Anthony Giddens

The reflexivity of modern social life consists in the fact that social practices are constantly examined and reformed in the light of incoming information about those practices, thus constitutively altering their character.

Modernity is inherently globalizing. It is not just about the expansion of Western institutions, but about the transformation of social relations across the globe.

Trust is not the absence of risk, but the ability to cope with it.

Globalization is not just about economic interdependence, but also about the intensification of worldwide social relations which link distant localities in such a way that local happenings are shaped by events occurring many miles away and vice versa.

The self is not a passive recipient of social forces, but an active agent in the construction of its own identity.

In a world of increasing uncertainty, the project of the self becomes a reflexive endeavor, constantly shaped and reshaped through interaction with others.

Intimacy is not a given, but an achievement, constantly negotiated and renegotiated in the context of personal relationships.

The 'pure relationship' is one which is entered into for its own sake, for what can be derived by each person from a sustained association with another; and which is continued only in so far as it is thought by both parties to deliver enough satisfactions for each individual to stay within it.

The nation-state is being squeezed from above and below. From above by globalization, from below by local identities.

The Third Way is about moving beyond the old dichotomies of left and right, and forging a new political agenda for the 21st century.

Social democracy must embrace the market, but also tame it. It must promote individual responsibility, but also social solidarity.

The challenge of the Third Way is to combine economic dynamism with social justice.

Risk is not just about danger, but also about opportunity. It is an inherent feature of modern life.

Globalization is not just an economic phenomenon, but a cultural and political one too. It is reshaping our lives in profound ways.

The ecological crisis is not just an environmental problem, but a social and political one. It requires a fundamental rethinking of our relationship with nature.

Tradition is not the opposite of modernity, but a constant resource for its renewal.

The family is not in decline, but in transformation. It is becoming more diverse and fluid.

Democracy is not just about voting, but about active participation in public life.

The welfare state needs to be reformed, not dismantled. It needs to be made more active and empowering.

Social theory is not just about understanding the world, but about changing it.