In general, human societies are not innovative. They are hierarchical and ritualistic. Suggestions for change are greeted with suspicion; they imply an unpleasant future variation in ritual and hierarchy; an exchange of one set of rituals for another, or perhaps for a less structured society with fewer rituals. And yet there are times when societies must change.
Carl Sagan in Dragons of Eden: Speculations on the Evolution of Human Intelligence
Submitted by Catalin Popescu
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Related quotes
In most of history, societies have not been free. It's a very rare society that is free. The default condition of human societies is tyranny.
quote by Michael Novak
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Neither you nor I
Cows breed more, deer breed more and hares breed more;
They must breed more for forests want them more.
They must feed lions, tigers and foxes
With their casualties in multitudes.
The poor breed more and the lowly breed more;
They must breed more for societies want them more
They must serve the rich, masters and leaders
With their casualties in multitudes.
Between the forests and the societies,
The difference is: forests gave no saints
Whereas the societies gave saints in chain.
No change in societies as in forests..
Who is the planer? Who can defeat him?
Who is the keeper? Who can control him?
Who is the owner? Who can approach him?
Neither you nor I can reform the world.
15.07.2008
poem by Rm. Shanmugam Chettiar
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Think how different human societies would be if they were based on love rather than justice. But no such societies have ever existed on earth.
quote by Mortimer Adler
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Yes, I have cherished my "demagogue" role. I know that societies often have killed the people who have helped to change those societies. And if I can die having bought any light, having exposed any meaningful truth that will help to destroy the racist cancer that is maligant in the body of America - then, all of the credit is due to Allah. Only the mistakes have been mine.
Malcolm X in The Autobiograghy of Malcom X (1964)
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Rituals That Appal
Cumbersome rituals appal the mind,
The wits are affected by this ritual.
The mind is troublesome to the eloquent speech,
One speaks loudest when affected.
The whole piety of a speaker is about,
Wanting the air of a seminary.
A doddering dwarf has reminded us
Of his walk in the holy region.
The rituals of his stupid speech
Are around the house of words.
poem by Naveed Akram
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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The rate of human invention is faster, and the rate of cultural loss is slower, in areas occupied by many competing societies with many individuals and in contact with societies elsewhere.
quote by Jared Diamond
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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No society lies nearer to the cyclonic path of the forces of world change than the United States, and few societies are more intellectually aware of the nature of the issues that have to be faced.
quote by Christopher Dawson
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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A university is not a service station. Neither is it a political society, nor a meeting place for political societies. With all its limitations and failures, and they are invariably many, it is the best and most benign side of our society insofar as that society aims to cherish the human mind.
quote by Richard Hofstadter
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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In contrast, fear societies are societies in which dissent is banned.
quote by Natan Sharansky
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Monopoly controls have been the exception in free societies; they have been the rule in closed societies.
quote by Lawrence Lessig
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Free societies are societies in which the right of dissent is protected.
quote by Natan Sharansky
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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A social problem is one that concerns the way in which people live together in one society. A racial problem is a problem which confronts two different races who live in two separate societies, even if those societies are side by side.
quote by Pauline Hanson
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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What the Significance of Having Them Means
The act of participating in rituals,
Has become more important...
Than why those rituals were established,
In the first place.
There are more today,
Planning vacations and escapades...
Around holidays they could care less,
Of what the significance of having them means.
You can,
If you wish...
Compare this to the event of birthing a child,
But having nothing to do with it after a certain age.
poem by Lawrence S. Pertillar
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My life. Or yours.
You change for me
I change for you
Why did we change at all
You change for yourself
I change for myself
We look and see
Change wasn't ment to be
We were perfect the way we were
But now it's too late
We still change
Just like society
But not as drastic
You change
I change
We change together
For the better
poem by Jesse Lobos
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Many individuals are doing what they can. But real success can only come if there is a change in our societies and in our economics and in our politics.
quote by David Attenborough
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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I wanna change
I wanna change this poem.
I wanna change the line that he have me to walk on.
I wanna change the meaning of I love you honey.
I wanna change the rhyme of my walk.
I wanna change the outcome change the plan of life.
I wanna change my mood when I get round you.
change the man.
I wanna change my looks.
I wanna change our smile when we look in each others eyes.
I wanna change your going out please stay awhile.
I wanna change my past and change my future.
I wanna change your future so you can stay be mine.
I wanna change
poem by Evevona Plummer
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Change in Me
Why I need change?
for better or for the worst?
Any choices to change or not?
I need change when
There is an opportunity to grow and mature
Things being done the wrong way
Dealing with a world of change
I rediscover change
Change is the law of life
Those who look only
to the past or the present
Are certain to miss the future
I may change anything I want or don't want
But I can't change everything I want
My dilemma is
I hate change and
love it at the same time
Best of all
What I want is
For things to remain the same
but get better.
Lastly,
I need strong courage to change,
To master change;
Be the master of change.
Always I want change,
To get where I want to be,
Be the change I want to have.
poem by Lawrence Hiung
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Change! Change! Change!
change! change! change!
everybody talkin' about change.
change your look,
change your luck,
change your politics,
change your religion...
change the country,
change the world....
change the day!
change your underwear!
loose change, pocket change,
winds of change, march for change....
but all real change begins within...
let's work on that,
and then everything else
will change in turn!
poem by Eric Cockrell
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What Makes Techno World Tick?
when youth was teen twenty
youth questions posed
about this entire flux world
which predominate prime realities
construct fabric regional global
interconnected dependent societies?
what did it all accumulative mean?
what did all life inter-fused mean?
what was ultimate meaning of life?
be prepared for life writing
writing answers into life mind
understanding into life soul
an entire world is changing
reconstructing itself evolving
as individuals are key seeking
striving to meaning find
their place themselves
within tear apart rebuilt
trend accepting discard societies
dynamos power change charge snowballs
ripples avalanche overtakes strikes
buries stand still tentative mentalities
in techno waves ride change crests
or wipe out on treacherous steep slopes
poem by Terence George Craddock
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Offspring Blessings Opposes Barren Desires
votive faces eyes ears see hear appear ever attentive guardians?
terracotta votive offerings amass phalli breasts uteri fascinates?
possibilities pre Viagra Greco Roman Bacchantes desires orgies?
offspring blessings opposes barren cursed shame couples childless?
votive offerings reasoned fixation items pepper ancient societies?
feature throughout diverse modern societies evil eye luck beads
patron saints crucifixes prayer beads ritualistic in varied religions?
an assortment of rites head coverings adorn male female devotees?
all share desires respect given gains favor with supernatural forces?
poem by Terence George Craddock
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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