My father had retained an emotional affection for the ceremonial of his parental home, without allowing it to influence his intellectual freedom

The disease of mutual distrust among nations is the bane of modern civilization

Its [the anthropological method] power to make us understand the roots from which our civilization has sprung, that it impresses us with the relative value of all forms of culture, and thus serves as a check to an exaggerated valuation of the standpoint of our own period, which we are only too liable to consider the ultimate goal of human evolution, thus depriving ourselves of the benefits to be gained from the teachings of other cultures and hindering an objective criticism of our own work.

My parents had broken through the shackles of dogma

Remember that in every single case in history the process of adaptation has been one of exceeding slowness. Do not look for the impossible, but do not let your path deviate from the quiet and steadfast insistence on full opportunities for your powers.

The passion for seeking the truth for truth's sake can be kept alive only if we continue to seek the truth for truth's sake.

The historical development of the work of anthropologists seems to single out clearly a domain of knowledge that heretofore has not been treated by any other science