476 quotes by sociologists for you to enjoy

Not wishing to be disturbed over moral issues of the political economy, Americans cling to the notion that the government is a sort of automatic machine, regulated by the balancing of competing interests. C. Wright Mills

Government Political Machine Moral Moral Issues Disturbed Over Economy Wishing Sort Balancing Cling Issues Political Economy American Automatic Interests Notion Competing

People with advantages are loath to believe that they just happen to be people with advantages. C. Wright Mills

People Believe Loath Advantages Just Happen

When theology erodes and organization crumbles, when the institutional framework of religion begins to break up, the search for a direct experience which people can feel to be religious facilitates the rise of cults. Daniel Bell

The intellectual takes as a starting point his self and relates the world to his own sensibilities; the scientist accepts an existing field of knowledge and seeks to map out the unexplored terrain. Daniel Bell

If women talk in ways expected of them or project a feminine demeanor, it's seen as weak. But if they talk in ways associated with men or bosses, then they're seen as too aggressive. Whatever they do violates one or the other expectation: either you're not talking as you should as a woman or as boss. Deborah Tannen

You Woman Women Men Seen Expectation Whatever Not Talking Aggressive Too Other Project Ways Weak Boss Bosses Demeanor Talk Talking Feminine Expected Either Them Then Should Violates Associated

Everything we say has metamessages indicating how our words are to be interpreted: Is this a serious statement or a joke? Does it show annoyance or goodwill? Most of the time, metamessages are communicated and interpreted without notice because, as far as anyone can tell, the speaker and the hearer agree on their meaning. Deborah Tannen

Time Words Joke Our Everything Statement Say Tell Goodwill Annoyance Most Because Without Does How As Far As Anyone Meaning Far Notice Speaker Show Agree Serious Interpreted

Women as mothers grapple with corresponding contradictions. The adoration they feel for their grown daughters, mixed with the sense of responsibility for their well-being, can be overwhelming, matched only by the hurt they feel when their attempts to help or just stay connected are rebuffed or even excoriated as criticism or devilish interference. Deborah Tannen

Hurt Women Responsibility Criticism Overwhelming Sense Corresponding Stay Only Adoration Daughters Attempts Feel Devilish Well-Being Matched Mothers Mixed Contradictions Just Interference Help Connected Even Grown

Reality seems valueless by comparison with the dreams of fevered imaginations; reality is therefore abandoned. Emile Durkheim

Dreams Reality Abandoned Seems Therefore Comparison Imaginations

A society whose members are united by the fact that they think in the same way in regard to the sacred world and its relations with the profane world, and by the fact that they translate these common ideas into common practices, is what is called a Church. In all history, we do not find a single religion without a Church. Emile Durkheim

Religion History World Church Single Think Society Relations Way Members Find Fact Sacred Ideas Practices Without Same Common Regard Translate Profane United Whose

From the physical point of view, a man is nothing more than a system of cells, or from the mental point of view, than a system of representations; in either case, he differs only in degree from animals. Emile Durkheim

Man Degree Animals Nothing System Physical Case Mental More Only Point Point Of View He Than Cells Either View Differs

It is too great comfort which turns a man against himself. Life is most readily renounced at the time and among the classes where it is least harsh. Emile Durkheim

Life Time Great Man Too Harsh Classes Most Himself Comfort Readily Least Where Which Against Turns Among

The influence of one's parents is powerful and permanent. Faye Wattleton

Parents Powerful Permanent Influence

For, to be a stranger is naturally a very positive relation; it is a specific form of interaction. Georg Simmel

Positive Relation Very Interaction Form Naturally Stranger Specific

For the division of labor demands from the individual an ever more one-sided accomplishment, and the greatest advance in a one-sided pursuit only too frequently means dearth to the personality of the individual. Georg Simmel

Personality Too One-Sided More Only Individual Pursuit Advance Division Demands Frequently Greatest Dearth Accomplishment Labor Means Ever

The compulsion to do good is an innate American trait. Only North Americans seem to believe that they always should, may, and actually can choose somebody with whom to share their blessings. Ultimately this attitude leads to bombing people into the acceptance of gifts. Ivan Illich

Attitude Good Acceptance People Somebody Believe Gifts Seem Only Compulsion Share Leads Blessings Always Ultimately North Trait American May Should Choose Whom Actually Bombing Innate

The public school has become the established church of secular society. Ivan Illich

School Church Secular Become Society Established Public Public School

Healthy people are those who live in healthy homes on a healthy diet; in an environment equally fit for birth, growth work, healing, and dying... Healthy people need no bureaucratic interference to mate, give birth, share the human condition and die. Ivan Illich

Work Health Healing People Healthy Live Birth Those Give Share Environment Equally Mate Healthy Diet Healthy People Condition Fit Die Bureaucratic Diet Human Dying Human Condition Interference Who Homes Growth Need

The sad thing about artificial intelligence is that it lacks artifice and therefore intelligence. Jean Baudrillard

Sad Artificial Intelligence Intelligence About Sad Thing Artifice Artificial Lacks Therefore Thing

We could say that people who eat grits, listen to country music, follow stock-car racing, support corporal punishment in the schools, hunt 'possum, go to Baptist churches and prefer bourbon to Scotch are likely to be Southerners. John Shelton Reed

Music People Country Corporal Say Churches Punishment Hunt Follow Eat Could Support Country Music Bourbon Likely Schools Go Scotch Southerners Listen Baptist Prefer Racing Who

The chief function of the city is to convert power into form, energy into culture, dead matter into the living symbols of art, biological reproduction into social creativity. Lewis Mumford

Art Culture Creativity Matter Power Energy Living City Dead Chief Form Reproduction Convert Social Function Biological Symbols

Quotes by Sociologists