you can take the monkey out of the jungle, but you can't take the jungle out of the monkey

proverb

Black people, in the view of racists, behave badly regardless of their whereabouts or socialization.

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Meanings

proverb
  1. ethnicoffensiveslurBlack people, in the view of racists, behave badly regardless of their whereabouts or socialization.
Cite this entry
APA

you can take the monkey out of the jungle, but you can't take the jungle out of the monkey. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/you%20can%20take%20the%20monkey%20out%20of%20the%20jungle%2C%20but%20you%20can't%20take%20the%20jungle%20out%20of%20the%20monkey

MLA

“you can take the monkey out of the jungle, but you can't take the jungle out of the monkey.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/you%20can%20take%20the%20monkey%20out%20of%20the%20jungle%2C%20but%20you%20can't%20take%20the%20jungle%20out%20of%20the%20monkey. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “you can take the monkey out of the jungle, but you can't take the jungle out of the monkey,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/you%20can%20take%20the%20monkey%20out%20of%20the%20jungle%2C%20but%20you%20can't%20take%20the%20jungle%20out%20of%20the%20monkey.

Source: you can take the monkey out of the jungle, but you can't take the jungle out of the monkey on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.