Ruth Benedict

Culture patterns are prototypes of behavior handed down by the group.

The Zuni are a people who prize restraint and moderation above all.

Dobuan culture is one of perpetual suspicion and hostility.

The Kwakiutl exalt the individual who rises above the common herd.

Anthropology is the study of man in all his variability.

War is not a biological necessity.

The greatest untapped resource in the world is the potential of human diversity.

In anthropology, we learn that no culture is superior; they are just different.

The self is not something ready-made, but something in continuous formation through choice of action.

Human nature is as plastic as culture.

To the anthropologist, the concept of race is a myth perpetuated by ignorance.

The Pueblo Indians teach us the beauty of serenity.

Culture is the social legacy the individual acquires from his group.

In Japan, the chrysanthemum symbolizes the fragility of life, the sword its defense.

Anthropologists must fight against ethnocentrism in all its forms.

The variety of cultures is the essence of human achievement.

Personalities are patterned by culture.

The study of culture reveals the relativity of human values.

In a letter to Margaret Mead: 'Your work inspires me to see the world anew.'

The anthropologist's task is to describe, not to judge.