Quotes About Society

So perhaps, it occurs to Billy, this is the whole point of civilization, the eating of beautiful meals and the taking of decorous dumps, in which case he is for it, having had a bellyful of the other way.

the Revolution had reached that classic mature stage where it existed only for its own sake.

It's been hard times in America—how did we get this way? So scared all the time

La società può anche non avere bisogno di te, in senso stretto, ma di solito un modo di utilizzarti lo trova.

A un certo punto non meglio identificato, l'America è diventata un gigantesco centro commerciale con una nazione accanto.

Ma certo che non sei malato di mente, solo un pazzo vorrebbe tornare in guerra. Invece che all'infermità, diciamo agli avvocati di appellarsi alla momentanea sanità mentale, che ne pensi? Sei troppo sano di mente per tornare in guerra, Billy Lynn ha ritrovato la lucidità. E' il resto del paese che è matto, a volerlo rispedire al fronte.

Siamo tutti bravi a chiacchierare, questo l'ho capito, ma adesso basta. Siamo tutti bravi a chiacchierare m a l'unica voce che conta è quella dei soldi, il nostro paese è questo, ragazzi. E io ho paura per questo paese. Penso che dovremmo avere tutti paura per questo paese.

I was a violent, bipolar, compulsive liar. I was a real American.

Libertarians or individualists believed people should be free to do whatever they wanted with their money. But in reality, people had never been free to do whatever they wanted with their money. There were laws, regulations, criminal statutes.

It is easy in the world to live after the world's opinion; it is easy in solitude to live after our own; but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude.

I do not mean to exclude books of history, poetry, or even fables from our schools. They may and should be read frequently by our young people, but if the Bible is made to give way to them altogether, I foresee that it will be read in a short time only in churches and in a few years will probably be found only in the offices of magistrates and in courts of justice. (1786)

Much is made of black-on-black crime—the common assertion that a high percentage of black people commit crimes against other blacks. But what is often left out are statistics about white-on-white crime, which is equally high. The fact is, we are largely a segregated society, and thus crimes committed in our segregated communities will more likely be committed against members of our own race.

People talking on handless devices always remind me of mental patients talking to themselves.

There is a thing called the blood feud. All societies have them, even the West Saxons have them, despite their vaunted piety. Kill a member of my family and I shall kill one of yours, and so it goes on, generation after generation or until one family is all dead, and Kjartan had just wished a blood feud on himself. I did not know how, I did not know where, I could not know when, but I would revenge Ragnar. I swore it that night.

In other words," she said tartly, "women are supposed to do all that a man can't do. And right now it seems men can't fight, so I'd better do that too.

Be mad enough, his father once said, and they will either lock you away or make you a saint.

If there's one thing a Puritan fears, it's a woman.

What did you want to achieve?" "Liberty, of course!" The answer was swift, but followed immediately by a deprecating smile. "Except I've learned there's no such thing." "There isn't?" "You can't have freedom and lawyers, Sharpe

The country's got drunk on God since then, and it don't make for happiness

will you please explain how you can cry for a dead dog yet belong to a society of fanatics that urges death on human beings who happen to be Jews? Explain to me the logic of it.

Arcades are altruism turned architecture – private property given to an entire community.

Marriage is the most licentious of human institutions--I say the most licentious of human institutions: that is the secret of its popularity.And a woman seeking a husband is the most unscrupulous of all the beasts of prey. The confusion of marriage with morality has done more to destroy the conscience of the human race than any other single error.

A Frenchman! Where did you pick up that expression? Are these Burgundians and Bretons and Picards and Gascons beginning to call themselves Frenchmen, just as our fellows are beginning to call themselves Englishmen? They actually talk of France and England as their countries. Theirs, if you please! What is to become of me and you if that way of thinking comes into fashion?

Il est vrai que le clou qui dépasse attire le marteau.