Elizabeth Janeway Quotes

Mythology is a vast body of knowledge that has not been tapped.

The urgent question of our time is whether we can make change our friend and not our enemy.

Sometimes, when a tide starts to sweep, it makes no difference what the traditions are.

Most governments and people want reform. It’s the prospect of change that makes reform rare.

Folklore provides a socially sanctioned outlet for the discussion of the forbidden and taboo.

The customs of some savage nations might, perchance, be profitably imitated by us, for they at least go through the semblance of casting their slough annually; they have the idea of the thing, whether they have the reality or not.

Saying Good-bye to the God of Disease (2) Thousands of willow branches in a spring wind. Six hundred million of China, land of the gods, and exemplary like the emperors Shun and Yao. A scarlet rain of peach blossoms turned into waves and emerald mountains into bridges. Summits touch the sky. We dig with silver shovels and iron arms shake the earth and the Three Rivers. God of plagues, where are you going? We burn paper boats and bright candles to light his way to heaven.

Customs represent the experience of mankind.

Our customs, behaviors, and values are byproducts of our culture.

Let us overthrow the totems, break the taboos. Or better, let us consider them cancelled. Coldly, let us be intelligent.

Nothing has to be accepted just because we inherited it.

One must observe the proper rites.

In our society, marriage is not simply a governmental institution; it is a religious institution as well, today's decision might change the former, but it cannot change the latter.

The conception of what is normal varies not only with the culture but also within the same culture, in the course of time.

Throughout human history, people have developed strong loyalties to traditions, rituals, and symbols. In the most effective organizations, they are not only respected but celebrated. It is no coincidence that the most highly admired corporations are also among the most profitable. Why? Because everyone involved is committed to certain non-negotiable core values. Traditions keep them alive. Rituals such as special occasions reaffirm them. Symbols serve as constant reminders of their enduring importance.

What men call civilization is the condition of present customs; what they call barbarism, the condition of past ones.

Without deviation from the norm, progress is not possible.

By means of our myths and legends we maintain a sense of what we are worth and who we are. Without them we should undoubtedly go mad.

Every human society possesses a mythology which is inherited, transmitted and diversified by literature.

If you're changing the status quo, whatever move you make is disrupting something else.

Every culture has their myths that people are aware of and share.

The reality is that changes are coming... They must come. You must share in bringing them.

Never accept or be too comfortable with the status quo, because the companies that get into trouble are historically the ones that aren't able to adapt to change and respond quickly enough.

There are no instances known to me of cultures having forsaken Truth or renounced the understanding in its widest sense.

Legends don't have to make sense. They just have to be beautiful. Or at least interesting.