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“People divorced from community, occupation, and association are first and foremost among the supporters of extremism.”
― Robert D. Putnam, Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community

“Depression is hard to describe not just because it is complex and abstract but also because it occupies the part of us capable of describing things.”
― Sarah Manguso, 300 Arguments: Essays

“Moving is a well-established tradition in America, and _moving up_ constitutes a significant part of the American dream. Not only is working one's way to a bigger house central to our ethos but it makes sense functionally as families bring more children into the world. But why must the move to a larger or more luxurious house bring with it the abandonment of one's neighbors, community groups, and often even schoolmates? The suburban pod system causes people to move not just from house to house but form community to community. Only in a traditionally organized neighborhood of varied incomes can a family significantly alter its housing without going very far. In the new suburbs, you can't move up without moving out. (The same is true of moving down. Seniors seeking a smaller house are often forced to abandon their familiar community and start over someplace else.)”
― Andrés Duany, Suburban Nation: The Rise of Sprawl and the Decline of the American Dream

“I don't know why, because it's one of those things I'm not contractually obligated to care about.”
― Martha Wells