Alfred L. Kroeber

Culture, then, is that which the human species has and other species lack. It is that which we have learned from our predecessors and pass on to our successors. It is the sum of all the learned behavior patterns, beliefs, institutions, and products of human work and thought.

The superorganic is not a mystical entity, but a convenient term for a certain order of phenomena, namely, those which are cultural.

The most significant fact about culture is its cumulative character.

Civilization is a matter of degree, not of kind.

The individual is born into a culture, lives in it, and dies in it. He is molded by it, and in turn, he contributes to its modification.

The essence of culture is its transmission from generation to generation by learning, not by heredity.

The history of culture is the history of the human mind.

No culture is an island unto itself; all are interconnected and interdependent.

The proper study of mankind is culture.

The anthropologist's task is to understand cultures in their own terms, not to judge them by the standards of his own.

The concept of culture is the central concept of anthropology.

Culture is not something added to man, but something that makes man.

The study of culture is the study of human behavior in its broadest sense.

The diversity of cultures is a testament to the creativity and adaptability of the human spirit.

Culture is a system of symbols and meanings.

The evolution of culture is not a unilinear process, but a complex and branching one.

The past is never dead. It's not even past.

The greatest discovery of anthropology is the concept of culture.

Culture is the distinctive property of man.

The study of culture is the study of human values.