What Jane Goodall Taught Us All About Being Human

The conservationist exemplified intentional living.

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(Photo: Getty Images | Stephanie de Sakutin)

Jane Goodall has passed away at the age of 91. She spent her life championing the comprehension and appreciation of the natural world. In so doing, she taught the rest of us what it means to be human.

One of the world’s foremost primatologists and conversationists, Goodall was an embodiment of dharma, an Eastern concept that involves finding your purpose and allowing it to guide your life. Her pioneering work in Africa and her unrelenting advocacy offered an example of what it is to live with intention, despite the ever-shifting opinions of others.

In using her voice to speak on behalf of chimpanzees and nature in general, Goodall believed that she was a vessel for something greater. “And always I have this feeling—which may not be true at all—that I am being used as a messenger,” she wrote in her book, Reason for Hope: A Spiritual Journey. Through her writings—including The Book of Hope: A Survival Guide for Trying Times and many more—along with a lifetime of vocal activism, Goodall consistently communicated a need for mindfulness, personal spirituality, radical compassion, and of course, an unfettered love of the planet.

Her work, and her words, will resonate forever.

10 Jane Goodall Quotes to Live By

1. “Only when our clever brain and our human heart work together in harmony can we achieve our true potential.”

2. “Just tell people stories, try and find out who they are, try and find something that links you with them.”

3. “Each one of us matters, has a role to play, and makes a difference. Each one of us must take responsibility for our own lives, and above all, show respect and love for living things around us, especially each other.”

4. “The least I can do is speak out for those who cannot speak for themselves.”

5. “I like to envision the whole world as a jigsaw puzzle… If you look at the whole picture, it is overwhelming and terrifying, but if you work on your little part of the jigsaw and know that people all over the world are working on their little bits, that’s what will give you hope.”

6. “I am feeling wonder and awe about this incredible world we live in. And the truth is, we’re destroying it before we’ve even finished learning about it.”

7. “People say to me so often, ‘Jane how can you be so peaceful when everywhere around you people want books signed, people are asking these questions and yet you seem peaceful,’ and I always answer that it is the peace of the forest that I carry inside.”

8. “We are spiritual beings having a human experience.”

9. “I don’t have any idea of who or what God is. But I do believe in some great spiritual power. I feel it particularly when I’m out in nature. It’s just something that’s bigger and stronger than what I am or what anybody is. I feel it. And it’s enough for me.”

10. “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.”