Common good Quote by Christopher Ryan
““The four million Minangkabau living in West Sumatra consider themselves to be a matriarchal society. “While we in the West glorify male dominance and competition,” Sanday says, “the Minangkabau glorify their mythical Queen Mother and cooperation.” She reports that “males and females relate more like partners for the common good than like competitors ruled by egocentric self-interest,” and that as with bonobo social groups, women’s prestige increases with age and “accrues to those who promote good relations….”16””
About This Quote
Source Book: The Myth of Monogamy by Christopher Ryan, 2013
The Minangkabau view society as cooperative and matriarchal, valuing partnership over competition and elevating women’s status with age.
In simple terms: Cooperative matriarchal society values partnership over competition and women’s prestige grows with age.
Key Takeaway
Embrace cooperation and respect elder women’s contributions.
Themes
cooperation
matriarchy
gender roles
social structure
equality
Mood
reflective
analytical
Type
sociological
cultural
When to use this quote
- community building
- family decision making
- conflict resolution
- leadership development
Key Concepts
Patriarchy
matriarchy
social cohesion
cultural anthropology
Questions to Reflect On
- How can modern societies balance competition with cooperation?
- What lessons can be drawn for gender equality?
A Different Perspective
May overlook individual ambitions and power dynamics within partnerships.
![“Researchers like Vanessa believe that the key to [bonobos] pacifism and remarkable group tolerance and cooperation is a matriarchal society: Whenever a male starts to bully or attack a female, she cries out and other females band together and discipline the males, re-establishing calm and…” quote by Ashley Judd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/cdb/ashley-judd-9064_bullying_researchers-like-vanessa-believe-that-th_2797639.jpg)
![“I was lucky to come along for the ride. [My mother] really is an amazing woman. And the world we lived in in South Africa at the time was a very matriarchal society because so many black men had been removed from the home.” quote by Trevor Noah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/b8e/trevor-noah-1603_along-for-the-ride_i-was-lucky-to-come-along-for-the-ride-m_156584.jpg)
![“[Man] has imagined a heaven, and has left entirely out of it the supremest of all his delights, the one ecstasy that stands first and foremost in the heart of every individual of his race…sexual intercourse! It is as if a lost and perishing person in a roasting desert should be told by a rescuer…” quote by Christopher Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/939/christopher-ryan-4309_joy_man-has-imagined-a-heaven-and-has-left-e_187069.jpg)
