[I]n Africa I was a member of a familyof 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 gorillasbut there was no family. Five severed fingers do not make a hand.

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About Daniel Quinn, Ishmael

Daniel Quinn, Ishmael.

Themes

  • Family — The ties of kinship, parenting, and unconditional love
  • Philosophy — Deep thoughts on existence, knowledge, and the nature of reality

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