“If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay home.”
As quoted in Good Advice (1982) by William Safire and Leonard Safir. Original appearance in Holiday magazine, March 1956, pp. 40-51.
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James A. Michener 55
American author 1907–1997Related quotes
“Better try to stay wide awake, or you might end up found dead by the lake.”
"Stay Wide Awake".
2000s, Relapse (2009)
“Even if you reject everything, it is always better to know what it is you are rejecting.”
The Clash of Fundamentalism
Wording in Ideas and Opinions: The Jewish scriptures admirably illustrate the development from the religion of fear to moral religion, a development continued in the New Testament. The religions of all civilized peoples, especially the peoples of the Orient, are primarily moral religions. The development from a religion of fear to moral religion is a great step in peoples' lives. And yet, that primitive religions are based entirely on fear and the religions of civilized peoples purely on morality is a prejudice against which we must be on our guard. The truth is that all religions are a varying blend of both types, with this differentiation: that on the higher levels of social life the religion of morality predominates.
1930s, Religion and Science (1930)
Context: It is easy to follow in the sacred writings of the Jewish people the development of the religion of fear into the moral religion, which is carried further in the New Testament. The religions of all civilized peoples, especially those of the Orient, are principally moral religions. An important advance in the life of a people is the transformation of the religion of fear into the moral religion. But one must avoid the prejudice that regards the religions of primitive peoples as pure fear religions and those of the civilized races as pure moral religions. All are mixed forms, though the moral element predominates in the higher levels of social life.
Quoted in Insights in India https://www.insightsonindia.com/2014/07/27/knowledge-is-power-a-guide-to-upsc-exam-preparation-by-divya-s-iyer-ias/
“The highest form of ignorance is when you reject something you don't know anything about”
“If you want to do something really interesting and revolutionary, learn to ignore your customers.”
Source: Funky Business Forever, 2007, p. 184
Context: Gallery visitors did not tell Picasso to invent cubism. Jazz fanatics did not suggest that should work with hip-hoppers. Moviegoers did not propose to Lars von Trier, the Danish film director, that he make Breaking the Waves. And customers sure as hell did not come up with the idea for CDNow or Amazon. com. If you want to do something really interesting and revolutionary, learn to ignore your customers.