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Top 30 Mary Douglas Quotes (2025 Update)

Mary Douglas Quote: “If you want to change the culture, you will have to start by changing the organization.”

1. “If you want to change the culture, you will have to start by changing the organization.”

— Mary Douglas

Mary Douglas Quote: “The human body is always treated as an image of society.”

2. “The human body is always treated as an image of society.”

— Mary Douglas

Mary Douglas Quote: “Where there is dirt there is system. Dirt is the byproduct of a systematic ordering and classification of matter.”

3. “Where there is dirt there is system. Dirt is the byproduct of a systematic ordering and classification of matter.”

— Mary Douglas

Mary Douglas Quote: “Pretensions to moral superiority are devastatingly destructive.”

4. “Pretensions to moral superiority are devastatingly destructive.”

— Mary Douglas

Mary Douglas Quote: “It is only partly true that religion does more harm than good in society. The community makes God into the image it wants, vengeful, or milky sweet, or scrupulously just, and so on.”

5. “It is only partly true that religion does more harm than good in society. The community makes God into the image it wants, vengeful, or milky sweet, or scrupulously just, and so on.”

— Mary Douglas

Mary Douglas Quote: “Hierarchy works well in a stable environment.”

6. “Hierarchy works well in a stable environment.”

— Mary Douglas

Mary Douglas Quote: “Inequality can have a bad downside, but equality, for its part, sure does get in the way of coordination.”

7. “Inequality can have a bad downside, but equality, for its part, sure does get in the way of coordination.”

— Mary Douglas

Mary Douglas Quote: “The history of the Church of Rome is a constant leakage of members into such breakaway cults, which go on splitting.”

8. “The history of the Church of Rome is a constant leakage of members into such breakaway cults, which go on splitting.”

— Mary Douglas

Mary Douglas Quote: “I am sure it must be true that people opt out of the mainstream society because they feel that there are going to be no rewards for them, if they stay.”

9. “I am sure it must be true that people opt out of the mainstream society because they feel that there are going to be no rewards for them, if they stay.”

— Mary Douglas

Mary Douglas Quote: “Yes, disappointment over perceived unfairness, injustice, promises not kept, tends to go hand in hand with increasing prosperity. Expectations are dashed. What can I say!”

10. “Yes, disappointment over perceived unfairness, injustice, promises not kept, tends to go hand in hand with increasing prosperity. Expectations are dashed. What can I say!”

— Mary Douglas

Mary Douglas Quote: “Islam is in principle egalitarian, and has always had problems with power.”

11. “Islam is in principle egalitarian, and has always had problems with power.”

— Mary Douglas

Mary Douglas Quote: “Institutions have the pathetic megalomania of the computer whose whole vision of the world is its own program.”

12. “Institutions have the pathetic megalomania of the computer whose whole vision of the world is its own program.”

— Mary Douglas

Mary Douglas Quote: “Hierarchy is is much reviled in the present day.”

13. “Hierarchy is is much reviled in the present day.”

— Mary Douglas

Mary Douglas Quote: “The natural response of the old-timers is to build a strong moral wall against the outside. This is where the world starts to be painted in black and white, saints inside, and sinners outside the wall.”

14. “The natural response of the old-timers is to build a strong moral wall against the outside. This is where the world starts to be painted in black and white, saints inside, and sinners outside the wall.”

— Mary Douglas

Featured in: Strong Quotes

Mary Douglas Quote: “Inside a religious body you get sects and hierarchies, inside an information network you get bazaars and cathedrals, it is the same, call them what you like. They survive by pointing the finger of blame at each other.”

15. “Inside a religious body you get sects and hierarchies, inside an information network you get bazaars and cathedrals, it is the same, call them what you like. They survive by pointing the finger of blame at each other.”

— Mary Douglas

Mary Douglas Quote: “When we are reflecting on terrorism we can grieve for many things we do and have done.”

16. “When we are reflecting on terrorism we can grieve for many things we do and have done.”

— Mary Douglas

Mary Douglas Quote: “Enclave life becomes very tense, Even when they do elect a leader, the factions remain, with the threat of splitting off.”

17. “Enclave life becomes very tense, Even when they do elect a leader, the factions remain, with the threat of splitting off.”

— Mary Douglas

Mary Douglas Quote: “Religion can make it worse. Are you supposing that if people were encouraged to believe in a transcendent reality, and to be encouraged by grand rituals and music and preaching, to love their neighbors, then they would put jealousy and frustration aside?”

18. “Religion can make it worse. Are you supposing that if people were encouraged to believe in a transcendent reality, and to be encouraged by grand rituals and music and preaching, to love their neighbors, then they would put jealousy and frustration aside?”

— Mary Douglas

Mary Douglas Quote: “Behind a leader there must be followers, but they should always be on the lookout for the main chance and ready to change sides if the current leader doesn’t deliver.”

19. “Behind a leader there must be followers, but they should always be on the lookout for the main chance and ready to change sides if the current leader doesn’t deliver.”

— Mary Douglas

Mary Douglas Quote: “It is very reasonable to worry about the harm done by organized religion, and to prefer looser and more private arrangements.”

20. “It is very reasonable to worry about the harm done by organized religion, and to prefer looser and more private arrangements.”

— Mary Douglas

Mary Douglas Quote: “If people want to compete for leadership of a religious group, they can compete in piety. A chilling thought. Or funny.”

21. “If people want to compete for leadership of a religious group, they can compete in piety. A chilling thought. Or funny.”

— Mary Douglas

Mary Douglas Quote: “I have increasingly, over the years, felt that religion today does our civilization more harm than good.”

22. “I have increasingly, over the years, felt that religion today does our civilization more harm than good.”

— Mary Douglas

Mary Douglas Quote: “Every year the progress of advanced capitalist society makes our population consist of more and more isolates. This is because of the infrastructure of the economy, especially electronic communications.”

23. “Every year the progress of advanced capitalist society makes our population consist of more and more isolates. This is because of the infrastructure of the economy, especially electronic communications.”

— Mary Douglas

Mary Douglas Quote: “It seems true that the growth of science and secularism made organized Christianity feel under threat.”

24. “It seems true that the growth of science and secularism made organized Christianity feel under threat.”

— Mary Douglas

Mary Douglas Quote: “Our technological infrastructure alienates us from each other. No need to form a workplace community, everybody there will be out in a year or two, and so will you, looking for a better place.”

25. “Our technological infrastructure alienates us from each other. No need to form a workplace community, everybody there will be out in a year or two, and so will you, looking for a better place.”

— Mary Douglas

Mary Douglas Quote: “Since 1970, relationships can be more volatile, jobs more ephemeral, geographical mobility more intensified, stability of marriage weaker.”

26. “Since 1970, relationships can be more volatile, jobs more ephemeral, geographical mobility more intensified, stability of marriage weaker.”

— Mary Douglas

Mary Douglas Quote: “Some scholars have been arguing that a civilizational clash between organized religions is the next step in human history.”

27. “Some scholars have been arguing that a civilizational clash between organized religions is the next step in human history.”

— Mary Douglas

Mary Douglas Quote: “I am convinced that living in an enclave shapes the personality, and living alone shapes the personality too.”

28. “I am convinced that living in an enclave shapes the personality, and living alone shapes the personality too.”

— Mary Douglas

Mary Douglas Quote: “Any great organization can go through sectarian phases.”

29. “Any great organization can go through sectarian phases.”

— Mary Douglas

Mary Douglas Quote: “Real equality is immensely difficult to achieve, it needs continual revision and monitoring of distributions. And it does not provide buffers between members, so they are continually colliding or frustrating each other.”

30. “Real equality is immensely difficult to achieve, it needs continual revision and monitoring of distributions. And it does not provide buffers between members, so they are continually colliding or frustrating each other.”

— Mary Douglas

Mary Douglas Quote: “Just in our lifetime our society has become looser and more private, it becomes extremely difficult to hold to any permanent commitment whatever, least of all to organized religion.”

31. “Just in our lifetime our society has become looser and more private, it becomes extremely difficult to hold to any permanent commitment whatever, least of all to organized religion.”

— Mary Douglas

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