"I am a zoologist and the naked ape is an animal. He is therefore fair game for my pen and I refuse to avoid him any longer simply because some of his behaviour patterns are rather complex and impressive. My excuse is that, in becoming so erudite, Homo sapiens has remained a naked ape nevertheless; in acquiring lofty new motives, he has lost none of the early old ones. This is frequently a cause of some embarrassment to him, but his old impulses have been with him for millions of years, his new ones only a few thousand at the most—and there is no hope of quickly shrugging off the accumulated genetic legacy of his whole evolutionary past. He would be a far less worried and more fulfilled animal if only he would face up to this fact. Perhaps this is where the zoologist can help."
Quote Details
Added by wikiquote-import-bot
Unverified quote
0 likes
Science authorsNon-fiction authors from EnglandUniversity of Oxford facultyPainters from EnglandZoologists from England
Original Language: English
Available Languages (1)
Sources
Introduction (p. 9)
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Desmond_Morris
Revision History
No revisions have been submitted for this quote.
Categories
Desmond Morris
englischer Zoologe, Verhaltensforscher, Publizist und Künstler
43 quotes on TrueQuotesView all quotes by Desmond Morris →
Related Quotes
"Unfortunately, because we are so powerful and so successful when compared with other animals, we find the contemplati…"
"Optimism is expressed by some who feel that since we have evolved a high level of intelligence and a strong inventive…"
"[On The Naked Ape] His consistent failure to understand the impact of patriarchy and female repression bordered on th…"
"So there he stands, our vertical, hunting, weapon-toting, territorial, neotenous, brainy, Naked Ape, a primate by anc…"
"No matter how old we become, we can still call them 'Holy Mother' or 'Father' and put a child-like trust in them (or …"
"The idea that it is funny to see wild animals coerced into acting like clumsy humans, or thrilling to see powerful be…"
"Under normal conditions, in their natural habitats, wild animals do not mutilate themselves, masturbate, attack their…"
"I discovered long ago that, if you write a book about cats or dogs, everybody loves you, but if you dare to write a b…"
"Artists like cats; soldiers like dogs."
"I enjoy laughter and good living and believe life is like a very short visit to a toyshop between birth and death."