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Quotes from The Sociology of Secrecy and of Secret Societies — Georg Simmel

1858–1918 Germany

← All quotes by Georg Simmel

2 quotes

Every relationship between two individuals or two groups will be characterized by the ratio of secrecy that is involved in it. Even when one of the parties does not notice the secret factor, yet the attitude of the concealer, and consequently the whole relationship, will be modified by it.

The Sociology of Secrecy and of Secret Societies (1906)

In the presence of the total reality upon which our conduct is founded, our knowledge is characterized by peculiar limitations and aberrations. We cannot say in principle that "error is life and knowledge is death," because a being involved in persistent errors would continually act wide of the purpose, and would thus inevitably perish.

The Sociology of Secrecy and of Secret Societies (1906)

Attribution

Quotes and notes from Wikiquote: Georg Simmel (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0.