To act on the belief that we possess the knowledge and the power which enable us to shape the processes of society entirely to our liking, knowledge which in fact we do not possess, is likely to make us do much harm. Friedrich August von Hayek
There couldn't be a society of people who didn't dream. They'd be dead in two weeks. William S. Burroughs
Drugs are merely the most obvious form of addiction in our society. Drug addiction is one of the things that undermines traditional values. Christopher Lasch
The little things, I can obey. But the big things - how we think, what we value - those you must choose yourself. You can't let anyone - or any society - determine those for you. Morrie Schwartz
No good is ever done to society by the pictorial representation of its diseases. John Ruskin
What you're seeing with Occupy Wall Street and the others are people who are unhappy and they're directing their unhappiness now toward Wall Street and toward those they think are doing too well in our society. Colin Powell
In much of society, research means to investigate something you do not know or understand. Neil Armstrong
The practice of patience toward one another, the overlooking of one another's defects, and the bearing of one another's burdens is the most elementary condition of all human and social activity in the family, in the professions, and in society. Lawrence G. Lovasik
The people I respect most behave as if they were immortal and as if society was eternal. E. M. Forster
Solitude is as needful to the imagination as society is wholesome for the character. James Russell Lowell
The health of a democratic society may be measured by the quality of functions performed by private citizens. Alexis de Tocqueville
I have an intense dislike for artificial society. In France, one could lead a free life - to do what one wanted to do without interference or criticism from one's neighbors. Robert W. Service
When the people become involved in their government, government becomes more accountable, and our society is stronger, more compassionate, and better prepared for the challenges of the future. Arnold Schwarzenegger
We need to shift from an economic organizing principle for human civilization, to a humanitarian organizing principle. Making money more important than your own children is a pathological way for an individual to run their affairs, and it's a pathological way for a society to run its affairs. Marianne Williamson
I'm also interested in the modern suggestion that you can have a combination of love and sex in a marriage - which no previous society has ever believed. Alain de Botton
I'm not one of those who wants to purge our society of our Christian history. Richard Dawkins
The surface of American society is covered with a layer of democratic paint, but from time to time one can see the old aristocratic colours breaking through. Alexis de Tocqueville
The amount of eccentricity in a society has generally been proportional to the amount of genius, mental vigor, and moral courage it contained. That so few now dare to be eccentric marks the chief danger of the time. John Stuart Mill
The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society. Edward Bernays
The baby boomers are getting older, and will stay older for longer. And they will run right into the dementia firing range. How will a society cope? Especially a society that can't so readily rely on those stable family relationships that traditionally provided the backbone of care? Terry Pratchett