In world history, those who have helped to build the same culture are not necessarily of one race, and those of the same race have not all participated in one culture.

The purpose of anthropology is to make the world safe for human differences.

I long to speak out the intense inspiration that comes to me from the lives of strong women.

No man ever looks at the world with pristine eyes. He sees it edited by a definite set of customs and institutions and ways of thinking.

The happiest excitement in life is to be convinced that one is fighting for all one is worth on behalf of some clearly seen and deeply felt good, and against some greatly scorned evil.

A man's indebtedness is not virtue; his repayment is. Virtue begins when he dedicates himself actively to the job of gratitude.

Racism remains in the eyes of history ... merely another instance of the persecution of minorities for the advantage of those in power.

The trouble with life isn't that there is no answer, it's that there are so many answers.

Our faith in the present dies out long before our faith in the future.

The trouble is not that we are never happy-it is that happiness is so episodical.

liberty is the one thing no man can have unless he grants it to others.

It's not easy to walk out on a marriage and two young kids, and it's the most difficult thing I've ever had to do.

I may be the only mother in America who knows exactly what their child is up to all the time.

By looking at the details of the DNA, it is possible to chart the flow of your ancestry from your ultimate grandmother to more modern times.

It's very hard, for example, to justify the thirty-four-year occupation of the West Bank and Gaza. It's very hard to justify 140 Israeli settlements and roughly 400,000 settlers.

The lost wallet or purse law: No matter how careful you are, assume that you will lose a few. ... Keep grief to a minimum. It's bad enough your stuff is gone; don't lose your mind too.

Lies! All lies! You're all lying against my boys!

What would a man do, if he were compelled to live always in the sultry heat of society, and could never bathe himself in cool solitude?

If you are looking for a friend who is faultless, you will be friendless.

The spirit, like the body, can be strengthened and developed by frequent exercise. Just as the body, if neglected, grows weaker and finally impotent, so the spirit perishes if untended.