A collection of quotes by Margaret Mead on change, activism, life, philosophy, sex, inspiration, children, education, mentoring, lonely, need and human.

35 Pretty Awesome Margaret Mead Quotes & Sayings

Quick Facts

Listed In

Intellectuals & Academics

Famous As

Cultural Anthropologist

Born On

December 16, 1901

Died On

November 15, 1978

Born In

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US

Died At Age

Margaret Mead was a well-acclaimed American anthropologist known for her significant works on cultural anthropology. She is believed to be influenced by her grandmother to be interested in observing human activities from a very early age. After completing her master’s from the University of Columbia she went on to study adolescent girls and recorded her observations in ‘Coming of Age in Samoa’. Her next expedition was to New Guinea where she studied the thought process of young children and penned-down her experiences in ‘Growing Up in New Guinea’. She further wrote a couple of works which aimed at cultural conditioning. She even served as a lecturer in some of the renowned universities like the University of Columbia. Her most notable works as an anthropologist were her studies of illiterate people and she was known for her views on various social issues including women’s rights and sexual morality. She was honored with various awards including the ‘Kalinga Prize for the Popularization of Science’ by the UNESCO. We bring to you a compilation of thoughts and quotations by the renowned anthropologist. We have curated Margaret Mead's quotes and sayings from her work, books, writings, speeches, life and thoughts. Presenting the quotations and sayings by Margaret Mead in her words on companionship, loathsome, stereotypes, delightful, women, morals, anthropology and religion.

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.
Never

- Margaret Mead

I was wise enough never to grow up, while fooling people into believing I had.
Never

- Margaret Mead

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

- Margaret Mead

Laughter is man's most distinctive emotional expression.

- Margaret Mead

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

Having someone wonder where you are when you don't come home at night is a very old human need.

- Margaret Mead

Never depend upon institutions or government to solve any problem. All social movements are founded by, guided by, motivated and seen through by the passion of individuals.
Never

- Margaret Mead

Always remember that you are absolutely unique. Just like everyone else.
Like

- Margaret Mead

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

- Margaret Mead

You know you love someone when you cannot put into words how they make you feel.

- Margaret Mead

We are continually faced with great opportunities which are brilliantly disguised as unsolvable problems.

- Margaret Mead

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

- Margaret Mead

It is utterly false and cruelly arbitrary to put all the play and learning into childhood, all the work into middle age, and all the regrets into old age.

- Margaret Mead

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.
Past

- Margaret Mead

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

- Margaret Mead

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

- The World Ahead: An Anthropologist Anticipates the Future, Margaret Mead

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

- Margaret Mead

I measure success in terms of the contributions an individual makes to her fellow human beings.

- Margaret Mead

Sisters is probably the most competitive relationship within the family, but once the sisters are grown, it becomes the strongest relationship. ~Margaret Mead
Family , Relationship

- Margaret Mead

Never ever depend on governments or institutions to solve any major problems. All social change comes from the passion of individuals.
Never

- Margaret Mead

Every time we liberate a woman, we liberate a man.
Time

- Margaret Mead

My grandmother wanted me to have an education, so she kept me out of school.
Me

- Margaret Mead

I learned to observe the world around me, and to note what I saw
Me

- Margaret Mead

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

- Margaret Mead

I was brought up to believe that the only thing worth doing was to add to the sum of accurate information in the world.

- Margaret Mead

An ideal culture is one that makes a place for every human gift
Culture

- Margaret Mead

It is an open question whether any behavior based on fear of eternal punishment can be regarded as ethical or should be regarded as merely cowardly.

- Margaret Mead

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

- Margaret Mead

Women have an important contribution to make.

- Margaret Mead

Even though the ship may go down, the journey goes on.

- Margaret Mead

Our first and most pressing problem is how to do away with warfare as a method of solving conflicts between national groups within a society who have different views about how the society is to run.

- Margaret Mead

There is no reason to think a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens cannot change the world; Indeed, that's the only thing that ever has.
Think

- Margaret Mead

The notion that we are products of our environment is our greatest sin; we are products of our choices." Margaret Mead (this may not be her exact wording, but it's close enough).

- Margaret Mead