Character Quote by Richard Sennett
““The reigning belief today is that closeness between persons is a moral good. The reigning aspiration today is to develop individual personality through experiences of closeness and warmth with others. The reigning myth today is that the evils of society can all be understood as the evils of impersonality, alienation, and coldness. The sum of these three is an ideology of intimacy: social relationships of all kinds are real, believable, and authentic the closer they approach the inner psychological concerns of each person. This ideology transmutes political categories into psychological categories. This ideology of intimacy defines the humanitarian spirit of a society without gods; warmth is our god.””
About This Quote
Source Book: The Culture of the New Capitalism, 2006
Sennett critiques the modern belief that closeness is inherently good, warning that it can become an ideology that politicizes intimacy.
In simple terms: Intimacy can be over‑idealized and politicized.
Key Takeaway
Question the assumptions behind “intimacy as virtue”.
Themes
sociology
psychology
culture
Mood
reflective
critical
Type
philosophical
analytical
When to use this quote
- workplace dynamics
- community building
- political discourse
- mental health initiatives
Key Concepts
intimacy
ideology
humanism
Questions to Reflect On
- Is intimacy always beneficial for society?
- How does intimacy shape political power?
A Different Perspective
Overemphasis on closeness may suppress individuality and critical dissent.
![“[There are] code words used today to measure the 'authenticity' of relationships or other persons. We speak of whether we can personally 'relate' to events or other persons, and whether in the relationship itself people are 'open' to one another. The first is a cover word for measuring the other…” quote by Richard Sennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/a43/richard-sennett-27792_authenticity_there-are-code-words-used-today-to-measu_37186.jpg)
