Leonardo DiCaprio speaks at Jane Goodall's funeral in Washington, DC

New York Post

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00:00It's a privilege to stand here today honoring a person of such immense magnitude, an extraordinary

00:10woman who changed not only the world, but so many of us in it, my good friend Jane Goodall.

00:18I want to thank Susanna and her entire team who has done so much to carry on Jane's legacy,

00:27her tireless compassion and support over more than 20 years has reflected the very best

00:33of Jane herself.

00:37When most of us think about environmental issues, we tend to dwell on destruction and loss.

00:44And I'll admit it's something I've always struggled with myself, but Jane led with hope,

00:51always.

00:54She never lingered in despair, she focused on what could be done.

00:59She reminded us that change begins with compassion and that our humanity is our greatest tool.

01:06Yes, she could be clear-eyed, even blunt about the greed and relentless consumption of our

01:14species.

01:16But beneath that fierce honesty was an unwavering faith that every voice matters, that we are

01:24all connected to the living world, and that each of us can make a difference.

01:31Most people knew her as Jane Goodall, the icon, the legend.

01:36But the Jane I was fortunate enough to get to know was gentle, curious, funny, witty, and

01:44absolutely unstoppable.

01:47She could light up a room with her stories and somehow inspire everyone she met to believe

01:52that they individually could do better.

01:57We got to cross paths in so many different places, at conferences, on panels, and in friends'

02:03homes.

02:05And every single time, we'd end up tucked away in a corner, talking late into the night

02:10about politics, biodiversity, and our shared hope that the next generation might do better

02:18than we have done.

02:20I was lucky enough to travel with her and witness how she moved through the world.

02:26Always curious, always patient, always connecting with people.

02:32Even in her later years, Jane spent more than 300 days on the road.

02:38An almost unimaginable schedule, yet she never seemed to tire.

02:44Her resilience was fueled by purpose.

02:48Everywhere she went, she carried one simple, powerful message, that there is still hope,

02:55and that each one of us can make a difference.

02:59She was a scientist, a storyteller, a trailblazer, but above all, she was a teacher, and her legacy

03:08lives on in the millions she inspired, especially through Roots and Shoots, empowering young people

03:15everywhere to act for the planet.

03:19Her groundbreaking work in Tanzania forever changed how we understand chimpanzees and, in

03:26many ways, how we understand ourselves.

03:30But her love and advocacy reached far beyond that forest.

03:34It ignited an entire generation of environmentalists, including myself.

03:42One of my favorite memories is from the first time I took a photo with Jane.

03:46I looked straight into the camera, but when I looked to my left, Jane was looking directly

03:52at me instead.

03:54She told me that that's the way she preferred to take her photos.

03:58Because for her, it was never about the image itself.

04:02It was about that shared connection.

04:05And that small moment said everything to me about who she was, an enlightened homo sapien.

04:11I'll forever cherish every conversation, every adventure I had with her, every laugh, every

04:21whiskey we shared, and every time I got to spend time talking with my dear friend.

04:28May we all honor her by carrying forward that same fierce belief that we can do better, that

04:34we must do better, and that we have a responsibility to protect this beautiful natural world we all

04:41share.

04:43Jane often said, every day that we live, we can make an impact on the planet.

04:50May ours be an impact of hope for her, for all living things, and for the generations to

04:57come.

05:00Thank you, Jane, for being everything you said you would be, and for spending your lifetime

05:07proving it to all of us.

05:09We'll talk to you later.

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