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.

Franz Boas

Remember that in every single case in history the process of adaptation has been one of exceeding slowness.

Franz Boas

If we were to select the most intelligent, imaginative, energetic, and emotionally stable third of mankind, all races would be present.

Franz Boas

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.

Franz Boas

My parents had broken through the shackles of dogma.

Franz Boas

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.

Franz Boas

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

Franz Boas

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.

Franz Boas

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.

Franz Boas

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

Franz Boas

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.

Franz Boas

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

Franz Boas