quotes by Temple Grandin

"In an ideal world the scientist should find a method to prevent the most severe forms of autism but allow the milder forms to survive. After all, the really social people did not invent the first stone spear. It was probably invented by an Aspie who chipped away at rocks while the other people socialized around the campfire. Without autism traits we might still be living in caves."
— Temple Grandin (Thinking in Pictures, Expanded Edition: My Life with Autism)

"If language naturally evolves to serve the needs of tiny rodents with tiny rodent brains, then what's unique about language isn't the brilliant humans who invented it to communicate high-level abstract thoughts. What's unique about language is that the creatures who develop it are highly vulnerable to being eaten."
— Temple Grandin

"I believe that the best way to create good living conditions for any animal, whether it's a captive animal living in a zoo, a farm animal or a pet, is to base animal welfare programs on the core emotion systems in the brain. My theory is that the environment animals live in should activate their positive emotions as much as possible, and not activate their negative emotions any more than necessary. If we get the animal's emotions rights, we will have fewer problem behaviors... All animals and people have the same core emotion systems in the brain."
— Temple Grandin (Animals Make Us Human: Creating the Best Life for Animals)

"The big companies are like steel and activists are like heat. Activists soften the steel, and then I can bend it into pretty grillwork and make reforms."
— Temple Grandin (Animals Make Us Human: Creating the Best Life for Animals)

"But my favorite of Einstein's words on religion is "Science without religion is lame. Religion without schience is blind." I like this because both science and religion are needed to answer life's great questions."
— Temple Grandin (Thinking In Pictures: and Other Reports from My Life with Autism)

"Unfortunately, most people never observe the natural cycle of birth and death. They do not realize that for one living thing to survive, another living thing must die."
— Temple Grandin (Thinking In Pictures: and Other Reports from My Life with Autism)

"I believe there is a reason such as autism, severe manic-depression, and schizophrenia remain in our gene pool even though there is much suffering as a result."
— Temple Grandin (Thinking In Pictures: and Other Reports from My Life with Autism)