When we look for the origins of all humanity today, let’s not just look at Europe, because I think Africa was the cradle, the crucible that created us as Homo sapiens. Donald Johanson Read Quote
I realized immediately that this was a terribly important discovery, but I didn’t realize how important it would be until we had spent a lot of time in the laboratory studying it. Donald Johanson Read Quote
What’s changed is we now have good anatomical, geological, archaeological evidence that Neanderthals are not our ancestors. When I wrote ‘Lucy,’ I considered Neanderthals ancestors of modern humans. We have gone back twice the age of Lucy, six million years. And we see that upright bipedal walking goes back that far in time. Donald Johanson Read Quote
One has to devote oneself to a particular pursuit. To be successful at anything, you have to make a total commitment to it. Donald Johanson Read Quote
All mammals undergo a certain degree of diversification. Darwin knew that. When he drew a family tree, it had many branches on it. Donald Johanson Read Quote
There have been some friendships lost over this. That’s the most difficult for me. I find it very uncomfortable to know that I was at one time close friends with someone, and because of jealousies and misunderstandings and so on, these friendships have dissolved. Donald Johanson Read Quote
The right question to ask from a Darwinian prospective is what was it about bipedalism that was so advantageous? Why did it lead to a – why did that adaptation ultimately lead to a species Homo sapiens that has come to dominate the planet today with six and a half billion people? Donald Johanson Read Quote
But what really excited me was the idea that humans had a tremendous pre-history that went back millions of years. I wanted to go to Africa to find some of these creatures. Donald Johanson Read Quote
Most achievers I know are people who have made a strong and deep dedication to pursuing a particular goal. That dedication took a tremendous amount of effort. Donald Johanson Read Quote
My real father died when I was two years old, so I never knew him. He was a barber in Chicago. Donald Johanson Read Quote
