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If one cannot state a matter clearly enough so that even an intelligent twelve-year-old can understand it, one should remain within the cloistered walls of the university and laboratory until one gets a better grasp of one’s subject matter.

Margaret Mead

We end up with the contradictory picture of a society that appears to throw its doors wide open to women, but translates her every step towards success as having been damaging.
MARGARET MEAD

Appearance End Open Photograph Translation Woman
A woman, even a brilliant woman, must have two qualities in order to fulfill her promise: more energy than mere mortals, and the ability to outwit her culture.
MARGARET MEAD

Ability Brilliant Culture Fulfill Order Promise Quality Woman
Fathers are biological necessities, but social accidents.
MARGARET MEAD

Accident Biology Father Necessary Social
It was not until we saw the picture of the earth, from the moon, that we realized how small and how helpless this planet is – something that we must hold in our arms and care for.
MARGARET MEAD

Care Earth Moon Ourselves Photograph Planet Realize
There is no lonelier person than the one who lives with a spouse with whom he or she cannot communicate.
MARGARET MEAD

Communication Himself Lonely Person
The solution to adult problems tomorrow depends on large measure upon how our children grow up today.
MARGARET MEAD

Adult Children Grow Measurement Problem Solution
Always remember that you are absolutely unique. Just like everyone else.
MARGARET MEAD

Healing Self Love Unique Yourself
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.
MARGARET MEAD

Children Delight Difference Opportunity Present
The negative cautions of science are never popular.
MARGARET MEAD

Caution Negative Popular Science
If one cannot state a matter clearly enough so that even an intelligent twelve-year-old can understand it, one should remain within the cloistered walls of the university and laboratory until one gets a better grasp of one’s subject matter.
MARGARET MEAD

Enough Intelligence Oneself State Understand
Sooner or later I’m going to die, but I’m not going to retire.
MARGARET MEAD

Death Myself Retirement
Motherhood is a biological fact, while fatherhood is a social invention.
MARGARET MEAD

Fact Family Invention Mom Social
You know you love someone when you cannot put into words how they make you feel.
MARGARET MEAD

Feeling Known Love Word Yourself
There are now no elders who know more than the young themselves about what the young are experiencing.
MARGARET MEAD

Elder Experience Young
[Partly as a consequence of male authority] prestige value always attaches to the activities of men.
MARGARET MEAD

Activity Attachment Man Prestige Value
I must admit that I personally measure success in terms of the contributions an individual makes to her or his fellow human beings.
MARGARET MEAD

Admit Human Measurement Personal Success
‎ When a person is born we rejoice, and when they’re married we jubilate, but when they die we try to pretend nothing has happened.
MARGARET MEAD

Born Death Marriage Person Pretend Try
Sister is probably the most competitive relationship within the family, but once the sisters are grown, it becomes the strongest relationship.
MARGARET MEAD

Competition Relationship Sister Strong
WE MUST DEVISE A SYSTEM IN WHICH PEACE IS MORE REWARDING THAN WAR.
MARGARET MEAD

Peace Reward System War
If the future is to remain open and free, we need people who can tolerate the unknown, who will not need the support of completely worked out systems or traditional blueprints from the past.
MARGARET MEAD

Freedom Future Open Past People Support System Traditional Unknown
Men have always been afraid that women could get along without them.
MARGARET MEAD

Afraid Along Man Woman
Through a grandmother’s voice and hands the end of life is known at the beginning.
MARGARET MEAD

Beginning End Hands Life Voice
One of the oldest human needs is having someone to wonder where you are when you don’t come home at night.
MARGARET MEAD

Home Human Need Old Wonder Yourself
Children not only have to learn what their parents learned in school, but also have to learn how to learn. This has to be recognized as a new problem which is only partly solved.
MARGARET MEAD

Children Learning Parents Problem Recognition Solution
We – mankind – stand at the center of an evolutionary crisis, with a new evolutionary device – our consciousness of the crisis – as our unique contribution.
MARGARET MEAD

Consciousness Crisis Evolution Kind Man Ourselves Unique
Contentment can be bought at a price that one can not possibly pay.
MARGARET MEAD

Pay Possible Price
The most intractable problem today is not pollution or technology or war; but the lack of belief that the future is very much in the hands of the individual.
MARGARET MEAD

Belief Future Hands Problem Technology War

If one cannot state a matter clearly enough so that even an intelligent twelve-year-old can understand it, one should remain within the cloistered walls of the university and laboratory until one gets a better grasp of one’s subject matter.

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If one cannot state a matter clearly enough so that even an intelligent twelve-year-old can understand it, one should remain within the cloistered walls of the university and laboratory until one gets a better grasp of one’s subject matter.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

More Margaret Mead Quotes