Irving Goffman

"Small courtesies in conversation signal respect and allow relationships to proceed smoothly."

"We manage information about ourselves to maintain a coherent social identity."

"Institutional settings create a second culture with its own rules and social hierarchies."

"The person we present is a collaborative construction between ourselves and our audience."

"Social interaction involves a complex dance of disclosure and concealment."

"Individuals adopt role distance when they refuse to fully identify with roles imposed upon them."

"Moral character is fundamentally a matter of impression management rather than inner virtue."

"Degradation ceremonies in institutions systematically destroy prior identities and self-conception."

"Everyday interactions contain hidden rules that must be learned to navigate social situations."

"The individual is caught in a performance, not because of deception, but because social life demands it."

"We all have a front and back self; society rewards those who maintain the distinction effectively."

"Interaction is a cooperative venture where participants tacitly agree to uphold a shared reality."

"Medical settings reveal how institutions strip patients of autonomy and adult status."

"Social competence consists of knowing how to read contextual cues and respond appropriately."

"The concept of self emerges from the looking-glass reflections of others' reactions to us."

"In mixed company, individuals suppress aspects of their identity to maintain social acceptability."

"Performance anxiety reveals that social interaction is indeed a high-stakes theatrical production."

"The self is a social product; remove social interaction and the self collapses."

"Establishments maintain order through invisible rules that participants are expected to know."

"We constantly monitor our behavior against imagined judgments of those around us."

"Social encounters are sustained by the mutual pretense that performances are authentic."

"The individual is neither a puppet nor fully autonomous; they navigate between structure and agency."

"Every social setting has gatekeepers who control access and enforce appropriate conduct."

"We present different selves to different audiences, adjusting our performance accordingly."

"Faux pas expose the fragility of social interaction and the rules we take for granted."

"The presentation of self begins with physical appearance and extends to verbal communication."

"In formal settings, individuals engage in careful strategic interaction to protect their image."

"Social life requires that we give ourselves over to the impression we are making."

"Inmates in total institutions develop adaptive strategies to preserve some sense of personal identity."

"The definition of situation is a collective accomplishment that shapes behavior and meaning."