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Desmond Morris

Desmond Morris Quotes

Zoologist

Desmond Morris is a renowned British zoologist known for his research on human behavior. Born on January 24, 1928, he graduated from University College London and later became an animal behavior consultant at the London Zoo. Morris's work spans a wide range of fields, including animal behavior, anthropology, and human behavior, with his book 'The Human Animal' becoming a classic.

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Famous Desmond Morris Quotes

“Aquatic animals suffer from the disadvantage that they cannot scream when in pain, so we find it hard to gauge the degree of their agony. If fish could scream, angling purely for sport would be outlawed without delay.”

Ifs Hard Would Be Pain Suffering Sports Animal Sea Degrees Rivers Fishes Boat Lakes Fishing Scream Agony Delay Disadvantages Gauges Angling

Author:Desmond Morris

“...In little more than a single century from 1820 to 19450, no less than fifty-nine million human animals were killed in inter-group clashes of one sort or another.... We describe these killings as men behaving "like animals," but if we could find a wild animal that showed signs of acting this way, it would be more precise to describe it as behaving like men.”

Ifs Men Way Humans Littles Would Be Animal Acting Millions Groups Century Killing Nine Fifty Precise Clash Wild Animal Human Animal

Author:Desmond Morris

“Biologically speaking, if something bites you it's more likely to be female.”

Ifs Funny Science Talking Computer Female Bites

Author:Desmond Morris

“I think like the species I am studying, whatever it is. If I am watching a lizard, I become the lizard. Gazing ath the water at a pike, I become the pike.”

Ifs Thinking Water Study Species Gazing Lizards

Author:Desmond Morris

“It must be stressed that there is nothing insulting about looking at people as animals. We are animals, after all. Homo sapiens is a species of primate, a biological phenomenon dominated by biological rules, like any other species. Human nature is no more than one particular kind of animal nature. Agreed, the human species is an extraordinary animal; but all other species are also extraordinary animals, each in their own way, and the scientific man-watcher can bring many fresh insights to the study of human affairs if he can retain this basic attitude of evolutionary humility.”

Source: Manwatching: A Field Guide to Human Behavior

About the Author

Born: January 24, 1928
Known for: Zoologist
Quotes: 35

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Species Animal Humans Ifs Way People Apes Children Men Social Acting Age Agnostic Angel Attitude Century Clothings Crowded Distopia Dog

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Books & Sources

The illustrated naked ape: a zoologist's study of the human animalRelated source material

The Naked ApeRelated source material

Manwatching: A Field Guide to Human BehaviorRelated source material

tha naked apeRelated source material

Cat WatchingRelated source material

The human animal: a personal view of the human speciesRelated source material

The soccer tribeRelated source material

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