Irving Goffman

"The maintenance of self-image is one of the primary motives driving human behavior."

"Social encounters require mutual understanding of invisible rules and expectations."

"Every conversation is a negotiation about how each person will present themselves."

"We judge others harshly when they fail to maintain appropriate performances."

"The performance of self is so ingrained we rarely notice we are doing it."

"Social institutions exist largely to regulate and normalize our presentations of self."

"The boundary between public and private self is a luxury not everyone can afford."

"We are most ourselves when we believe no one is watching."

"Identity is not something you have but something you do—a continuous performance."

"The theater of daily life has rules more complex than any written code."

"We develop different vocabularies and behaviors for different audiences."

"Shame arises from believing our true self has been revealed to the wrong audience."

"The management of others' impressions is often more important than managing our own."

"Society is sustained by millions of small performances and strategic silences."

"The self is a character we gradually perfect through countless rehearsals and performances."

"We unconsciously monitor our own behavior to ensure it matches social expectations."

"Understanding that life is performance can be either liberating or deeply disturbing."

"The line between authentic feeling and performed feeling becomes blurred through repetition."

"Social class is largely maintained through differences in presentation and performance."

"We rarely interact with the 'whole person' but only with their social presentation."

"Every group develops rituals that reinforce which members belong and which don't."

"The concept of 'going backstage' reveals how different we are from our public personas."

"Politeness is largely the art of maintaining others' performances even when they slip."

"Our identities are social constructions maintained through constant effort and cooperation."

"The self requires an audience; isolated from others, identity becomes uncertain."

"We learn early to distinguish between situations where authenticity is safe and where it's dangerous."

"Every job requires the performance of specific emotions regardless of how we actually feel."

"The notion that we have one true self is perhaps the greatest performance of all."

"Social interaction relies on our willingness to overlook inconsistencies in others' presentations."

"We are all engaged in the work of making ourselves acceptable to society."