Quotessence
Home / Books / Don't Sleep, There are Snakes: Life and Language in the Amazonian Jungle

Don't Sleep, There are Snakes: Life and Language in the Amazonian Jungle

Book by Daniel Everett · 2 quotes · Culture, Anthropology, Crosses

Filter quotes by topic

AllCultureAnthropologyCrossesEnvironmentExpectationsGrowing UpHarderIfsLanguageLessonsLifeObjectivityPerceptionScientistTeenagersTeensTryingValuesViewsWorld

Don't Sleep, There are Snakes: Life and Language in the Amazonian Jungle Quotes

“As a scientist, objectivity is one of my most deeply held values. If we could just try harder, I once thought, surely we could each see the world as others see it and learn to respect one another's views more readily. But I learned from the Pirahas, our expectations, our culture, and our experiences can render even perceptions of the environment nearly incommensurable cross-culturally.”

IfsWorldLifeTryingValuesCultureLanguageViewsEnvironmentLessonsPerceptionExpectationsCrossesScientistHarderObjectivity
Book:Don't Sleep, There are Snakes: Life and Language in the Amazonian Jungle
Create image

“I did not see Pirahã teenagers moping, sleeping in late, refusing to accept responsibility for their own actions, or trying out what they considered to be radically new approaches to life. They in fact are highly productive and conformist members of their community in the Pirahã sense of productivity (good fishermen, contributing generally to the security, food needs, and other aspects of the physical survival of the community). One gets no sense of teenage angst, depression, or insecurity among the Pirahã youth. They do not seem to be searching for answers. They have them. And new questions rarely arise.”

CultureGrowing UpTeensTeenagersAnthropology
Book:Don't Sleep, There are Snakes: Life and Language in the Amazonian Jungle
Create image