-
Sociology is possible only because human behavior is patterned. Students in a classroom tend to sit in the same part of the room each day - often in the same seat. Concertgoers tend to applaud simultaneously and at appropriate intervals. Elevator passengers almost invariably face the front. The potential gift of sociology is to uncover the patterns and regularities from among many incidents and observations so that perhaps people may recognize their own isolated experience within the context of the experiences of others. But the path of each individual life is unique and unpredictable.
—
(via aow)Uncoupling: Turning Points in Intimate Relationships by Diane Vaughan