Max Weber

Sociology German 1864 – 1920 337 quotes

Father of sociology, bureaucracy and Protestant ethic

Quotes by Max Weber

The academic world is a battlefield, but the weapons are words.

Science as a Vocation

The politician needs charisma, but also a good accountant.

Politics as a Vocation 1919

The 'iron cage' is not made of iron, but of rationality.

The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism 1905

The modern world is a world of means, but we have forgotten the ends.

Science as a Vocation

The 'calling' is a secularized form of religious asceticism.

The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism 1905

The bureaucrat is a servant of the state, but also its master.

Economy and Society

The politician must be a realist, but also a visionary.

Politics as a Vocation 1919

The 'disenchantment of the world' has led to a loss of meaning.

Science as a Vocation 1919

The academic is a professional skeptic, and that is his strength.

Science as a Vocation

The 'iron cage' is a comfortable prison, but a prison nonetheless.

The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism 1905

The modern world is a world of calculability, and that is its curse.

Economy and Society

The 'calling' is a form of self-discipline, but also a form of self-enslavement.

The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism 1905

The politician must have a thick skin, but also a sensitive heart.

Politics as a Vocation 1919

The 'disenchantment of the world' means that we are left with only facts, and no values.

Science as a Vocation 1919

The bureaucrat is a rule-follower, but also a rule-maker.

Economy and Society

The academic is a professional doubter, and that is his contribution.

Science as a Vocation

The 'iron cage' is a monument to human ingenuity, and human folly.

The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism 1905

The modern world is a world of efficiency, but at what cost?

Economy and Society

The 'calling' is a form of rational asceticism, but it has lost its religious meaning.

The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism 1905

The politician must be a leader, but also a servant.

Politics as a Vocation 1919