach-calculus-to-a-chimpanzee-so-just-share-your-banana/) [John Rachel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-rachel/) > [“Nature's great mistake was to have been unable to confine herself to one "kingdom": juxtaposed with the vegetable, everything else seems inopportune, out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-cioran/nature-s-great-mistake-was-to-have-been-unable-to-confine-herself-to/) [E.M. Cioran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-cioran/) > [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/) [Browse all 51 Chimpanzee quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chimpanzee/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“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 she was, clinging tightly to his shoulders. 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