Margaret Mead

I used to say to my classes that the ways to get insight are: to study infants; to study animals; to study primitive people; to be psychoanalyzed; to have a religious conversion and get over it; to have a psychotic episode and get over it; or to have a love affair with an old Russian. And I stopped saying that when a little dancer in the front row put up her hand and said, 'Does he have to be old?

One of the most dangerous things that can happen to a child is to kill or torture an animal an get away with it.

Young people are moving away from feeling guilty about sleeping with somebody to feeling guilty if they are *not* sleeping with someone.

I do not believe in using women in combat, because females are too fierce.

Instead of being presented with stereotypes by age, sex, color, class, or religion, children must have the opportunity to learn that within each range, some people are loathsome and some are delightful.

There is no greater insight into the future than recognizing...when we save our children, we save ourselves

Children must be taught how to think, not what to think.

Fathers are biological necessities, but social accidents.

We won't have a society if we destroy the environment.

One of the oldest human needs is having someone to wonder where you are when you don't come home at night.

A small group of thoughtful people could change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.

Never believe that a few caring people can't change the world. For, indeed, that's all who ever have.

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.

I must admit that I personally measure success in terms of the contributions an individual makes to her or his fellow human beings.

It is easier to change a man's religion than to change his diet.

For the very first time the young are seeing history being made before it is censored by their elders.

Thanks to television, for the first time the young are seeing history made before it is censored by their elders.

Women want mediocre men, and men are working to be as mediocre as possible.