Erving Goffman

"People are more authentic in settings where they feel safe and accepted"

"Society functions through shared fictions that we all agree to maintain"

"The presentation of self begins in childhood through socialization"

"Embarrassment teaches us about the norms we have violated"

"People manage multiple selves for different relationships and contexts"

"Social performance requires constant attention and emotional labor"

"The audience shapes the performance as much as the performer shapes the audience"

"Mistakes in social interaction reveal our underlying anxieties"

"We construct narratives about ourselves that become self-fulfilling prophecies"

"Authenticity is itself a performance, a carefully managed version of truth"

"Social distance determines which aspects of self we choose to reveal"

"The struggle for dignity is central to all human social life"

"People are most vulnerable when their performance cannot be maintained"

"Interaction rituals create bonds that transcend their literal content"

"We become the person others treat us as being over time"

"Social failure is often met with sympathy when explained properly"

"The self is essentially a social accomplishment, not a natural entity"

"People use props and settings to enhance their performances"

"Moral worth is established through successful interaction management"

"Society is held together by people agreeing to play their assigned roles"

"The ability to read social cues is essential to survival in groups"

"We perform different versions of ourselves depending on audience composition"

"Shame arises when we fail to live up to the standards we have internalized"

"Every social setting has both explicit and implicit rules of conduct"

"Performance anxiety reveals how much we care about social standing"

"The breakdown of role performance can lead to social crisis"

"People are drawn to others who affirm their preferred self-image"

"Identity maintenance requires constant vigilance and adjustment"

"We judge others not just by their actions but by their visible commitment to norms"

"The self is a collaborative production between performer and audience"