Always remember that you are absolutely unique. Just like everyone else.
Margaret Mead (1901–1978) American anthropologist
“Mead’s Maxim”
(in John Peers, comp., 1,001 Logical Laws, p. 155, 1979)
Quotations by:
Mead, Margaret
One of the oldest human needs is having someone to wonder where you are when you don’t come home at night.
Margaret Mead (1901–1978) American anthropologist
(Attributed)
Sometimes given "Having someone wonder where you are when you don't come home at night is a very old human need."
Jealousy is not a barometer by which the depth of love can be read. It merely records the degree of the lover’s insecurity.
Margaret Mead (1901–1978) American anthropologist
(Attributed)
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.
Margaret Mead (1901–1978) American anthropologist
(Attributed)
Phrase frequently attributed to Mead, but not found in her writings. The first sentence, however, is trademarked.
Mead founded the Institute for Intercultural Studies in 1944 (it dissolved in 2009). Regarding this quote, the IIS noted on its still extant website:We have been unable to locate when and where it was first cited, becoming a motto for many organizations and movements. We believe it probably came into circulation through a newspaper report of something said spontaneously and informally. We know, however, that it was firmly rooted in her professional work and that it reflected a conviction that she expressed often, in different contexts and phrasings.
Additional discussion about this quotation's origins: Never Doubt That a Small Group of Thoughtful, Committed Citizens Can Change the World; Indeed, It’s the Only Thing That Ever Has – Quote Investigator.
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 (1901–1978) American anthropologist
(Attributed)
Quoted in Redbook (Feb 1971)
It may be necessary temporarily to accept a lesser evil, but one must never label a necessary evil as good.
Margaret Mead (1901–1978) American anthropologist
(Attributed)
The children must be taught how to think, not what to think.
Margaret Mead (1901–1978) American anthropologist
Coming of Age in Samoa, ch. 14 (1928)
(Source)
Often given without the initial "The".
Writing of the need for parents educating children at home to avoid pushing "an ethical cause or a religious belief" through smiles or frowns.
I personally measure success in terms of the contributions an individual makes to her or his fellow human beings.