7 Quotes & Sayings By Edward T Hall

Edward T. Hall, the son of a farmer, was born in Texas in 1902. After his father's death, his mother moved to Denver, Colorado, where he attended public schools. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of Denver in 1923 Read more

While attending college, he became involved with the Methodist Church and was active in campus life. After graduation he taught English for two years in the Denver public schools before entering graduate school at the University of Denver. During this time he began what would become a lifelong study of human behavior and how people communicate with each other in different situations.

He received his Ph.D. in sociology from Ohio State University in 1938 and continued to conduct research on how people communicate in different situations for another four years after completing his doctoral work. From 1938 to 1947 Hall held positions at the schools of education at Stanford University and the University of Iowa before accepting an appointment as Professor of Sociology at Ohio State University.

At Ohio State Hall was offered the title of Distinguished Professor but refused it because he felt that honorary titles were not appropriate for someone who had no professional training or experience in sociology. He returned to Denver after leaving Ohio State and worked at the university until his retirement in 1972, when he moved to Virginia Beach. He died on October 31, 1993 at age ninety-one.

1
One of the most effective ways to learn about oneself is by taking seriously the cultures of others. It forces you to pay attention to those details of life which differentiate them from you. Edward T. Hall
2
The study of man is the study of his extensions. Edward T. Hall
3
It is characteristic of all extension systems to be treated as distinct and separate from the user and to take on an identity of their own. Religions, philosophies, literature, and art illustrate this. After a time, the extended system accretes to itself a past and a history as well as a body of knowledge and skills that can be learned. Such systems can be studied and appreciated as entities in themselves. . Edward T. Hall
4
From now on, how one arrives at a definition of the relationship of man's basic nature to his culturally conditioned control systems (extensions) is of crucial importance. For in our shrinking globe man can ill afford cultural illiteracy. Edward T. Hall
5
People carry around with them internalization's fixed-feature space learned early in life. Man is like other members of the animal kingdom , first, last and always a prisoner of his biological organism. No matter how hard he tries, it is impossible for him to the best himself of his own culture, where it has penetrated to the roots of his nervous system and determines how he perceives the world. Edward T. Hall
6
We should never denigrate any other culture but rather help people to understand the relationship between their own culture and the dominant culture. When you understand another culture or language, it does not mean that you have to lose your own culture. Edward T. Hall