--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Culture, of course, is an extremely vague…" description: "\"“Culture, of course, is an extremely vague word, covering everything from the shaping of hand-axes to corporate mission statements, as well as the fine..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c11/nicholas-ostler-72446_culture_culture-of-course-is-an-extremely-vague_2100221.jpg" --- # Culture, of course, is an extremely vague word, covering… ![“Culture, of course, is an extremely vague word, covering everything from the shaping of hand-axes to corporate mission statements, as well as the finer appreciation of the sonnets of Shakespeare and the paintings of Hokusai;” quote by Nicholas Ostler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c11/nicholas-ostler-72446_culture_culture-of-course-is-an-extremely-vague_2100221.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c11/nicholas-ostler-72446_culture_culture-of-course-is-an-extremely-vague_2100221.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c11/nicholas-ostler-72446_culture_culture-of-course-is-an-extremely-vague_2100221.jpg) > ““Culture, of course, is an extremely vague word, covering everything from the shaping of hand-axes to corporate mission statements, as well as the finer appreciation of the sonnets of Shakespeare and the paintings of Hokusai;”” Nicholas Ostler ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Culture is a broad, ambiguous concept that spans from ancient tools to modern corporate values and artistic achievements. **In simple terms:** Culture covers everything from stone tools to corporate and art. Key Takeaway Recognize culture’s vast, varied scope. Themes culture history art business Mood thoughtful analytical inquisitive Type academic philosophical descriptive When to use this quote - education - marketing - museum curation Key Concepts anthropology semantics evolution Questions to Reflect On - How does defining culture help us understand societies? - What aspects of culture are most influential today? A Different Perspective The definition can be too vague to be useful. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) [Goals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goals/) [Gratitude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gratitude/) [Mission Statements](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mission-statements/) [Vague](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vague/) ## Related quotes > ["Global culture" is of course not a culture: it's the global marketing and imposing of commodities and images for the interests of the few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-rich/global-culture-is-of-course-not-a-culture-it-s-the-global-marketing/) [Adrienne Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-rich/) > [“Clearly articulated goals aligned with your vision and mission statements motivate you and galvanize your efforts to move forward towards your dream.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-connor/clearly-articulated-goals-aligned-with-your-vision-and-mission/) [Julie Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-connor/) > [One of my mission statements with all of my art has been to stop the world for people. I want to stop the worrying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-carrey/one-of-my-mission-statements-with-all-of-my-art-has-been-to-stop-the/) [Jim Carrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-carrey/) > [It's just stunning to watch churches struggle to get mission statements when there it is, the Great Commission, and they should simply do what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dallas-willard/it-s-just-stunning-to-watch-churches-struggle-to-get-mission/) [Dallas Willard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dallas-willard/) > [“And make sure you share this mission statement with your husband or partner, and that you create a joint mission statement based on your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-c-lu/and-make-sure-you-share-this-mission-statement-with-your-husband-or/) Michael C. Lu > [If we took the mission statements of 100 large industrial companies, mixed them up while everyone was asleep, and reassigned them at random, would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-k-prahalad/if-we-took-the-mission-statements-of-100-large-industrial-companies/) [C. K. Prahalad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-k-prahalad/) > [Good technology isn't just a matter of mission statements; it can also come from a tinkerer with no specific overriding purpose other than the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-johnson/good-technology-isn-t-just-a-matter-of-mission-statements-it-can-also/) [Bryan Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-johnson/) > [To be sure, American higher education is a diverse ecosystem, comprising institutions of all sizes, price tags, and mission statements.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-gee/to-be-sure-american-higher-education-is-a-diverse-ecosystem/) [Gordon Gee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-gee/) > [During my eight years at Deutsche Bank, the bank ticked every box with the elite development programs, coaching, mission statements for the advancement of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-ruhle/during-my-eight-years-at-deutsche-bank-the-bank-ticked-every-box-with/) [Stephanie Ruhle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-ruhle/) > [Human beings were not meant to sit in little cubicles staring at computer screens all day, filling out useless forms and listening to eight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-livingston/human-beings-were-not-meant-to-sit-in-little-cubicles-staring-at/) [Ron Livingston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-livingston/) > [“Old school mission statements defined what an organization did. Contemporary mission statements define why an organization does what it does.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/del-suggs/old-school-mission-statements-defined-what-an-organization-did/) [Del Suggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/del-suggs/) > [“Don't promote yourself as a country of constitutionality and compassion if you honestly believe that putting people in prison and treating them like animals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-b-kerik/don-t-promote-yourself-as-a-country-of-constitutionality-and/) Bernard B. Kerik > [Most corporate mission statements are worthless. They consist largely of pious platitudes such as: "We will hold ourselves to the highest standards of professionalism…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-l-ackoff/most-corporate-mission-statements-are-worthless-they-consist-largely/) [Russell L. Ackoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-l-ackoff/) > [Most people believe that great leaders are distinguished by their ability to give compelling answers. This profound book shatters that assumption, showing that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-grant/most-people-believe-that-great-leaders-are-distinguished-by-their/) [Adam Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-grant/) > [“Publishing content that is self-absorbed in substance or style alienates readers. Most successful organizations have realized this, yet many sites are still built around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/publishing-content-that-is-self-absorbed-in-substance-or-style/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Nicholas Ostler > [“A language brings with it a mass of perceptions, clichés, judgements and inspirations.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-ostler/a-language-brings-with-it-a-mass-of-perceptions-clich-s-judgements/) Nicholas Ostler > [“with the exception of Chinese, even the languages that originated writing, and so made the earliest use of it, have dropped their original system,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-ostler/with-the-exception-of-chinese-even-the-languages-that-originated/) Nicholas Ostler > [“over half the languages in the world, for example, have fewer than five thousand speakers, and over a thousand languages have under a dozen.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-ostler/over-half-the-languages-in-the-world-for-example-have-fewer-than-five/) Nicholas Ostler Explore all 4 Nicholas Ostler quotes ## More Culture quotes > [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/) [Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/) > [Philosopher is a dictator who modifies accepted standards with his thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/philosopher-is-a-dictator-who-modifies-accepted-standards-with-his/) [Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/) > [A lot of indigenous cultures are deeply involved in working with ancestor spirits, elemental spirits, and demons. Many of these cultures feel that, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-pinchbeck/a-lot-of-indigenous-cultures-are-deeply-involved-in-working-with/) [Daniel Pinchbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-pinchbeck/) > [In the hearing world, I'm constantly having to lip-read and trying to understand what's going on. Sign language is so beautiful. It gives you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-ayling-ellis/in-the-hearing-world-i-m-constantly-having-to-lip-read-and-trying-to/) [Rose Ayling-Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-ayling-ellis/) > [I was born and raised in Orlando, where the economy and culture has been powerfully shaped by tourism, and so I've long been interested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/i-was-born-and-raised-in-orlando-where-the-economy-and-culture-has/) [Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/) > [Our times demand the declaration of the world's resources as the common heritage of all people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacque-fresco/our-times-demand-the-declaration-of-the-world-s-resources-as-the/) [Jacque Fresco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacque-fresco/) > [The U.S.-Mexican border es un herida abierta where the Third World grates against the first and bleeds. And before a scab forms it hemorrhages…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-e-anzald-a/the-u-s-mexican-border-es-un-herida-abierta-where-the-third-world/) [Gloria E. Anzaldúa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-e-anzald-a/) > [What it comes down to for me is this: Will the technologies of communication in our culture, serve to enlighten us and help us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-waters/what-it-comes-down-to-for-me-is-this-will-the-technologies-of/) [Roger Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-waters/) > [I think it's useful to experience other types of dance and other cultures, and the life of a classical dancer these days is certainly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-bull/i-think-it-s-useful-to-experience-other-types-of-dance-and-other/) [Deborah Bull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-bull/) > [In the movie, the stars above the ship bear no correspondence to any constellations in a real sky. Worse yet, while the heroine bobs...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/in-the-movie-the-stars-above-the-ship-bear-no-correspondence-to-any/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [It is not my intention to explain Turkey, its culture and its problems. My literature has a universal concern: I want to bring people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orhan-pamuk/it-is-not-my-intention-to-explain-turkey-its-culture-and-its-problems/) [Orhan Pamuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orhan-pamuk/) > [I don't think the distinction between high and low culture exists anymore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-scott/i-don-t-think-the-distinction-between-high-and-low-culture-exists/) [Jeremy Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-scott/) > [You get below the Mason-Dixon line and you have some of the best music, culture, the two races, the literature, and it's so rich.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-duvall/you-get-below-the-mason-dixon-line-and-you-have-some-of-the-best/) [Robert Duvall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-duvall/) > [It is proposed that a form of free dialogue may well be one of the most effective ways of investigating the crisis which faces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bohm/it-is-proposed-that-a-form-of-free-dialogue-may-well-be-one-of-the/) [David Bohm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bohm/) > [“Being grounded in your lifelong culture and your personal perspective, you are comfortable with the way you see things and may believe it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-c-young/being-grounded-in-your-lifelong-culture-and-your-personal-perspective/) [Susan C. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-c-young/) [Browse all 15,940 Culture quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Culture, of course, is an extremely vague word, covering everything from the shaping of hand-axes to corporate mission statements, as well as the finer appreciation of the sonnets of Shakespeare and the paintings of Hokusai;”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Nicholas Ostler" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-ostler/culture-of-course-is-an-extremely-vague-word-covering-everything-from/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Culture" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-ostler/culture-of-course-is-an-extremely-vague-word-covering-everything-from/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c11/nicholas-ostler-72446_culture_culture-of-course-is-an-extremely-vague_2100221.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c11/nicholas-ostler-72446_culture_culture-of-course-is-an-extremely-vague_2100221.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c11/nicholas-ostler-72446_culture_culture-of-course-is-an-extremely-vague_2100221.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Culture, of course, is an extremely vague word, covering everything from the shaping of hand-axes to…” — Nicholas Ostler", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Nicholas Ostler", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-ostler/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Culture, of course, is an extremely...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-ostler/culture-of-course-is-an-extremely-vague-word-covering-everything-from/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-ostler/culture-of-course-is-an-extremely-vague-word-covering-everything-from/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```