"Maybe there no causes to know, or, at least, maybe much that happens is uncaused. Anyone who thinks that everything is explicable as the result of something else--who sees causation as the 'cement of the universe', making each event adhere closely to the next--may be the victim of an unwarranted assumption. 'Just-so' explanations may be the only true ones." (Chapter 3)
A quote from early in Chapter 3 where the author starts to develop his theory that future human events might not be predictable, a theory that goes opposite to that of Pierre-Simon Laplace but is in line (albeit for different reasons) with that of Karl Popper.
"Empathy is the heart of understanding" (Chapter 3)
A quote that summarizes, according to the author, a principle of anthropological field work as well as of life followed by Franz Boas.