Without that assured American largesse Israel would have been obliged to come to an accommodation with her neighbours.

An escalating, violent tit-for-tat may lead to terrorism.

Behind a leader there must be followers, but they should always be on the lookout for the main chance and ready to change sides if the current leader doesn’t deliver.

Where there is dirt there is system. Dirt is the byproduct of a systematic ordering and classification of matter.

Institutions have the pathetic megalomania of the computer whose whole vision of the world is its own program.

Without the letters of condolence, telegrams of congratulations, and occasional postcards, the friendship of a separated friend is not a social reality. It has no existence without the rites of friendship. Social rituals create a reality which would be nothing without them. It is not too much to say that ritual is more to society than words are to thought. For it is very possible to know something and then find words for it. But it is impossible to have social relations without symbolic acts.

The theory of cultural bias... is the idea that a culture is based on a particular form of organization. It can't be transplanted except to another variant of that organization.

If people want to compete for leadership of a religious group, they can compete in piety. A chilling thought. Or funny.

Our technological infrastructure alienates us from each other. No need to form a workplace community, everybody there will be out in a year or two, and so will you, looking for a better place.

Since 1970, relationships can be more volatile, jobs more ephemeral, geographical mobility more intensified, stability of marriage weaker.