--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I thought if I could understand why apes…" description: "\"I thought if I could understand why apes get mean and horrible and aggressive when they grow up, maybe I could understand why people get mean and horri..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/72b/sue-savage-rumbaugh-43053_aggressive_i-thought-if-i-could-understand-why-apes_1021025.jpg" --- # I thought if I could understand why apes get mean and… ![“I thought if I could understand why apes get mean and horrible and aggressive when they grow up, maybe I could understand why people get mean and horrible and aggressive and have wars.” quote by Sue Savage-Rumbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/72b/sue-savage-rumbaugh-43053_aggressive_i-thought-if-i-could-understand-why-apes_1021025.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/72b/sue-savage-rumbaugh-43053_aggressive_i-thought-if-i-could-understand-why-apes_1021025.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/72b/sue-savage-rumbaugh-43053_aggressive_i-thought-if-i-could-understand-why-apes_1021025.jpg) > “I thought if I could understand why apes get mean and horrible and aggressive when they grow up, maybe I could understand why people get mean and horrible and aggressive and have wars.” [Sue Savage-Rumbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-savage-rumbaugh/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Comparing ape aggression to human conflict implies evolutionary roots of violence. **In simple terms:** Animal behavior may mirror human war tendencies. Key Takeaway Consider biology when addressing aggression. Themes evolution conflict psychology Mood thoughtful analytical Type scientific philosophical When to use this quote - research labs - education - peacebuilding Key Concepts aggression social behavior Questions to Reflect On - What biological factors drive aggression? - How can we apply animal studies to human peace? A Different Perspective Biology alone cannot explain complex social wars. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Animal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) [Ape](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ape/) [Apes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apes/) [Growing up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growing-up/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [Wars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wars/) ## Related quotes > [I'm in the role of helping these apes negotiate the human role. I'm just a temporary intermediary in what I think will be eventual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-savage-rumbaugh/i-m-in-the-role-of-helping-these-apes-negotiate-the-human-role-i-m/) [Sue Savage-Rumbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-savage-rumbaugh/) > [There is no reason to teach an ape to become human. There are many reasons to teach some apes and some humans to transition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-savage-rumbaugh/there-is-no-reason-to-teach-an-ape-to-become-human-there-are-many/) [Sue Savage-Rumbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-savage-rumbaugh/) > [“Sometimes people become mean because of horrible experiences. It’s a gradual process that hardens their hearts and minds and forces them to develop a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/astrid-yrigollen/sometimes-people-become-mean-because-of-horrible-experiences-it-s-a/) [Astrid Yrigollen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/astrid-yrigollen/) > [“Apes have a wide variety of sexual arrangements. That means, by the way, that there is no such thing as an “ape legacy” that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/apes-have-a-wide-variety-of-sexual-arrangements-that-means-by-the-way/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [Ask, 'How are we different from the great apes?' 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The nonhuman forms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-margulis/of-course-the-plea-for-respect-for-nonhuman-life-goes-far-beyond-the/) [Lynn Margulis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-margulis/) > [In a weird way, if you look at all the 'Apes' movies, they all seem like different stories in the same universe. 'Beneath the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-reeves/in-a-weird-way-if-you-look-at-all-the-apes-movies-they-all-seem-like/) [Matt Reeves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-reeves/) > [If 'Star Wars' wasn't enough to prepare me for a dark future, there was the 'Planet of the Apes' franchise, conveniently repeated for me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-van-eekhout/if-star-wars-wasn-t-enough-to-prepare-me-for-a-dark-future-there-was/) [Greg van Eekhout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-van-eekhout/) > [My degrees are in anthropology, and I have friends who have worked with apes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-keyes/my-degrees-are-in-anthropology-and-i-have-friends-who-have-worked/) [Gregory Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-keyes/) > [“The distinctiveness that we have so assiduously ascribed to ourselves as humans is, in reality, an accident of history. Imagine, for instance, how much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-savage-rumbaugh/the-distinctiveness-that-we-have-so-assiduously-ascribed-to-ourselves/) [Sue Savage-Rumbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-savage-rumbaugh/) ## More by Sue Savage-Rumbaugh > [I'm in the role of helping these apes negotiate the human role. I'm just a temporary intermediary in what I think will be eventual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-savage-rumbaugh/i-m-in-the-role-of-helping-these-apes-negotiate-the-human-role-i-m/) [Sue Savage-Rumbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-savage-rumbaugh/) > [We do not realize how deeply our starting assumptions affect the way we go about looking for and interpreting the data we collect. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-savage-rumbaugh/we-do-not-realize-how-deeply-our-starting-assumptions-affect-the-way/) [Sue Savage-Rumbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-savage-rumbaugh/) > [ We have a lot to learn from \[bonobos\], because they're a very egalitarian society and they're a very empathetic society. 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