Jane Goodall’s Famous Last Words

Jane Goodall, the scientist, conservationist, and educator who died last Wednesday at 91, will always be remembered for her singular, field-defining work on wild chimpanzees. She lived with wild chimpanzees to study them, befriended them, and made a groundbreaking discovery: that they could make and use tools, a trait that, up until then, had been thought to be uniquely human. But more importantly, by helping the world see chimps as the socially and cognitively sophisticated creatures they are, that they are thinking and feeling beings, she transformed our understanding of the animal world. She then found her purpose in advocating for the protection of Mother Nature, wildlife, the climate, and the natural resources we all depend on.

Earlier this year in March, Jane Goodall sat down with Brad Falchuk for an interview for Netflix. The special thing about this interview: she knew it would not air before her death – hence the name of the Netflix series: Famous Last Words.

It is a truly remarkable conversation and parts of it are already making the rounds on social media. So I encourage you to watch it, if you can, and won’t spoil it for you.

What impressed me, however, was the calmness, kindness, and thoughtfulness with which Jane speaks, but also seeing the curiosity and passion with which she tells her beautiful stories. Stories – that’s what she rightfully has identified as the most powerful weapon in her fight to cure ignorance and change peoples minds for the better.

In the face of war and poverty, as many societies are once more falling for the lies and false promises of far-right fascist leaders, while humanity is relentlessly destroying the environment and the climate of planet Earth, Jane Goodall – one last time – sends out a powerful message: that we all can use our life to give hope. That we all have a role to play, whatever role that is. And that it is never too late and always worth it to be kind and persistent, and to use the only life we have to fight for the values we believe in and that make us human – altruism, compassion, love, and respect – and for the protection of the only home we have.

Rest in peace, Jane Goodall.

PS: We all want them to be on that spaceship, Jane. 😉

You can watch the full interview on Netflix: https://www.netflix.com/title/82053197

And her very last interview from late September is well worth your time, too: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4oshFOK9-sk

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This is post 5 of Blogtober 2025.

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