Margaret Mead

“We are now at a point where we must educate our children in what no one knew yesterday, and prepare our schools for what no one knows yet.”

“Our humanity rests upon a series of learned behaviors, woven together into patterns that are infinitely fragile and never directly inherited.”

“For the very first time the young are seeing history being made before it is censored by their elders.”

“One of the most dangerous things that can happen to a child is to kill or torture an animal an get away with it.”

“A small group of thoughtful people could change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.”

“Human nature is potentially aggressive and destructive and potentially orderly and constructive.”

“There is no reason to think a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens cannot change the world; Indeed, that's the only thing that ever has.”

“As long as any adult thinks that he, like the parents and teachers of old, can become introspective, invoking his own youth to understand the youth before him, he is lost.”

“The young, free to act on their initiative, can lead their elders in the direction of the unknown... The children, the young, must ask the questions that we would never think to ask, but enough trust must be re-established so that the elders will be permitted to work with them on the answers.”

“It is an open question whether any behavior based on fear of eternal punishment can be regarded as ethical or should be regarded as merely cowardly.”

“לעולם אל תטילו ספק בכך שקבוצה קטנה של אזרחים מודאגים ואכפתיים יכולה לשנות את העולם; זה הדבר היחיד שאי־פעם הביא לשינוי.”

“מה שאנשים אומרים, מה שאנשים עושים, ומה שאנשים אומרים שהם עושים הם דברים שונים לגמרי.”

“את הילדים יש ללמד איך לחשוב ולא מה לחשוב.”

“אבות הם צורך ביולוגי, אבל תאונה חברתית.”

“במוקדם או במאוחר אני אמות, אבל אני לא אצא לגמלאות.”

“אני חושבת שהטרוסקסואליות מוגזמת היא סטייה.”

“גיליתי את ערכה של עבודה קשה על ידי עבודה קשה.”

“אני לא מאמינה שנשים צריכות להילחם, כי נשים הן פראיות מדי.”

“כל שחרור של אישה, הוא גם שחרור של גבר.”

“זכרו תמיד שאתם לגמרי יוצאי־דופן. בדיוק כמו כל האחרים.”