--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To be sociable is a risky thing—even…" description: "\"“To be sociable is a risky thing—even fatal—because it means being in contact with people, most of whom are dull, perverse and ignorant and are really ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/648/paul-hoffman-8370_friendship_to-be-sociable-is-a-risky-thing-even-fat_224208.jpg" --- # To be sociable is a risky thing—even fatal—because it… ![“To be sociable is a risky thing—even fatal—because it means being in contact with people, most of whom are dull, perverse and ignorant and are really with you only because they cannot bear their own company. Most people bore themselves and greet you not as a true friend but as a distraction—like a…” quote by Paul Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/648/paul-hoffman-8370_friendship_to-be-sociable-is-a-risky-thing-even-fat_224208.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/648/paul-hoffman-8370_friendship_to-be-sociable-is-a-risky-thing-even-fat_224208.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/648/paul-hoffman-8370_friendship_to-be-sociable-is-a-risky-thing-even-fat_224208.jpg) > ““To be sociable is a risky thing—even fatal—because it means being in contact with people, most of whom are dull, perverse and ignorant and are really with you only because they cannot bear their own company. Most people bore themselves and greet you not as a true friend but as a distraction—like a dancing dog or some half-wit actor with a fund of amusing stories.”” [Paul Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hoffman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Social interaction is fraught with risk because many people are uninteresting or use you merely as a distraction rather than genuine companionship. **In simple terms:** Being sociable can expose you to dull or harmful company. Key Takeaway Choose meaningful connections over superficial ones. Themes social risk authenticity relationships Mood cautious reflective Type observational critical When to use this quote - networking events - online dating - workplace meetings - family gatherings Key Concepts psychology human behavior social dynamics Questions to Reflect On - What criteria do you use to judge genuine friendship? - How can you protect yourself while staying open? A Different Perspective Not all interactions are harmful; some can lead to unexpected growth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fatal Means](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fatal-means-2283260/) [Friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship/) [Means Contact](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/means-contact-2283261/) [Risky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/risky/) [Sociable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sociable/) [Sociable Risky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sociable-risky-2283259/) [True friend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/true-friend/) ## Related quotes > [HERMIT, n. A person whose vices and follies are not sociable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/hermit-n-a-person-whose-vices-and-follies-are-not-sociable/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [As for being sociable, I hate the phoniness in the showbiz world. I know this will be taken wrong, but I don't like clubs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-carson/as-for-being-sociable-i-hate-the-phoniness-in-the-showbiz-world-i/) [Johnny Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-carson/) > [My opinions are aggressive, I admit that. But not my personality. I'm sociable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ariel-sharon/my-opinions-are-aggressive-i-admit-that-but-not-my-personality-i-m/) [Ariel Sharon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ariel-sharon/) > [Be civil to all; serviceable to many; familiar with few; friend to one; enemy to none.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/be-civil-to-all-serviceable-to-many-familiar-with-few-friend-to-one/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [“The truly creative mind is hardly ever so much alone as when it is trying to be sociable. The”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-hofstadter/the-truly-creative-mind-is-hardly-ever-so-much-alone-as-when-it-is/) [Richard Hofstadter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-hofstadter/) > [The older I get, the more of a recluse I turn into. I love the social aspect of my work. It’s like a commune…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-daniels/the-older-i-get-the-more-of-a-recluse-i-turn-into-i-love-the-social/) [Ben Daniels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-daniels/) > [Holmes has become the dark side of the moon for me. He is moody and solitary and underneath I am really sociable and gregarious.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-brett/holmes-has-become-the-dark-side-of-the-moon-for-me-he-is-moody-and/) [Jeremy Brett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-brett/) > [“We are born to talk to other people, ... we are born to be sociable and to sit together with others in the shade…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-mccall-smith/we-are-born-to-talk-to-other-people-we-are-born-to-be-sociable-and-to/) [Alexander McCall Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-mccall-smith/) > [She and my uncle were very sociable and would have a lot of people over at night to play cards or whatever. The high…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-fletcher/she-and-my-uncle-were-very-sociable-and-would-have-a-lot-of-people/) [Louise Fletcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-fletcher/) > [On the internet: Ugh I hate people so much! Applying for a job: I love working with people and I'm very sociable. :](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/on-the-internet-ugh-i-hate-people-so-much-applying-for-a-job-i-love/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [“When you are alone in the wilderness, opinions or beliefs of any kind are dropped as the absurd accoutrements they are. But after being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-ligotti/when-you-are-alone-in-the-wilderness-opinions-or-beliefs-of-any-kind/) [Thomas Ligotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-ligotti/) > [Nature's prime favourites were the Pelicans; High-fed, long-lived, and sociable and free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-montgomery/nature-s-prime-favourites-were-the-pelicans-high-fed-long-lived-and/) [James Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-montgomery/) > [How sociable the garden was. We ate and talked in given light. The children put their toys to grass All the warm wakeful August…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-gunn/how-sociable-the-garden-was-we-ate-and-talked-in-given-light-the/) [Thom Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-gunn/) > [More and more I like to take a train. I understand why the French prefer it to automobiling it is so much more sociable,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-stein/more-and-more-i-like-to-take-a-train-i-understand-why-the-french/) [Gertrude Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-stein/) > [I only went along to youth theatre with a friend when I was young to try to make myself a bit more sociable. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-marie-duff/i-only-went-along-to-youth-theatre-with-a-friend-when-i-was-young-to/) [Anne-Marie Duff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-marie-duff/) ## More by Paul Hoffman > [“The battle had been as hideous as you might expect between one side who were simply not afraid to die and another who regarded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hoffman/the-battle-had-been-as-hideous-as-you-might-expect-between-one-side/) [Paul Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hoffman/) > [“...the older I get, the more I believe that if love is to be judged by most of its visible effects, it looks more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hoffman/the-older-i-get-the-more-i-believe-that-if-love-is-to-be-judged-by/) [Paul Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hoffman/) > [“You should never tell your best friend anything you wouldn´t be prepared to tell your worst enemy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hoffman/you-should-never-tell-your-best-friend-anything-you-wouldn-t-be/) [Paul Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hoffman/) > [“That's how the world is, and there is nothing an insignificant nobody like you, or even a significant somebody like me, can do about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hoffman/that-s-how-the-world-is-and-there-is-nothing-an-insignificant-nobody/) [Paul Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hoffman/) > [“That was a rhetorical question, one asked solely to produce an effect and not elicit a reply.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hoffman/that-was-a-rhetorical-question-one-asked-solely-to-produce-an-effect/) [Paul Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hoffman/) > [If there was to be a new Europe, there not only had to be a common market, but also great mobility in labor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hoffman/if-there-was-to-be-a-new-europe-there-not-only-had-to-be-a-common/) [Paul Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hoffman/) > [“Feeling sorry for yourself is a universal solvent of salvation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hoffman/feeling-sorry-for-yourself-is-a-universal-solvent-of-salvation/) [Paul Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hoffman/) > [“The wicked have weakness other than their willingness to kill and maim. Even the bleakest, cruelest soul can have its tender spots. Even the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hoffman/the-wicked-have-weakness-other-than-their-willingness-to-kill-and/) [Paul Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hoffman/) > [“Listen. The Sanctuary of the Redeemers on Shotover Scarp is named after a damned lie for there is no redemption that goes on there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hoffman/listen-the-sanctuary-of-the-redeemers-on-shotover-scarp-is-named/) [Paul Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hoffman/) > [The Europeans had made two promises to the United States if Marshall Plan help was forthcoming. The first promise was maximum self-help on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hoffman/the-europeans-had-made-two-promises-to-the-united-states-if-marshall/) [Paul Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hoffman/) > [“non numerantur sed ponderantur (They are not counted but weighed)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hoffman/non-numerantur-sed-ponderantur-they-are-not-counted-but-weighed/) [Paul Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hoffman/) > [“Until two days ago what had driven him was the will to survive: deep, animal, full of rage—but always part of him had not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hoffman/until-two-days-ago-what-had-driven-him-was-the-will-to-survive-deep/) [Paul Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hoffman/) > [As far as we were concerned, we were operators, we were administrators. I don't ever recall going to Dean Acheson and asking for any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hoffman/as-far-as-we-were-concerned-we-were-operators-we-were-administrators/) [Paul Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hoffman/) > [There are times we are givers, but others time we have to let others give to us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hoffman/there-are-times-we-are-givers-but-others-time-we-have-to-let-others/) [Paul Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hoffman/) > [“t was once famously said that it is as well that wars are so ruinously expensive, else we would never stop fighting them. However…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hoffman/t-was-once-famously-said-that-it-is-as-well-that-wars-are-so/) [Paul Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hoffman/) [Explore all 73 Paul Hoffman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hoffman/) ## More Friendship quotes > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I never believed in trying to do anything. Whatever I set out to do I found I had already accomplished.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/i-never-believed-in-trying-to-do-anything-whatever-i-set-out-to-do-i/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [“ever day Maureen is Selfish To her friend and Family One she get mad at her friend and family and She need to Grad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-andeson/ever-day-maureen-is-selfish-to-her-friend-and-family-one-she-get-mad/) [Maureen Andeson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-andeson/) > [I'm trying to write a film with my friend. I'd love to get the thrill of speaking actors making my work even funnier.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-howard/i-m-trying-to-write-a-film-with-my-friend-i-d-love-to-get-the-thrill/) [Russell Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-howard/) > [I gave my archive to Emory University because there's a really dear friend who teaches there, Rudolph Byrd, and he's the editor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/i-gave-my-archive-to-emory-university-because-there-s-a-really-dear/) [Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/) > [Friends are like stars you can't always see them, but you know they're there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/unknwon/friends-are-like-stars-you-can-t-always-see-them-but-you-know-they-re/) [Unknwon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/unknwon/) > [I've been writing songs since I was 10 years old and always had a penchant for rhyming. I started listening to hip hop through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hoodie-allen/i-ve-been-writing-songs-since-i-was-10-years-old-and-always-had-a/) [Hoodie Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hoodie-allen/) > [If you love some one for who they are not for there body or how many friend so when you say I love you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/unknow/if-you-love-some-one-for-who-they-are-not-for-there-body-or-how-many/) [Unknow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/unknow/) > [“But my best friend from college was silent for a long time. She, of all of my friends, had seen the parade of sad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-groff/but-my-best-friend-from-college-was-silent-for-a-long-time-she-of-all/) [Lauren Groff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-groff/) > [You smile upon your friend to-day, To-day his ills are over; You hearken to the lover's say, And happy is the lover. 'Tis late…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-smile-upon-your-friend-to-day-to-day-his-ills-are-over-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“way. A true friend isn't the one that agrees with everything you say or do. A true friend is someone that has your back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shameek-speight/way-a-true-friend-isn-t-the-one-that-agrees-with-everything-you-say/) [Shameek Speight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shameek-speight/) > [No one is completely unhappy at the failure of his best friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/groucho-marx/no-one-is-completely-unhappy-at-the-failure-of-his-best-friend/) [Groucho Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/groucho-marx/) > [“Kings don’t move mountains as a favor to a friend,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-whalen-turner/kings-don-t-move-mountains-as-a-favor-to-a-friend/) [Megan Whalen Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-whalen-turner/) > [I have friends and family that identify as LGBTQ.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-mace/i-have-friends-and-family-that-identify-as-lgbtq/) [Nancy Mace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-mace/) > [“The real purpose of friendship was to discover and exploit weakness in others.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-thompson/the-real-purpose-of-friendship-was-to-discover-and-exploit-weakness/) [Brian Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-thompson/) [Browse all 45,469 Friendship quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“To be sociable is a risky thing—even fatal—because it means being in contact with people, most of whom are dull, perverse and ignorant and are really with you only because they cannot bear their own company. 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