Community Quote by Lauren Groff
“The trouble is that America's become a utopia accessible only to some people. Others get trampled on. Perhaps it's a problem of size. Robin Dunbar, an anthropologist, once gave the ideal number of a given community as 148. That seems about right to me. There's something idealistic about that - in a group of 148 people you can get to know everybody.”
About This Quote
Source Essay: The New Yorker, “The Limits of Community”, 2019
Small groups foster intimacy, but scaling up creates inequality and alienation.
In simple terms: Ideal community size is limited.
Key Takeaway
Seek meaningful connections in manageable groups.
Themes
community
size
inequality
social dynamics
anthropology
Mood
thoughtful
analytical
Type
philosophical
observational
When to use this quote
- workplace teams
- neighborhoods
- online forums
Key Concepts
Dunbar number
social cohesion
exclusivity
Questions to Reflect On
- How does group size affect belonging?
- Can technology bridge the gap?
A Different Perspective
Large societies can still nurture intimacy with effort.
![“[The Utopia of Rules] should offer a challenge to us all. Should we just accept this bureaucracy as inevitable? Or is there a way to get rid of all those hours spent listening to bad call-centre music? Do policemen, academics, teachers and doctors really need to spend half their time filling in…” quote by Gillian Tett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/223/gillian-tett-57286_accepting_the-utopia-of-rules-should-offer-a-chall_39418.jpg)
![“[Still apparent in him, the tiny boy, mewling in cold and hunger. It’s less delicious, this badness bred from survival.]” quote by Lauren Groff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/d31/lauren-groff-2802_hunger_still-apparent-in-him-the-tiny-boy-mewli_129877.jpg)
![“The social [media channel] isn't about beauty contests and popularity contests. They're a distortion, a caricature of the real thing. It's about trust, connection, and community. That's what there's too little of in today's mediascape, despite all the hoopla surrounding social tools. The promise…” quote by Umair Haque](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/c85/umair-haque-25881_beauty_the-social-media-channel-isn-t-about-bea_1270.jpg)
