--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Those social behaviors which…" description: "\"Those social behaviors which automatically preclude the building of a democratic world must go - every social limitation of human beings in terms of he..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d0/margaret-mead-982_behavior_those-social-behaviors-which-automatical_1284832.jpg" --- # Those social behaviors which automatically preclude the… ![“Those social behaviors which automatically preclude the building of a democratic world must go - every social limitation of human beings in terms of heredity, whether it be of race, or sex, or class. Every social institution which teaches human beings to cringe to those above and step on those…” quote by Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d0/margaret-mead-982_behavior_those-social-behaviors-which-automatical_1284832.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d0/margaret-mead-982_behavior_those-social-behaviors-which-automatical_1284832.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d0/margaret-mead-982_behavior_those-social-behaviors-which-automatical_1284832.jpg) > “Those social behaviors which automatically preclude the building of a democratic world must go - every social limitation of human beings in terms of heredity, whether it be of race, or sex, or class. Every social institution which teaches human beings to cringe to those above and step on those below must be replaced by institutions which teach people to look each other straight in the face.” [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Social structures that enforce hierarchy and inequality hinder democracy; societies must replace them with institutions fostering equality and mutual respect. **In simple terms:** Hierarchy blocks democracy; equality builds it. Key Takeaway Promote equitable institutions. Themes eocracy equality social reform human rights Mood determined hopeful Type activist philosophical When to use this quote - policy making - community organizing Key Concepts hierarchical oppression institutional change education reform Questions to Reflect On - What inequalities persist in your community? - How can you foster mutual respect? A Different Perspective change can be resisted by entrenched interests ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Behavior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/behavior/) [Class](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/class/) [Cringe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cringe/) [Equality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/equality/) [Faces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faces/) [Habits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/habits/) [Heredity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heredity/) [Human beings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-beings/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Institutions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/institutions/) [Limitation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/limitation/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Race](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/race/) [Racism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racism/) [Sex](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sex/) [Social](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social/) [Social behavior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social-behavior/) [Social institutions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social-institutions/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [Ego is a social institution with no physical reality. The ego is simply your symbol of yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shunryu-suzuki/ego-is-a-social-institution-with-no-physical-reality-the-ego-is/) [Shunryu Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shunryu-suzuki/) > [Philanthropy is the principal social institution that provides instruction in voluntary service.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-l-payton/philanthropy-is-the-principal-social-institution-that-provides/) [Robert L. Payton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-l-payton/) > [The State, completely in its genesis, essentially and almost completely during the first stages of its existence, is a social institution, forced by a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-oppenheimer/the-state-completely-in-its-genesis-essentially-and-almost-completely/) Franz Oppenheimer > [I believe that the school is primarily a social institution. Education being a social process, the school is simply that form of community life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/i-believe-that-the-school-is-primarily-a-social-institution-education/) [John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/) > [For me, ancestry is just one thing that connects us to people, and feeling connected to other people is generally a good thing, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-hardy/for-me-ancestry-is-just-one-thing-that-connects-us-to-people-and/) [Jeremy Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-hardy/) > [I really believe in sharing my story to improve social behaviors in the nation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/farrah-abraham/i-really-believe-in-sharing-my-story-to-improve-social-behaviors-in/) [Farrah Abraham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/farrah-abraham/) > [“Several social behaviors that economists have identified as obstacles to progress are ones that could well have a genetic basis. One is the radius…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-wade/several-social-behaviors-that-economists-have-identified-as-obstacles/) [Nicholas Wade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-wade/) > [“The social institution of marriage is first and foremost a covenant relationship in which a man and a woman pledge themselves to each other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-chapman/the-social-institution-of-marriage-is-first-and-foremost-a-covenant/) [Gary Chapman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-chapman/) > [He saw the cause of his unhappiness in the family--the family as a social institution, which does not permit the child to become an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-strindberg/he-saw-the-cause-of-his-unhappiness-in-the-family-the-family-as-a/) [August Strindberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-strindberg/) > [The military is arguably the most significant social institution in our country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance-2/the-military-is-arguably-the-most-significant-social-institution-in/) [J. D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance-2/) > [Language is a social institution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rmkatta/language-is-a-social-institution/) RMKATTA > [“The original restrictive meaning of sexual aberration which derives satisfaction from a passive relation to the partner has been retained. Masochism, however, has come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodor-reik/the-original-restrictive-meaning-of-sexual-aberration-which-derives/) [Theodor Reik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodor-reik/) > [ “Tags \[distinctive agent features observable by other agents\] almost always define the network by delimiting the critical interactions, the major connections. Tags acquire this… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-h-holland/tags-distinctive-agent-features-observable-by-other-agents-almost/) John H. Holland > [“Although the emotional and intellectual differences between the world’s peoples as individuals are slight enough, even a small shift in social behavior can generate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-wade/although-the-emotional-and-intellectual-differences-between-the-world/) [Nicholas Wade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-wade/) > [The tipping point is that magic moment when an idea, trend, or social behavior crosses a threshold, tips, and spreads like wildfire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/the-tipping-point-is-that-magic-moment-when-an-idea-trend-or-social/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) ## More by Margaret Mead > [The prophet who fails to present a bearable alternative and yet preaches doom is part of the trap that he postulates. Not only does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-prophet-who-fails-to-present-a-bearable-alternative-and-yet/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [The contempt for law and the contempt for the human consequences of lawbreaking go from the bottom to the top of American society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-contempt-for-law-and-the-contempt-for-the-human-consequences-of/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [If one cannot state a matter clearly enough so that even an intelligent twelve-year-old can understand it, one should remain within the cloistered walls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/if-one-cannot-state-a-matter-clearly-enough-so-that-even-an/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [I learned the value of hard work by working hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/i-learned-the-value-of-hard-work-by-working-hard/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [Children must be taught how to think, not what to think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/children-must-be-taught-how-to-think-not-what-to-think/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [Women are scolded both for being mothers and for not being mothers, for wanting to eat their cake and have it too, and for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/women-are-scolded-both-for-being-mothers-and-for-not-being-mothers/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [we came to realize that a civilization which rode roughshod over the way of life of other peoples was incorporating evil in its own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/we-came-to-realize-that-a-civilization-which-rode-roughshod-over-the/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [WE MUST DEVISE A SYSTEM IN WHICH PEACE IS MORE REWARDING THAN WAR.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/we-must-devise-a-system-in-which-peace-is-more-rewarding-than-war/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [Through a grandmother's voice and hands the end of life is known at the beginning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/through-a-grandmother-s-voice-and-hands-the-end-of-life-is-known-at/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [today's children are the first generation to grow up in a world that has the power to destroy itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/today-s-children-are-the-first-generation-to-grow-up-in-a-world-that/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [We are now at a point where we must educate our children in what no one knew yesterday, and prepare our schools for what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/we-are-now-at-a-point-where-we-must-educate-our-children-in-what-no/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [Humanity . . . lies in man's capacity to question the known and imagine the unknown.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/humanity-lies-in-man-s-capacity-to-question-the-known-and-imagine-the/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [Fathers are biological necessities, but social accidents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/fathers-are-biological-necessities-but-social-accidents/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [“One of the most dangerous things that can happen to a child is to kill or torture an animal and not be held responsible.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/one-of-the-most-dangerous-things-that-can-happen-to-a-child-is-to/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [We end up with the contradictory picture of a society that appears to throw its doors wide open to women, but translates her every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/we-end-up-with-the-contradictory-picture-of-a-society-that-appears-to/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) [Explore all 314 Margaret Mead quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) ## More Behavior quotes > [The vision of the left, full of envy and resentment, takes its worst toll on those at the bottom - whether black or white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-vision-of-the-left-full-of-envy-and-resentment-takes-its-worst/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [As you begin changing your thinking, start immediately to change your behaviour. Begin to act the part of the person you would like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-you-begin-changing-your-thinking-start-immediately-to-change-your/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I now know that deep within the human concept is something dark, selfish, and completely willing to do whatever is necessary to support the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-west/i-now-know-that-deep-within-the-human-concept-is-something-dark/) [Melissa West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-west/) > [“We are endowed with genes which code out our reaction to beavers and otters, maybe our reaction to each other as well. We are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-thomas/we-are-endowed-with-genes-which-code-out-our-reaction-to-beavers-and/) [Lewis Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-thomas/) > [The number of poor, and poorly prepared, students who succeed in college and beyond undercuts the simplistic notion that economic or educational disadvantage is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-merullo/the-number-of-poor-and-poorly-prepared-students-who-succeed-in/) [Roland Merullo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-merullo/) > [To behave creatively in art means behavior with skill; and skill comes from discipline, not derangement. The artist who knows the rules -and proportion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burne-hogarth/to-behave-creatively-in-art-means-behavior-with-skill-and-skill-comes/) Burne Hogarth > [You don't put milk in chamomile tea - that's disgusting behavior! That's not right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-fraser/you-don-t-put-milk-in-chamomile-tea-that-s-disgusting-behavior-that-s/) [Laura Fraser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-fraser/) > [The laws of thermodynamics, as empirically determined, express the approximate and probable behavior of systems of a great number of particles, or, more precisely,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-willard-gibbs/the-laws-of-thermodynamics-as-empirically-determined-express-the/) J. Willard Gibbs > [I started with the belief that every person who came to the laboratory was free to accept or to reject the dictates of authority.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-milgram/i-started-with-the-belief-that-every-person-who-came-to-the/) [Stanley Milgram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-milgram/) > [The tipping point is that magic moment when an idea, trend, or social behavior crosses a threshold, tips, and spreads like wildfire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/the-tipping-point-is-that-magic-moment-when-an-idea-trend-or-social/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [I think we've told a lot of lies about human behavior through film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-arquette/i-think-we-ve-told-a-lot-of-lies-about-human-behavior-through-film/) [Patricia Arquette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-arquette/) > [The strongest rebellion may be expressed in quiet, undramatic behavior.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-spock/the-strongest-rebellion-may-be-expressed-in-quiet-undramatic-behavior/) [Benjamin Spock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-spock/) > [The behavior of any bureaucratic organization can best be understood by assuming that it is controlled by a secret cabal of its enemies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-conquest/the-behavior-of-any-bureaucratic-organization-can-best-be-understood/) [Robert Conquest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-conquest/) > [If you want good behavior, don't pay on a commission basis. Our judges aren't paid so much a case. We keep them pretty well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/if-you-want-good-behavior-don-t-pay-on-a-commission-basis-our-judges/) [Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/) [Browse all 4,218 Behavior quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/behavior/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Those social behaviors which automatically preclude the building of a democratic world must go - every social limitation of human beings in terms of heredity, whether it be of race, or sex, or class. 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