9 Quotes & Sayings By Mary Douglas

Mary Douglas, born in 1922 in Cambridge, England, is a British anthropologist. Douglas's early education was in the United States, where she attended Bryn Mawr College. She received her PhD from the University of London in 1952. Douglas has written several books, including Purity and Danger (1966), The World of Goods (1972), and Natural Symbols (1986) Read more

She is also the recipient of numerous awards, including honorary doctorates from Wellesley College, the University of California at Berkeley, Harvard University, and Yale University.

1
It seems true that the growth of science and secularism made organized Christianity feel under threat. Mary Douglas
2
Inequality can have a bad downside, but equality, for its part, sure does get in the way of coordination. Mary Douglas
3
Real equality is immensely difficult to achieve, it needs continual revision and monitoring of distributions. And it does not provide buffers between members, so they are continually colliding or frustrating each other. Mary Douglas
4
Mormons... are so strong, they can handle wealth, they are confident. I think it is because they are not bogged down by rules for equality, but have a firmly defined system of relative status and responsible command. Mary Douglas
5
If people want to compete for leadership of a religious group, they can compete in piety. A chilling thought. Or funny. Mary Douglas
6
Religion can make it worse. Are you supposing that if people were encouraged to believe in a transcendent reality, and to be encouraged by grand rituals and music and preaching, to love their neighbors, then they would put jealousy and frustration aside? Mary Douglas
7
If you want to change the culture, you will have to start by changing the organization. Mary Douglas
8
I am convinced that living in an enclave shapes the personality, and living alone shapes the personality too. Mary Douglas