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Heartfelt tributes to Jane Goodall have appeared worldwide since her recent death on a speaking tour in the US. Resurgence & Ecologist readers can consult the many accounts of her life in these obituaries, but here I would like to focus on Jane as an icon and symbol of hope and inspiration, which also means healing and regeneration of the natural world of which we are an integral part, as she herself deeply understood.
For 15 years, I ran a programme of character and values education that started as Learning for Life, and then became Inspire-Aspire and finally Inspiring Purpose. Pupils from the ages of 9 to 15 fill in a template, starting with thinking about values and qualities that they aspire to embody, moving on to choosing and describing the life of an inspirational figure. Winston Churchill famously said that you make a living by what you get, but you make a life by what you give.
In this context, Jane often appeared as an inspirational figure, and the question I asked pupils to consider was how such outstanding people actually become such role models. How did Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Saint Teresa of Calcutta and Eleanor Roosevelt become cultural icons? The answer is that they variously embodied the four kinds of virtue – moral, intellectual, civic, and performative. Jane Goodall was a great example of these virtues.
Reading accounts of Jane’s life, one discerns singleness of purpose, vision, determination, persistence, courage and certainly wisdom. She was also an embodiment of compassion, justice and empathy. Her own website characterises her as a scientist, conservationist and humanitarian.
I came to know her personally in connection with her Roots and Shoots programme for primary schools, where she always attended the award ceremony and exhibition in person, beginning her speech with a chimpanzee greeting. On a personal level, she was totally unassuming, accessible and humble, with a gentle sense of humour.
I corresponded with her at the end of 2024, when she had just returned from yet another speaking tour in support of Jane Goodall Institutes and following up on the celebrations of her 90th birthday. For years, she travelled 300 days a year, and though exhausted by the process, she could not let up – I urged her to look after her health. True to form, Jane continued this relentless and selfless timetable of dedicated service to humanity and the planet, never enjoying the rest that she had so richly earned. I can imagine her relief that this hectic schedule is finally suspended, and she can enjoy some respite while surely missing the Earth and the many people she loved.
Some readers will have seen the Netflix interview released in early October last year, following her death. It was a conversation for the series Famous Last Words, only to be released after she died, unedited. Fortified by her customary glass of whisky, she eloquently articulated her final message to the world. She stressed that each and every one of us has a role to play: “It is desperately important for us to understand that each one of us does make a difference. Every day we make some impact on the environment and the living beings around us. And we have a choice as to what sort of impact we make.”
She urges us not to lose hope, but rather to think about the actions we can take every day, and that our lives on planet Earth will also make some difference to the kind of life we will find after we die. We need to remember that we depend on Mother Nature for everything and that “we have to do everything in our power to make the world a better place for the children alive today, and for those that will follow. You have it in your power to make a difference. Don’t give up.”
We have lost one of the great visionary spirits on planet Earth, and I count it an extraordinary blessing to have known her personally. Albert Schweitzer said that there are only three ways of changing the world: the first is by example, the second is by example and – you’ve guessed it – the third is by example. Jane Goodall was a shining example of active hope!
