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They draw back into themselves, and are thrown back on their own bodies for gratification. The men become narcissistic and uncertain of the power of any woman, no matter how strange and beautiful, to arouse their desire, but the women remain continually receptive to male advances.

— Margaret Mead Balinese Character (1942)

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More quotes by Margaret Mead

I must admit that I personally measure success in terms of the contributions an individual makes to her or his fellow human beings.

Margaret Mead: Some Personal Views (1979)

I have spent most of my life studying the lives of other peoples — faraway peoples — so that Americans might better understand themselves.

Justin Wintle (2002)

It is not until science has become a discipline to which the research ability of any mind from any class in society can be attracted that it can become rigorously scientific.

Growing Up in New Guinea (1930)

Thanks to television, for the first time the young are seeing history made before it is censored by their elders.

Banned Books Week '93: Celebrating the Freedom to Read (1993)

Women want mediocre men, and men are working hard to be as mediocre as possible.

All Margaret Mead quotes →

Attribution

Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Margaret Mead (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.