Franz Boas Quotes

The behavior of an individual is determined not by his racial affiliation, but by the character of his ancestry and his cultural environment.

The existence of any pure race with special endowments is a myth, as is the belief that there are races all of whose members are foredoomed to eternal inferiority.

Courtesy, modesty, good manners, conformity to definite ethical standards are universal, but what constitutes courtesy, modesty, good manners, and definite ethical standards is not universal. It is instructive to know that standards differ in the most unexpected ways.

Furthermore, the study of the present surroundings is insufficient: the history of the people, the influence of the regions through which it has passed on its migrations, and the people with whom it came into contact, must be considered

It is our task to inquire into the causes that have brought about the observed differentiation, and to investigate the sequence of events that have led to the establishment of the multifarious forms of human life

No one has ever proved that a human being, through his descent from a certain group of people, must of necessity have certain mental characteristics.

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

Anthropology has reached that point of development where the careful investigation of facts shakes our firm belief in the far-reaching theories that have been built up. The complexity of each phenomenon dawns on our minds, and makes us desirous of proceeding more cautiously. Heretofore we have seen the features common to all human thought

I hope I may have succeeded in presenting to you, however imperfectly, the currents of thought due to the work of the immortal Darwin which have helped to make anthropology what it is at the present time

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

We all know scientists who in private life do not come up to the standard of truthfulness, but who, nevertheless, would not consciously falsify the results of their researches

My parents had broken through the shackles of dogma

In France, that let down the barriers more than a hundred years ago, the feeling of antipathy is still strong enough to sustain an anti-Jewish political party

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

There is no fundamental difference in the ways of thinking of primitive and civilized man. A close connection between race and personality has never been established.

I object to teaching of slogans intended to befog the mind, of whatever kind they may be

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.