216 Quotes by Frans de Waal

"Future benefits rarely figure in the minds of animals."

"Feelings arise when emotions penetrate our consciousness, and we become aware of them."

"Darwin wasn’t just provocative in saying that we descend from the apes – he didn’t go far enough. We are apes in every way, from our long arms and tailless bodies to our habits and temperament."

"We have a tendency to describe the human condition in lofty terms, such as a quest for freedom or striving for a virtuous life, but the life sciences hold a more mundane view: It’s all about security, social companionships, and a full belly. There is obvious tension between both views, which recalls that famous dinner conversation between a Russian literary critic and the writer Ivan Turgenev: ‘We haven’t yet solved the problem of God,’ the critic yelled, ’and you want to eat!"

"Humans have a lot of pro-social tendencies."

"When someone brutally kills someone else, we call him “animalistic.” But we consider ourselves “human” when we give to the poor."

"One early November morning, while the days were getting colder, I noticed that Franje, a female chimpanzee, was gathering all the straw from her bedroom. She took it under her arm out onto."

"The sturdiest pillars of human morality are compassion and a sense of justice."

"The default mode of the human primate is intensely social, as reflected in our favorite activities, from attending sports matches and singing in choirs to partying and socializing."

"Religion may have become a codification of morality, and it may fortify it, but it’s not the origin of it."