Quotes from Cultural Shifting

I reported earlier that 2017 is the 15th anniversary of my third book, "Cultural Shifting" (TRN Press, 2002).  To celebrate this benchmark, I have been re-reading the book, and assessing how well the construct of the book holds up today.  It is my impression that the book still holds water, though I must admit my bias.  Still, as I read it over I was drawn to the quotes that I use in all of my books to underscore concepts or points I am trying to make.  I thought I would share some of these quotes with you in this blog.

"The great people of culture are those who had a passion for diffusing, making prevail, for carrying from one end of society to the other, the best ideas of their time."  Matthew Arnold.

"If we are to achieve a richer culture, rich in contrasting values, we must recognize the whole gamut of human potentialities, and so weave a less arbitrary social fabric, one in which each diverse human gift will find a fitting place."   Margret Mead.

"The great law of culture is, let each become all that he was created capable of being."      Thomas Carlyle.

"Take some more tea," the March Hare said to Alice, very earnestly.  "I've had nothing yet," Alice replied in an offended tone, "So I can't take more."  "You mean you can't take less" said the Hatter, "It's very easy to take more than nothing."   Lewis Carroll.

"The behavior of an individual is determined not by their background, but by the character of their ancestry and cultural environment."   Franz Boas

"You never know what is enough unless you know what is more than enough."  William Blake.

"Turn and face the strange changes."  David Bowie.

"Much of life's circumstances are created by three basic choices: The disciplines you keep; The people you choose to be with; and The laws you choose to obey."  C. Millhoff.

"No great improvement in the lot of mankind is possible until a great change takes place in the fundamental constitution of their modes of thought."  J.S. Mills.

"The first step in the evolution of ethics is a sense of solidarity with other human beings."    Albert Schweitzer.

If you are interested in seeing the context of these quotes with concepts of culture or community, track down a copy of "Cultural Shifting."  You can find some used copies at amazon.com for only a few dollars.  I would love to hear your thoughts.