Frans de Waal Quotes

The more self-aware an animal is, the more empathetic it tends to be.

The intelligence of the lower forms of animal life, like a great deal of human intelligence, does not involve a self.

Birds and animals probably think without knowing that they think; that is, they have not self-consciousness. Only man seems to be endowed with this faculty; he alone develops disinterested intelligence, intelligence that is not primarily concerned with his own safety and well-being but that looks abroad upon things.

Play the role as a human being... human beings are three-dimensional.

Every animal is related to its own constitution and the consciousness of it.

We animals are the most complicated things in the known universe.

Mere animals couldn’t possibly manage to act like this. You need to be a human being to be really stupid.

Animals have personalities and minds and emotions.

Self awareness is NOT just a bunch of amino acids bumping together.

I am often surprised by the cleverness, and now and again by the stupidity, of my dog; and I have similar experiences with mankind.

I'm you and you are me. I'm a man and you're a man. When people understand the more they know Self, the real Inner Self of themselves it's the same physical structure you've got. The same things you deal with I deal with. Everything derives from the mind. What's funny is the mind is the hardest question and I guess that's why I'm always writing about it.

He who looks without, dreams; he who looks within, awakes.

We are one of only three species on our planet that can claim to be self-aware, yet self-delusion may be a more significant characteristic of our kind.

Where do I come into all of this? Am I just some animal or dog?' And that started them off govoreeting real loud and throwing slovos at me. So I creeched louder still, creeching: 'Am I just to be like a clockwork orange?

This intelligence itself is modified into what we call egoism, and this intelligence is the cause of all the powers in the body. It covers the whole ground, sub-consciousness, consciousness, and super-consciousness.

We can judge our progress by the courage of our questions and the depth of our answers, our willingness to embrace what is true rather than what feels good.

Everything in your life, every experience, every relationship is a mirror of the mental pattern that is going on inside of you.

You will act like the sort of person you conceive yourself to be.

A human being - what is a human being? Everything and nothing. Through the power of thought it can mirror everything it experiences. Through memory and knowledge it becomes a microcosm, carrying the world within itself. A mirror of things, a mirror of facts. Each human being becomes a little universe within the universe!

We cannot change what we are not aware of, and once we are aware, we cannot help but change.

It's very interesting to think about the distinction with mind, which I just made in very general terms, but it can be made more profound when we think that there are many species, many creatures on earth that are very likely to have a mind, but are very unlikely to have a consciousness in the sense that you and I have.

Self-awareness is probably overrated. A complex, self-regulating system doesn't need it in order to be successful, or even smart.

At the end of each day, you should play back the tapes of your performance. The results should either applaud you or prod you.

I think we can all recognize in some way or another that we as a human species, have been granted an incredible gift of intentionality and of consciousness. Perhaps this gift is a hint to how we should conduct our lives.

Neither failure nor success has the power to change your inner state of Being.