Jane Goodall, the pioneering primatologist and animal advocate, shared many wise words throughout her 91 years—right up to the end, when she passed away of natural causes on October 1, during a speaking tour of the U.S.
If you’re looking for a tribute to the late researcher, you can find countless options in YouTube clips, written interviews, and statements from her peers. But one of Goodall’s most haunting messages comes from a chat with the Museum of Science, explaining the "most important" lesson we can learn from chimpanzees.
"They’re very good at reconciliation after conflict," she says in the video. "We don’t seem to be very good at that. We hold grudges. We fight wars. We have conflict all over the world today. So, if we were a little bit better just making things up without continuing to fight about them or hold grudges."
Goodall's path to chimpanzees
The entire interview is filled with similarly insightful moments. Early on, she talks about how she didn’t technically "choose" to research chimpanzees. She developed a passion for animals while growing up in England, ultimately venturing to Tanzania in 1960, where she began documenting the behavior of chimps. But as Goodall told the Museum of Science, she was open to following any path—as long as animals were part of it.
"I went to Africa to study any animal to be out in the wild," she says. "If somebody had said a dormouse, I would have jumped at it if it were out in the wild somewhere. It was meeting Dr. Louis Leakey, famous paleontologist [and] anthropologist, and he told me he’d been looking for 10 years for somebody to go study chimpanzees in the wild. Nobody had. A couple of people had tried. It didn’t work out. So...how lucky!"
The real "breakthrough," she says, was "seeing chimpanzees using and making tools."
- YouTube www.youtube.com
Spreading awareness
Goodall continued to spread awareness about the natural world—from the dangers of climate change to the destruction of our environment—throughout her life. She also continued to answer the very same question that opened this article.
Asked during a 2024 appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert what we could "most learn from chimps," she replied, "That we've been jolly arrogant in thinking we're so special, so different. Chimpanzees are like us—we share 98.7% of our DNA. And they kiss, embrace, hold hands, pat one another. And you know something? They live in a male-dominated society. When you see two males competing for dominance, they stand upright; they swagger; they have a furious face; they shake their fists. Doesn't that remind you of some human male politicians?"
- YouTube www.youtube.com
GOOD had the honor of interviewing Goodall for Earth Day 2020, marking the release of the National Geographic documentary Jane Goodall: The Hope—and, reliably, she spread plenty of wisdom then, too.
"Every single day we live, we make some impact on the planet, and we need to make ethical choices, thinking about the consequences on future generations," she said. "What do we buy, eat, wear? Where did it come from? That will start moving us towards a better world."
- YouTube www.youtube.com
Raccoons know how to get around.
The dexterity of raccoon hands enables their humanlike escapades.
The dexterity of raccoon hands enables their humanlike escapades.
A young lion playing with an older animal
A colorful bird appears to be yelling at it a friend
An otter appears like it's holding its face in shock
Two young foxes playing in the wild
Two otters appear to be laughing together in the water
A fish looks like it's afraid of the shark behind it
A bird appears to be ignoring their partner
A squirrel looks like it's trapped in a tree
A bear holds hand over face, making it appear like it's exhausted
A penguin looks like its trying to appear inconspicuous
A young squirrel smells a flower
An insect appears to be smiling and waving at the camera
An otter lies on its side apparently cracking up laughing
Two monkeys caught procreating
A young chimp relaxes with its hands behind its head
A snowy owl appears to be smiling 
A monkey holds finger to face as if it's lost in thought
A turtle crossing the road under a 'slow' sign
A polar bear lies on its back like it's trying to hide
A rodent strikes human-like pose
Ron. courtesy of K-9 Protectors
Victoria and Ron.courtesy of Victoria Costa
Ron. courtesy of K-9 Protectors
Ron and Tyler at the swearing-in ceremony.courtesy of K-9 Protectors
Ron. courtesy of Victoria Costa
Angela Rafuse and MackenzieAngela Refuse/My Grandfathers Cat/ Instagram
