Neither the life of an individual nor the history of a society can be understood without understanding both.
C. Wright MillsFreedom is not merely the opportunity to do as one pleases; neither is it merely the opportunity to choose between set alternatives. Freedom is, first of all, the chance to formulate the available choices, to argue over them -- and then, the opportunity to choose.
C. Wright MillsSeldom aware of the intricate connection between the patterns of their own lives and the course of world history, ordinary people do not usually know what this connection means for the kind of people they are becoming and for the kind of history-making in which they might take part.
C. Wright MillsWhat ordinary men are directly aware of and what they try to do are bounded by the private orbits in which they live; their visions and their powers are limited.
C. Wright Mills