37 Frans de Waal Quotes for You to Enjoy

Frans de Waal

Dutch Scientist

Born: Oct 29, 1948

Animals Human Religion Society Strong You

Related authors: Abraham Pais Antonie van Leeuwenhoek Edsger Dijkstra Guido van Rossum Hendrik Poinar Louise Fresco Nikolaas Tinbergen Wietse Venema

Human morality is unthinkable without empathy. Frans de Waal

Morality Empathy Unthinkable Without Human

The term 'alpha female' originated in my field of animal behavior, but has acquired new meaning. It refers to women who are in charge, for example, by flirting and dating on their own terms. It is also used maliciously for a loud-mouthed, controlling woman who has no patience with deviating opinions. Frans de Waal

Patience Woman Animal Women Behavior Example Own Controlling Field Charge Dating Term New For Example Alpha Terms Also Female Opinions Meaning Acquired Used Who Flirting Originated

The sturdiest pillars of human morality are compassion and a sense of justice. Frans de Waal

Justice Compassion Sense Morality Pillars Human

The intuitive connection children feel with animals can be a tremendous source of joy. The unconditional love received from pets, and the lack of artifice in the relationship, contrast sharply with the much trickier dealings with members of their own species. Frans de Waal

Love Relationship Joy Animals Own Tremendous Members Intuitive Unconditional Unconditional Love Feel Sharply Source Contrast Artifice Lack Children Much Connection Pets Species Received

Female bonobos form a strong sisterhood. They rule through female solidarity. Frans de Waal

Strong Rule Solidarity Through Female Sisterhood Form

If one bird foraging in a flock on the ground suddenly takes off, all other birds will take off immediately after, before they even know what's going on. The one who stays behind may be prey. Frans de Waal

It is hard to get animals which normally pay little attention to each other to do things together. One can teach dolphins to jump simultaneously out of the water precisely because they show similar behavior spontaneously, but try to make two domestic cats jump together and you will fail. Frans de Waal

You Together Cats Water Try Behavior Will Animals Pay Other Out Similar Fail Attention Simultaneously Spontaneously Make Because Dolphins Domestic Jump Normally Get Precisely Which Little Little Attention Teach Hard Show Each Things Two

I am personally not against keeping animals at zoos, as they serve a huge educational purpose, but treating them well and with respect seems the least we could do, and with 'we' I mean not just zoo staff, but most certainly also the public. Frans de Waal

Respect Animals Seems Purpose Could Most Also Well Am Least Educational Huge Just Staff Against Public Mean Them Personally Certainly Serve Keeping Zoo Treating

The fact that the apes exist and that we can study them is extremely important and makes us reflect on ourselves and our human nature. In that sense alone, you need to protect the apes. Frans de Waal

The more self-aware an animal is, the more empathetic it tends to be. Frans de Waal

Animal More Tends Empathetic

There has been so much underestimating of animal cognition that to perhaps overestimate it, as I probably do, is probably a healthy reaction. Frans de Waal

Animal Healthy Has-Been Perhaps Underestimating Reaction Overestimate Been Much Cognition

Octopuses have hundreds of suckers, each one equipped with its own ganglion with thousands of neurons. These 'mini-brains' are interconnected, making for a widely distributed nervous system. That is why a severed octopus arm may crawl on its own and even pick up food. Frans de Waal

Food Nervous Own Hundreds Severed System Thousands Distributed Nervous System Neurons Pick Arm Making Equipped Octopus Up May Interconnected Crawl Even Each Each One Why Widely

Bonobo studies started in the '70s and came to fruition in the '80s. Then in the '90s, all of a sudden, boom, they ended because of the warfare in the Congo. It was really bad for the bonobo and ironic that people with their warfare were preventing us from studying the hippies of the primate world. Frans de Waal

Very long ago our ancestors had moral systems. Our current institutions are only a couple of thousand years old, which is really not old in the eyes of a biologist. Frans de Waal

Eyes Old Long Our Ancestors Systems Thousand Moral Thousand Years Only Had Institutions Couple Years Very Current Which Really Biologist

If you look at national economies today, for example, the American economy, the European economy, the Indians, the Chinese, we're all tied together. If one of them sinks, the rest are going to sink with them and if one floats, the rest are lifted up. I find that very interesting. Frans de Waal

Today You Together Rest Example National Find Indians Lifted Economies Economy For Example Look Tied Sink Up Very American Going American Economy Chinese Interesting Them European Floats