Dr. Jane Goodall is known for her work studying chimpanzees and for being a powerful voice advocating for endangered animals. She was born on April 3, 1934, in London, England, and went on to become an ethologist, a scientist who studies animal behavior. She died on Oct. 1, 2025, and after her death, Netflix releasedFamous Last Words, a documentary series with Goodall as its inaugural episode. And even though she had some great things to say in that episode, she has shared memorable quotes throughout her life, making her a perfect pick for our quote of the day today.
As the Jane Goodall Institute reported, Goodall traveled to Tanzania to start her research on chimpanzees, which then turned into a 60+ year study of “groundbreaking” research that led to understanding them more. In her studies of chimpanzees, she was able to correct misconceptions about them, from the fact that they’re omnivorous and not vegetarian, to the fact that they use tools they make as well, per Britannica.
Goodall was not just a scientist, but as her institute’s website says, she was also a conservationist, peacemaker and mentor. During her study of primates, she went into conservation work and advocacy for endangered species (specifically chimps) and protecting our planet.
On that note, Dr. Goodall’s quote today touches on what could put her work—and generally the future—in danger, and that’s apathy.
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Quote of the Day by Jane Goodall
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“The greatest danger to our future is apathy.”
In a Time Magazine op-ed from Aug. 25, 2002, “The Power of One,” Dr. Goodall wrote this quote in her very first line. The first paragraph reads as such:
“The greatest danger to our future is apathy. We cannot expect those living in poverty and ignorance to worry about saving the world. For those of us able to read this magazine, it is different. We can do something to preserve our planet.”
Notably, in 2002, Goodall was appointed a United Nations Messenger of Peace in 2002, and as Save the Chimps wrote on their website, without her, their organization might never have come to be. She really was a woman who put her words into action, and that’s what makes quotes like today’s profound.
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Essentially, her “Power of One” essay for Time was about people’s lack of interest in trying to save the planet. In her second paragraph, she spoke to what a lot of us are guilty of; we see how dire the situation is with Earth and climate change, and we feel helpless in doing anything. We then brush it to the side and say to “leave it to the decision makers,” and we “do nothing.”
And that will essentially be our downfall. Her quote literally says that our own lack of care or interest in saving the planet with anything we can do ourselves is what will ultimately lead to the destruction of said planet and, in turn, our future.
Of course, she's not wrong. Goodall went into details later in her piece about things that seemed impossible hundreds of years ago that are now commonplace, like the internet or large commercial airplanes. And that’s all thanks to human accomplishment and people doing things.
So, how do we dig into determination and get rid of that horrible disinterest we may feel about saving the Earth? With hope, Dr. Goodall explained, which can overcome apathy.
“One reason for hope lies in the extraordinary nature of human intellectual accomplishment,” she wrote.
The rest of her op-ed pointed to what gave her hope and kept her going. She shared that “even companies” are helping out and want to leave positive impacts on the environment. The resilience of nature is also a cause for inspiration, and so is all the progress being made in stopping pollution. And last but not least, Goodall said that the “energy and hard work of young people” also gave her hope.
You can take this quote in the way that Goodall meant it, regarding saving the planet and endangered species. But you can also take this quote even further, using it in regard to politics, the state of our country and anything else that fills us with dread about the future. If you sit there and say, “Well, what can I even do? I’m just one person,” then of course, nothing will change. If you leave it up to others, it might be too late to step in once things really hit the fan.
Sure, it’s difficult when more powerful people seem to have more say than we do, or when large corporations are more responsible for the pollution poisoning our planet than we are. But making little changes to your routine, advocating for and spreading awareness about climate change, and partaking in petitions to make your voice heard can do a lot of good. Yes, others are working to help save the planet (or other things like democracy and world peace), but we can’t just rely on that. You have to do your part as well.
“I feel deep shame when I look into the eyes of my grandchildren and think how much damage has been done to Planet Earth since I was their age,” Dr. Goodall wrote in the final paragraph. “Each of us must work as hard as we can now to heal the hurts and save what is left.”
Related: Quote of the Day: Psychologist Carl Jung on Self-Awareness and Understanding Others
More Quotes from Jane Goodall
“Lasting change is a series of compromises. And compromise is all right, as long your values don’t change.”“What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.”“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.”“Only if we understand, can we care. Only if we care, we will help. Only if we help, we shall be saved.”“The least I can do is speak out for those who cannot speak for themselves.”“Change happens by listening and then starting a dialogue with the people who are doing something you don't believe is right. ”“Here we are, the most clever species ever to have lived. So how is it we can destroy the only planet we have?”Up Next:
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