The men, women, and children who compose a society at any time are the unconscious depositaries and transmitters of the mores. They inherited them without knowing it; they are molding them unconsciously; they will transmit them involuntarily. The people cannot make the mores. They are made by them.

William Graham Sumner

Folkways

Read Folkways at Project Gutenberg

More information about this quote

Topic

Society Morality Custom and convention

Author

William Graham Sumner

Source

Folkways

Genre

Sociology

Language

English

Time

1906 1900s 20th century

Occupation

Academic Writer

From

United States

Authentication Score 3

Citation

Sumner, William Graham. Folkways: A Study of Mores, Manners, Customs and Morals. Ginn & Company, 1906, ch. 11.

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Related Quotes

Below are one or more quotes that share at least one tag with the quote at the top of the page

Another quote from the 1900s

The reasonable man adapts himself to the world: the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.

George Bernard Shaw

Man and Superman

More information about this quote
Topic
Nature of progress

Author

George Bernard Shaw
Source
Maxims for Revolutionists: Reason Man and Superman
Medium
Play
Genre
Drama (play)
Language
English
Time
1903 1900s 20th century
Authentication Score 3
Citation

Shaw, George Bernard. "Man and Superman: Maxims for Revolutionists." Man and Superman, John Bull's Other Island, and Major Barbara. Oxford University Press, 2021. Originally published by Archibald and Constable Co., Ltd., 1903.

Another quote about Morality

What I say is that "just" or "right" means nothing but what is to the interest of the stronger party.

Thrasymachus

Quoted in Republic, by Plato

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Read the Republic at MIT's classics department website
More information about this quote
Topic
Might makes right Justice Political theory Moral theory Morality
Speaker
Thrasymachus

Author

Plato
Source
Republic
Medium
Philosophical dialogue Dialogue
Genre
Philosophical literature
Language
Greek
Time
375 BC 370s BC 4th century BC
Era
Classical antiquity
Authentication Score 2
Original Citation

Thrasymachus. Quoted in Πολιτεία [Republic], written by Plato. c. 375 BCE.

Current Citation

Thrasymachus. Quoted in Republic, written by Plato, translated by Desmond Lee. Penguin Classics, 2007.