Frans de Waal was a Dutch behavioral scientist known for his work in primatology and behavioral biology. He lived from 1948 to 2024.
This is a collection of quotes by Frans de Waal.
Showing results 1 to 23 of 23
All animals maim or kill other organisms.
Frans de WaalAny academic who doubts the depth of animal emotions ought to get a dog.
Frans de WaalAnyone who thinks they have solved the problem of consciousness hasn't been thinking about it carefully enough.
Frans de WaalSource: Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are?
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.
Frans de WaalDo pigs really like mud?
Frans de WaalDoes a male cricket, for example, know that his chirping attracts females?
Frans de WaalHuman morality is unthinkable without empathy.
Frans de WaalIf 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 we be?
Frans de WaalIt is said that man is wolf to man. I find this very unfair to wolves.
Frans de WaalMen and women differ genetically, anatomically, hormonally, neurologically, and behaviorally; it simply does not make sense to isolate the last difference from the other four.
Frans de WaalSource: Chimpanzee Politics: Power and Sex among Apes
Of the entire terrestrial vertebrate biomass on earth, wild animals constitute only about three percent, humans one-quarter, and livestock almost three-quarters!
Frans de WaalPolitical leaders have a habit of concealing their power motives behind nobler desires such as a readiness to serve the nation and improve the economy.
Frans de WaalSource: Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are?
Religion is called "faith" precisely because it trusts things unseen.
Frans de WaalSometimes I read about someone saying with great authority that animals have no intentions and no feelings, and I wonder, "Doesn't this guy have a dog?"
Frans de WaalThe consensus view is now that fish do feel pain.
Frans de WaalSource: Mama's Last Hug
The importance we attach to language is just ridiculous.
Frans de WaalSource: Mama's Last Hug
The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not "Eureka!" but "That's funny".
Frans de WaalWe may think that walking on two legs is a big deal, yet in the larger scheme of nature it really isn't. Chickens do it, too.
Frans de WaalWhat is different about the way we act that makes us, and not any other species, moral beings?
Frans de WaalSource: Primates and Philosophers: How Morality Evolved
What is freedom without survival?
Frans de WaalSource: Mama's Last Hug
What is the evolutionary value of blushing?
Frans de WaalWhat would be the point of atheism in the absence of religion?
Frans de WaalWhile it is true that animals are not humans, it is equally true that humans are animals.
Frans de WaalSource: Primates and Philosophers: How Morality Evolved