By Alliance President Terry Gips
It is with great sadness that we mourn the death of the inspiring, iconic, tireless and brilliant longtime environmental and humanitarian leader Jane Goodall, a world class British primatologist, anthropologist and conservationist.
She touched so many generations of people – including oil companies and others who don’t consider themselves environmentalists – with her big heart, civility and deep humaneness, coupled with strategic, impactful solutions.
She transformed our understanding of animals through her work with chimpanzees and consequently, fought against animal testing, research and trafficking. She founded the Jane Goodall Institute nearly 50 years ago and the path-breaking Roots & Shoots youth program in 1991. She received so many accolades, including being named as a UN Messenger of Peace.
The Wide-Ranging Wisdom of Jane Goodall
Perhaps the best way to honor her legacy and have it continue to grow is by sharing some of her profound wisdom and memorable quotes:
- “The least I can do is speak out for those who cannot speak for themselves.”
- “You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.”
- “Someday we shall look back on this dark era of agriculture and shake our heads. How could we have ever believed that it was a good idea to grow our food with poisons?”
- “Change happens by listening and then starting a dialogue with the people who are doing something you don’t believe is right.”
- “We’re all interconnected, and it’s our responsibility to take care of each other, to help each other, and to cherish and value one another.”
- “It’s actually critical for the survival of the planet that we build a critical mass of environmentally literate people who can make informed decisions.”
- “We can have a world of peace. We can move toward a world where we live in harmony with nature. Where we live in harmony with each other. No matter what nation we come from. No matter what our religion. No matter what our culture. This is where we’re moving towards.” – Dr. Goodall’s Message for Peace Day 2018
- “There is still so much in the world worth fighting for. So much that is beautiful, so many wonderful people working to reverse the harm, to help alleviate the suffering. And so many young people dedicated to making this a better world. All conspiring to inspire us and to give us hope that it is not too late to turn things around, if we all do our part.” — Jane Goodall New Year’s message for 2018
- “There is a powerful force unleashed when young people resolve to make a change.” — Jane Goodall
- “Farm animals are far more aware and intelligent than we ever imagined and, despite having been bred as domestic slaves, they are individual beings in their own right.” — Jane Goodall
- “Let us develop respect for all living things.” — Jane Goodall
- “To reconnect with nature is key if we want to save the planet.” — Jane Goodall
- “Of course, a great deal of our onslaught on Mother Nature is not really lack of intelligence but a lack of compassion for future generations and the health of the planet: sheer selfish greed for short-term benefits to increase the wealth and power of individuals, corporations and governments. The rest is due to thoughtlessness, lack of education, and poverty. In other words, there seems to be a disconnect between our clever brain and our compassionate heart. True wisdom requires both thinking with our head and understanding with our heart.” — Jane Goodall, The Book of Hope: A Survival Guide for Trying Times
- “Fortunately, nature is amazingly resilient: places we have destroyed, given time and help, can once again support life, and endangered species can be given a second chance. And there is a growing number of people, especially young people, who are aware of these problems and are fighting for the survival of our only home, Planet Earth. We must all join that fight before it is too late.” — Jane Goodall
Thank you Jane. May your life be a blessing for us all and our beloved planet.