Koko Quotes

“The Gorilla Foundation, like a tree or cloud or other thing from nature, seems to mostly present itself only to an ideal, abstract, fully internalized audience—one that does not question sincerity or intent, that does not require justification or meaning, that would rather The Gorilla Foundation not pause (to defend itself, to allow others time to comprehend it) but to continue always with what it’s already doing. In this manner The Gorilla Foundation exists more in actualization of itself than in opposition to something else, which implies, to some degree, that it doesn’t earnestly believe it—or anything—“needs” to exist or is “right” or “wrong,” rather that its “mission” is a temporary concept, created by itself to directionalize itself, that without which [The Gorilla Foundation] wouldn’t exist.”
― Tao Lin

“Koko understands that she’s special because of all the attention she's had from professors, and caregivers, and the media.”
― Francine Patterson

“I realized that when she tears a page out of a magazine or a book, it’s not trash. It’s meaningful. She wants us to see it. Plus, she also uses some cards we gave her with objects printed on them when she has something to say. I remember one Valentine's Day, she had some cards out waiting for me that stated pretty clearly “Where are the goodies?”
― Francine Patterson

“This is really weird, but you know that movie Jurassic Park? They saturated the media with ads that were very graphic with dinosaurs eating humans and all kinds of things. Well, Koko saw them, and several days later one of our caregivers reported her acting very strangely towards her toy dinosaurs and alligators. She was acting as though they were real, and was very frightened of them, and didn't want to touch them. She was using tools to get them away from her. I do believe she had a nightmare about them.”
― Francine Patterson

“I would much prefer to have a baby gorilla than a baby human.”
― Francine Patterson

“Uncontaminated by humans, they are definitely closer to living in the now. Our problem is that we live in the past and we live in the future, but we very rarely dwell in the now. They are so much in harmony with nature, we surely could use them as a model.”
― Francine Patterson

“Qwilleran closed the door and turned to Koko. 'How did you react to the noisy oaf?'
Koko laid his ears back. Qwilleran thought, No one has ever called him "kitty." A more appropriate form of address would be "Your Excellency" or "Your Eminence.”
― Lilian Jackson Braun, The Cat Who Talked to Ghosts

“And Koko's behavior has been abnormal since we moved in. He's always talking to himself and staring into space.'
'He's talking to ghosts,' Roger said with a straight face.”
― Lilian Jackson Braun, The Cat Who Talked to Ghosts