# In three-four words, what does "Quaker" mean to you? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 25, 2018, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-three-four-words-what-does-quaker-mean-to-you/809559 "2018-02-25T18:27:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2018, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-three-four-words-what-does-quaker-mean-to-you/809559/41 "2018-02-26T02:33:27Z")
A Christian sect noted for pacifism and egalitarianism. Quakers continued to use “thee” and “thou” long after the rest of the English-speaking world had abandoned the words. I’ve heard it’s because these were the familiar forms of “you,” and using them indicated that all are equal in the eyes of God. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2018, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-three-four-words-what-does-quaker-mean-to-you/809559/42 "2018-02-26T03:13:01Z")
> [@D\_Anconia](#): > > Why is it hard to believe? He didn’t hide his faith. Cognitive dissonance between pacifism and Nixon’s policies and actions about Vietnam. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2018, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-three-four-words-what-does-quaker-mean-to-you/809559/43 "2018-02-26T03:17:43Z")
Old leather britches\*. I went to a Friends school. Some as is and some as ain’t Christians. I prefer the East Coast-style meeting without a pastor. \*And shaggy, shaggy locks. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2018, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-three-four-words-what-does-quaker-mean-to-you/809559/44 "2018-02-26T03:40:53Z")
> [@susan](#): > > Old leather britches\*. > > I went to a Friends school. Some as is and some as ain’t Christians. I prefer the East Coast-style meeting without a pastor. > \*And shaggy, shaggy locks. I was assured by some old Quaker ladies that George Fox kept his locks very neatly combed. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2018, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-three-four-words-what-does-quaker-mean-to-you/809559/45 "2018-02-26T03:47:18Z")
Religion, pacifism, farming, community. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2018, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-three-four-words-what-does-quaker-mean-to-you/809559/46 "2018-02-26T04:03:06Z")
Pacifist, Christian, open/approachable. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2018, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-three-four-words-what-does-quaker-mean-to-you/809559/47 "2018-02-26T04:54:06Z")
Protestant(ish), pacifist, Pennsylvania. I think they’re not “protestant” if you limit “protestant” to “lutherans and calvinists”, but they are if you define it as “any of a number of non-episcopal Christian movements born after 1500”. Despite having lived in Philadelphia (70% travel time, mind you), what little I know about them I learned from media. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2018, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-three-four-words-what-does-quaker-mean-to-you/809559/48 "2018-02-26T05:24:34Z")
Q: How many Quakers does it take to change a light bulb? A: Thirty-three: One to raise a concern at Preparative Meeting that the light bulb is no longer working. Ten at PM to set up a light-bulb replacement subgroup to send a report to Monthly Meeting. Three to work on the subgroup and report to MM. Fifteen at MM to discern that the right way forward is to change the light bulb. One to report back to Meeting that the bulb is going to be changed. One person to change the bulb. One person to write an article for the MM newsletter about changing the bulb. One to write a letter to The Friend saying that the decision about changing the light bulb had not been in Right Ordering. ---
**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2018, 8:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-three-four-words-what-does-quaker-mean-to-you/809559/49 "2018-02-26T08:17:22Z")
Not sure, really. This despite one of my best friends being Quaker; she’s bi, poly and kinda pagan-ish. Not exactly the cliche. Pacifist, religious/spiritual, big on equality, and with a habit of honesty, even when that makes them unpopular (she assured me that was a Quaker thing; both stuff like standing up for people’s rights and telling you that yes, your arse does look big in those pants), is the best description I can come up with. ---
**Author:** ![Jane\_Smythe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f04885/32.png) [@Jane\_Smythe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jane_Smythe)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2018, 8:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-three-four-words-what-does-quaker-mean-to-you/809559/50 "2018-02-26T08:37:30Z")
Without looking it up, I’d say Quaker means very religious people who are peaceful and keep to themselves as a group. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2018, 8:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-three-four-words-what-does-quaker-mean-to-you/809559/51 "2018-02-26T08:38:16Z")
I think of great horse people, rural, highly intelligent, tech backwards. And of course spiritual. Yes I am certain they are Christian. ---
**Author:** ![Jane\_Smythe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f04885/32.png) [@Jane\_Smythe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jane_Smythe)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2018, 8:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-three-four-words-what-does-quaker-mean-to-you/809559/52 "2018-02-26T08:39:05Z")
Did you guys know Richard Nixon was a Quaker? His parents were Hannah (Milhous) Nixon and Francis A. Nixon. His mother was a Quaker, and his father converted from Methodism to the Quaker faith. … Nixon’s upbringing was marked by evangelical Quaker observances of the time, such as refraining from alcohol, dancing, and swearing. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2018, 8:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-three-four-words-what-does-quaker-mean-to-you/809559/53 "2018-02-26T08:46:47Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > In as few words as possible, what do you think of when you hear “Quaker”? The sound a duck makes when you can’t properly ‘c’ it. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2018, 9:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-three-four-words-what-does-quaker-mean-to-you/809559/54 "2018-02-26T09:21:38Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > I think of great horse people, rural, highly intelligent, tech backwards. And of course spiritual. > > Yes I am certain they are Christian. It’s funny, as I think of them as urban and business savvy, I guess it depends on which Quakers you’ve met! Certainly not tech backwards. Strong social consciences, and by that I mean concerned for people’s welfare rather than who they are sleeping with. I’m an atheist, but probably have more respect for Quakers than any other religious group I have encountered. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2018, 10:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-three-four-words-what-does-quaker-mean-to-you/809559/55 "2018-02-26T10:00:07Z")
Four words: I have no idea. I thought they were some kind of religious group, and have something to do with oats. I figure they’re the ones responsible for the “pilgrim” image of the hats with buckles on etc, but I have never been confident about wherever that came from. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2018, 10:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-three-four-words-what-does-quaker-mean-to-you/809559/56 "2018-02-26T10:50:18Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > In as few words as possible, what do you think of when you hear “Quaker”? “Friends”, pacifists, priestless, testimony - there’s 4 words for thee 🙂 Full disclosure - I’m distantly related to some English Friends by marriage > [@](#): > > Bonus question: Do you think of Quakers as being Christian? Yes. More specifically, Protestant. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2018, 10:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-three-four-words-what-does-quaker-mean-to-you/809559/57 "2018-02-26T10:57:10Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > I figure they’re the ones responsible for the “pilgrim” image of the hats with buckles on etc, but I have never been confident about wherever that came from. That’s more Puritans than Quakers. Quakers were all for [plain dress](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plain_dress#Quaker) (more like the Amish) - they’d not be having with anything so fancy as shiny buckles. Not that the real Pilgrims had much of that, either, it’s a later invention. ---
**Author:** ![Sveltington](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ab097/32.png) [@Sveltington](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sveltington)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2018, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-three-four-words-what-does-quaker-mean-to-you/809559/58 "2018-02-26T14:27:44Z")
Marshall Will Kane’s wife ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2018, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-three-four-words-what-does-quaker-mean-to-you/809559/59 "2018-02-26T14:49:52Z")
IANA Quaker, but I have a lot of experience with them. The members of the Society of Friends are commonly known as Quakers. The name comes from the concept of ‘trembling before the Lord’, originally a jibe the name was adopted by the group. The Society of Friends was formed in England in a secondary protestant movement that rejected the Church of England. Seeking religious freedom like other groups Quakers established communities in what is now the US, notably in Pennsylvania which was originally formed as a Quaker colony by William Penn. The SoF spread across the US, with some difficulty originally, Quakers were subject to execution in the Massachusetts Colony. In the US over time the religion progressed in different ways, on the east coast the traditional practices of the religion, mainly silent worship were largely retained, while settlers carrying the religion across the country adopted practices very similar to other Protestant religions. I’ve found that Quakers are often confused with Shakers and Amish. There isn’t much commonality, Quakers believed in ‘plain’ speech and dress making them seem a bit quaint in relation to other religions but haven’t retained or extended these practices. You wouldn’t recognize a modern Quaker based on their speech or dress. A core principle of the religion is the concept of God as an inner light within all of us. How this related to traditional Christianity has varied over time, and the religion is in constant flux in terms of it’s practices and beliefs, with no rigid dogma. Consensus among it’s members is an important aspect of the organization of the religion, and a reason why you’d never ask Quakers to get anything done in a hurry. It’s not a flashy religion, that’s why there are plenty of Quakers in the US and around the world but rarely making the headlines. However, there have been two Quaker presidents, Herbert Hoover and Richard Nixon. Though often scorned for their anti-war beliefs there have been a number of Quakers who were awarded the Medal of Honor. During the wars in the US the religion young male Quakers were asked to choose for themselves whether to serve in the military, and they did so in large numbers. In terms of religion there are more Quaker Nobel Prize winners than any other religion except Judaism. Quakers are noted for their anti-slavery work in the US. Originally this was not a principle of the religion, there were noted Quaker slave owners and Quakers, but as leaders in the Abolition movement by the early 1800’s there were no longer any Quaker slave owners or traders. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/22080_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2018, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-three-four-words-what-does-quaker-mean-to-you/809559/60 "2018-02-26T16:21:32Z")
_Conscientious Objector_ is the first thing that came to mind to me. Farmer was second. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-three-four-words-what-does-quaker-mean-to-you/809559.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-three-four-words-what-does-quaker-mean-to-you/809559.md?page=4)