21 quotes
I think both Louis and I were looking for more or less the same thing, and that is, when did our species, Homo, begin?
I'm known for speaking my mind, a trait I probably inherited from my parents, Louis and Mary Leakey—neither of whom was renowned for tact.
Wildlife Wars: My Fight to Save Africa's Natural Treasures (2001)
We hope to find more pieces of the puzzle which will shed light on the connection between this upright, walking ape, our early ancestor, and modern man.
Next to the discovery of the Turkana boy, the visit to Lascaux ranks as one of the great moments of my life.
Origins Reconsidered: In Search of What Makes Us Human (1992)
Rather than living as aggregations of families in nomadic bands, as modern hunter-gatherers do, the first humans probably lived like savanna baboons.
The Origin of Humankind (1994)
I do not believe in a god who has or had a human form and to whom I owe my existence. I believe it is the man who created God in his image and not the other way round.
One Life: An Autobiography (1983)
It is impossible to imagine existence in the absence of subjective sensation we call reflective consciousness.
The Origin of Humankind (1994)
The quality that accompanies the emergence of learning in the evolution of higher animals, namely intelligence, is surprisingly difficult to define.
Origins (1977)
In order to be able to deceive intentionally, an animal must have a sense of how its actions appear to another individual. Such an ability requires self-awareness.
The Origin of Humankind (1994)
Where Breuil has seen chaos—or at least, randomness—in wall art, Leroi-Gourhan sought and found order.
Origins Reconsidered: In Search of What Makes Us Human (1992)
In its extreme form self-awareness manifests itself in notions such as that of the soul, but in simple form it merely means to be aware of oneself as an individual among others.
Origins (1977)
The major sites, such as Altamira, are often surrounded by smaller sites within a 10-mile radius, as if they were centers of political or social alliance.
The Origin of Humankind (1994)
The question... is whether Upper Paleolithic art bears the telltale signs of Lewis-Williams' three stage neuropsychological model, and could thus be shamanistic art.
Origins Reconsidered: In Search of What Makes Us Human (1992)
The first major discovery of prehistoric art was the Spanish cave of Altamira, which, like Lascaux, is one of the most spectacular examples of Upper Paleolithic art yet known.
Origins Reconsidered: In Search of What Makes Us Human (1992)
This tendency to anthropomorphize flows naturally from the context in which consciousness evolved. Consciousness is a social tool for understanding the behavior of others by modelling it on one's own feelings.
The Origin of Humankind (1994)
If the Darwinian package were correct, then we would expect to see the simultaneous appearance in the archeological and fossil records of evidence for bipedality, technology and increased brain size. We don't.
The Origin of Humankind (1994)
Natural selection operates according to immediate circumstances and not toward a long-term goal. Homo sapiens did eventually evolve as a descendent of the first humans, but there was nothing inevitable about it.
The Origin of Humankind (1994)
Because the art of Africa was on rock shelters, not deep in caves, as in Europe, the ravages of time have eroded most of a rich expression. What we now see is the merest glimpse of what was on the minds of these people.
Origins Reconsidered: In Search of What Makes Us Human (1992)
Protecting elephants and conserving natural ecosystems remain my personal priorities. But I am not so sure this would be so were I ill, hungry, and living in dispair. ...We must somehow find a way to provide for our own species if we are also to preserve others.
Wildlife Wars: My Fight to Save Africa's Natural Treasures (2001)
The challenge for individuals in primate societies is to be able to predict the behavior of others. One way would be for individuals to have a huge mental bank in their brains, which stored every possible action of their fellow troop members and their own appropriate actions.
The Origin of Humankind (1994)