Life, it seems, is nothing if not a series of initiations, transitions, and incorporations.

Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.

Ancestor worship, or filial piety so characteristic of Asian cultures, for example, does not really resonate with Americans who favor children, not grandparents.

My academic identity is that of a folklorist, and for many years I have taught only folklore courses.

In my introductory course, Anthropology 160, the Forms of Folklore, I try to show the students what the major and minor genres of folklore are, and how they can be analyzed.

Future orientation is combined with a notion and expectation of progress, and nothing is impossible.

Americans often have trouble enjoying the present moment.

I mentioned that one of the tripartite formulas in American worldview involves time: past, present, and future.

Americans have a penchant for the future and tend to disregard the past.

Polls are frequently taken to try to tease out or determine likely directions and trends, but once taken, they belong to the past, requiring that new polls be taken.

If you have sixty seconds worth of distance...run!

Keep reading! Keep travelling! Keep thinking! And finally you will be there, in the Land of Wisdom where the mind has the power of an eagle’s eye!

The mind is a masterpiece.

Why is computer science a good field for women? For one thing, that's where the jobs are, and for another, the pay is better than for many jobs, and finally, it's easier to combine career and family.

We must make immigration a legal, orderly process to eliminate this issue, not further criminalize it.

Clancy had taught me well.

There is a system and a flow and an organization to the structure of the universe. Just like there's a system and a flow and an organization to the human body, to atomic structures, to the elements.

You could adjust the punishment to fit the infraction. Even a small fine would be enough to bring an errant government to heel.

I think for most guys, when we grow up we're trying to establish what being a man means to us and so I think it's pretty helpful and beneficial when there's a role model in the house.

Creativity has got to be the warp and woof, the heart and soul, of our sermons.