Quotes About Society

The erosion of democracy and decency feels like a widening crack on the face of liberty.

Society thinks of violent acts as manifestations of evil or immorality. We're told we have ultimate control over our own behavior, that each and every one of us has the free will to choose not to hurt another human being. But it's not just morality that guides us. Biology does as well. Our frontal lobs helps us integrate thoughts and actions. They help us weight the consequences of those actions. Without such control, we'd give in to every wild impulse.

Why was it always women who had to do the forgiving? she'd wondered.

Meat comes from the supermarket, where it's wrapped in plastic. No guts involved.

This is the way modern men do battle, not with spear and sword, but with credit cards.

When they were children, Mama's elder sister had been dubbed the smart one and Mama the beautiful one. This was how my grandmother had raised them. As if a woman could not be both beautiful and smart.

She wants to study medicine, good for her. But why cause so much trouble for herself, trying to be a doctor? Be a nurse instead. This is more acceptable. For a woman to become a doctor is like climbing a ladder full of people on top, fighting to kick you back down. If she becomes a teacher, or even a nun, the door is open, wide open. They will take her with big arms and happy faces." Mama shakes her head.

In modern life, people tend to think their bodies belong to them, that they can do anything they want to themselves. But your body is not only yours. Your body belongs to your ancestors, your parents, and future generations. It also belongs to society and to all the other living beings. The trees, the clouds, the soil, and every living thing brought about the presence of your body. We can eat with care, knowing we are caretakers of our bodies, rather than their owners.

MEDITATION is not to get out of society, to escape from society, but to prepare for a reentry into society

We have created a society in which the rich become richer and the poor become poorer, and in which we are so caught up in our own immediate problems that we cannot afford to be aware of what is going on with the rest of the human family or our planet Earth. In my mind I see a group of chickens in a cage disputing over a few seeds of grain, unaware that in a few hours they will all be killed.

We have created a culture of constant snacking, drinking, and eating.

While they could appreciate the artistry of the dancers and musicians, they were not carried away by the pleasures they offered. They had their own dreams—to find answers concerning the spiritual quest and the renewal of society.

A girl's life was defined by lines: fine lines, hairlines, bikini lines, class lines, the tightrope line between being a good girl and a slut. But there was always a moment when the lines blurred and a good girl had to decide whether to toe the line, cross the line, or stay safe behind the line that guarded her virtue.

Behind every work of art lies an uncommitted crime

People know what they want because they know what other people want.

Man ist nicht bloß ein einzelner Mensch, man gehört einem Ganzen an, und auf das Ganze haben wir beständig Rücksicht zu nehmen, wir sind durchaus abhängig von ihm. (S.199)

Aber man lebt doch nicht bloß in einer Welt, um schwach und zärtlich zu sein und alles mit Nachsicht zu behandeln, was gegen Gesetz und Gebot ist und was die Menschen verurteilen und, vorläufig wenigstens, auch noch - mit Recht verurteilen. (S.234)

criminals more readily than any other State would do, till the time comes

He who stands aloof runs the risk of believing himself better than others and misusing his critique of society as an ideology for his private interest. While he gropingly forms his own life in the frail image of a true existence, he should never forget its frailty, nor how little the image is a substitute for true life. Against such awareness, however, pulls the momentum of the bourgeois within him.

She leaned over and kissed Carmilla, evidently meaning to kiss her cheek, but at the last moment Carmilla turned her head an they kissed each other on the lips. Laura laughed. It startled Mary - what was the relationship between these two women?

When every benefit received is a right, there is no place for good manners, let alone for gratitude.

The purpose of those who argue for cultural diversity is to impose ideological uniformity.

IT IS A MISTAKE to suppose that all men, or at least all Englishmen, want to be free. On the contrary, if freedom entails responsibility, many of them want none of it. They would happily exchange their liberty for a modest (if illusory) security.

Political correctness is the means by which we try to control others; decency is the means by which we try to control ourselves.