"Instead of being presented with stereotypes by age, sex, color, class, or religion, children must have the opportunity to learn that within each range, some people are loathsome and some are delightful"

Margaret Mead is stating that it is not practical for kids to be taught stereotypes based on classifications such as age, sex, color, class, or religion. Instead, they should have the chance to discover that individuals within these classifications can vary significantly from each other, with some being pleasant and others unpleasant. The importance of this is to motivate kids to believe critically and form their own opinions based on private merit instead of preconceived notions based upon group attributes.