Philosophy Quotes

"The world is not a collection of passive objects waiting to be perceived."

"Myths are messages from the collective unconscious."

"Myths serve to resolve contradictions that cannot be resolved in thought."

"Rituals are the language of culture."

"The study of humanity begins with respect for all cultures."

"All humans seek order and meaning in their lives."

"Myths work through metaphor and symbol."

"The sacred and profane are cultural categories, not natural ones."

"The universal human is found in the particular practices of cultures."

"The mind works through binary oppositions and their mediation."

"We are shaped by narratives we do not even know we are living."

"Every ritual encodes deep social wisdom."

"Progress is not the same as improvement; we must choose our values."

"Every society must answer the fundamental questions of human existence."

"The world needs anthropologists now more than ever."

"All humans share fundamental needs and desires."

"Anything goes—but not everything works equally well."

"The most dangerous idea is the one everyone believes without question."

"Our theories about reality tell us more about ourselves than about reality."

"The most radical act is to think for yourself in a world built on conformity."

"Every question is an opportunity to question the questioner."

"There is no way to avoid taking sides; but we can try to be aware of our bias and to correct for it."

"One can sum up any philosophy in fifteen minutes that it takes a man of talent to expound it in a book."

"I am convinced that this is the task of every philosophy worthy of the name - to see that the intellectual and moral crisis of our time is a serious one."

"In the end, we do not choose our values; they choose us through our commitments."

"The unexamined life is not worth living, but the over-examined life is merely neurotic."

"The worst that the conflict philosophers can say of their opponents is that they are foolish; the worst that the conflict philosopher can say of his opponents is that they are wicked."

"To act humanly is to engage in the pursuit of chosen ends by means of chosen means."

"Human action is purposeful behavior directed toward the attainment of ends."

"The state exists because man is not perfect."