Approved attributes and their relation to face make every man his own jailer; this is a fundamental social constraint even though each man may like his cell.
Erving GoffmanAll the world is not, of course, a stage, but the crucial ways in which it isn’t are not easy to specify
Erving GoffmanChoose your self-presentations carefully, for what starts out as a mask may become your face.
Erving GoffmanOur sense of being a person can come from being drawn into a wide social unit; our sense of selfhood can arise through the little ways in which we resist the pull. Our status is backed by the solid buildings of the world, while our sense of personal identity often resides in the cracks
Erving Goffman