[I]n Africa I was a member of a family–of a sort of family that the people of your culture haven't known for thousands of years. If gorillas were capable of such an expression, they would tell you that their family is like a hand, of which they are the fingers. They are fully aware of being a family but are very little aware of being individuals. Here in the zoo there were other gorillas–but there was no family. Five severed fingers do not make a hand. Daniel Quinn
About This Quote

It is easy to forget the impact of the heart when you are surrounded by people who are locked in competition for position, prestige, money, or fame. When your family is small, it is difficult to see beyond the "family" that you share. When you are with another gorilla at the zoo, you can't help but notice that they don't seem to care about being a family. They're only concerned with being an individual.

This is not the same as any other family. It's a family of five gorillas without any hands.

Source: Ishmael

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