Culture Quote by Simon Schama
““The retaining membrane that held Dutch culture together for more than a century was a marvel of elasticity. Responding to appropriate external stimuli, it could expand or contract as the conditions of its survival altered. Under pressure, it could tighten to compress the Dutch into a sense of their indissoluble unity. In more expansive times it could relax and swell, allowing for internal differentiation and the absorption of a whole gamut of beliefs, faiths and even tongues. An omniscient kind of social filter swallowed up those foreign bodies and spat them out again as burghers: civically salubrious and residentially reliable.””
About This Quote
Source Book: “The Embarrassment of Riches”, 1999
The quote describes Dutch cultural cohesion as a flexible “retaining membrane” that adapts to pressures, expanding or contracting to maintain unity while allowing diversity.
In simple terms: Dutch society is adaptable, balancing unity and diversity.
Key Takeaway
Embrace flexibility in cultural identity.
Themes
culture
identity
social cohesion
adaptability
history
Mood
analytical
reflective
Type
sociological
inspirational
When to use this quote
- policy making
- immigration integration
- community building
- national celebrations
Key Concepts
sociology
nationalism
elasticity
collective identity
Questions to Reflect On
- How can societies maintain cohesion while embracing change?
- What mechanisms support cultural elasticity?
A Different Perspective
Rigid identities can resist necessary change.
![“[T]he dignity of parliament it seems can brook no opposition to it's power. Strange that a set of men who have made sale of theirvirtue to the minister should yet talk of retaining dignity!” quote by Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/696/thomas-jefferson-43_british-parliament_t-he-dignity-of-parliament-it-seems-can_150191.jpg)
