E. E. Evans-Pritchard

The Nuer's cattle are more than property; they are symbols of life.

Belief in magic is belief in order amid chaos.

In the field, every day is a lesson in human nature.

Religion persists because it answers questions science cannot.

The Azande's world is one where misfortune has purpose.

Anthropologists are translators of cultures.

My greatest discovery was the rationality of the irrational.

Lineage segments unite and divide as needs arise.

Fieldwork demands patience and empathy above all.

The soul of anthropology lies in its ethical commitment.

Witchcraft explains why bad things happen to good people.

Life is a series of rites that bind us.

Comparative religion shows the universality of the sacred.

I once joked that the Nuer govern themselves better than the British.

Magic is the poetry of everyday life.

The Nuer's God is immanent in their social order.

Anthropology teaches us to question our own assumptions.

In Cyrenaica, faith fueled resistance.

My last words: Keep studying the human spirit.

Oracles are the Azande's jury and judge.