Truth Quotes

"In the threshold, all social masks fall away and we encounter naked truth."

"Truth is often uncomfortable."

"The function of custom is to reduce uncertainty in human relations."

"Every norm, no matter how peculiar, serves to maintain social order."

"The individual conscience is a product of social organization, not its source."

"Social norms are internalized so completely that we often mistake them for natural law."

"The concept of honor varies tremendously across cultures but matters everywhere."

"Social institutions persist because people believe in their rightness, not merely because they are coercive."

"The concept of property rights extends to many domains beyond physical objects."

"Prestige and honor are currencies as valuable as material goods in many societies."

"Cultural relativism is the foundation of anthropological understanding."

"Every culture contains truths that transcend that culture."

"All pathology is fundamentally the same."

"Most of the basic answers should be obvious."

"Truth emerges from the dialogue between opposing perspectives."

"The map of a territory can never be more than partially accurate or true."

"To understand a people, one must understand their myths, for myths reveal what they hold most sacred."

"The observer who claims perfect objectivity deceives himself; we all bring our cultural baggage into the field."

"Truth is like a lion; you don't have to defend it. Let it loose; it will defend itself."

"Taboos and prohibitions are not arbitrary but reflect important social values."

"Truth is not a matter of individual opinion, but of objective reality."

"Truth is what remains when all else falls away."

"Meaning is culturally constructed, not universally given."

"The anthropologist seeks truth in human variation."

"The deepest truths about humanity emerge from cultural comparison."

"Traditions carry within them both wisdom and prejudice."

"Truth often lies not in absolutes, but in the relationships between different perspectives."

"The greatest truths are often whispered, never shouted."

"Truth is a harsh mistress; most prefer the comfort of convenient illusions."

"Every act is an act of self-definition."