Sociology Quotations

Quotes by Famous Sociologists

Obviously something is wrong with the entire argument of "obviousness".
- Paul Lazarsfeld, 1949, about the interpretation of results in social science as obvious.
- "The American Soldier — An Expository Review", Public Opinion Quarterly, vol. 13, no. 3, pp. 377-404, 380
"Myth does not set out to give lessons in natural science any more than in morals or sociology."
- François-Bernard Mâche (1983, 1992). Music, Myth and Nature, or The Dolphins of Arion (Musique, mythe, nature, ou les Dauphins d'Arion, trans. Susan Delaney). Harwood Academic Publishers. ISBN 3718653214
"Men were often called "breadwinners" because their income put food on the table... Although women were not usually called "breadservers," that was their role."
- Leonard Beeghley paraphrasing Max Weber. Page 70 in The Structure of Social Stratification in the United States. 2008. ISBN: 978-0-205-53052-6 (not necessarily a famous sociologist, but a good quote)

The social sciences are granted eternal youth because findings must be revisited.
- Leonard Beeghley paraphrasing Max Weber. Page 12 in The Structure of Social Stratification in the United States. 2008. ISBN: 978-0-205-53052-6

"Don't give them any slippery stuff like philosophy or sociology to tie things up with. That way lies melancholy."
- Fahrenheit 451
"Anyone who has studied psychology, sociology, anthropology, or any of the other wacko-and-wog disciplines knows the three great rules of the social sciences: Folks do lots of things. We don't know why. Test on Friday."
- P.J. O'Rourke
"The second item in the liberal creed, after self-righteousness, is unaccountability. Liberals have invented whole college majors— psychology, sociology, women's studies— to prove that nothing is anybody's fault. No one is fond of taking responsibility for his actions, but consider how much you'd have to hate free will to come up with a political platform that advocates killing unborn babies but not convicted murderers. A callous pragmatist might favor abortion and capital punishment. A devout Christian would sanction neither. But it takes years of therapy to arrive at the liberal view."
- P.J. O'Rourke