“ The family is changing, not disappearing. We have to broaden our understanding of it, look for the new metaphors. Mary Catherine Bateson
“ Worlds can be found by a child and an adult bending down and looking together under the grass stems or at the skittering crabs in a tidal pool. Mary Catherine Bateson
“ The timing of death, like the ending of a story, gives a changed meaning to what preceded it. Mary Catherine Bateson
“ As people grow older, some of the ways they have contributed in the past may no longer be possible, but the challenge to society is not only to provide help and care where these are needed but also to… Mary Catherine Bateson
“ After all, most of us have lived lives based on commitments made without any way of knowing where they would lead. The uncertainty is an essential element in commitment, the acceptance of consequences… Mary Catherine Bateson
“ Sorting gets harder as time goes on--it requires a sort of ruthless decisiveness, while indecision results in endless dithering. Five moves, they say, equal a fire. But those who haven't moved may beg… Mary Catherine Bateson
“ Moving is both liberating and debilitating. Undertaken too late, it is a very stressful process, one that sometimes seems to catapult people into frail old age, and undertaken too soon, it may preempt… Mary Catherine Bateson
“ It's all about being in control of myself as an older woman who lives alone, and it's all about how I am going to do what I have to do to be as strong as I can be and be confident that I can do what I… Mary Catherine Bateson
“ Since few people arrive at retirement with an understanding that this transition will involve a rethinking of who they are, an interim pattern has emerged, in which travel offers a way of fulfilling d… Mary Catherine Bateson
“ ... as we age we have not only to readdress earlier developmental crises but also somehow to find the way to three affirmations that may seem to conflict. ... We have to affirm our own life. We have t… Mary Catherine Bateson
“ The critical question about regret is whether experience led to growth and new learning. Some people seem to keep on making the same mistakes, while others at least make new ones. Regret and remorse c… Mary Catherine Bateson
“ Real winners in a rapidly changing world will be those who are open to alternatives and able to respect and value those who are different. Mary Catherine Bateson
“ An encounter with other cultures can lead to openness only if you can suspend the assumption of superiority, not seeing new worlds to conquer, but new worlds to respect. Mary Catherine Bateson
