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Ritual Quotes

What counts as ritual, from the sacred to the silly.

These ritual quotes range from the almost comic, a backstage habit built around flatulence, to a genuine fondness for the idea of ritual itself. One treats a weekly Chinese restaurant visit as its own kind of American ritual, showing how ordinary habits can take on that weight.

I fart. My backstage ritual is flatulence.

Quotes by Summer Walker

I do love the idea of ritual.

Quotes by Sarah Silverman

Oh, yeah, I'm all about ritual.

Quotes by Rashid Johnson

Chinese restaurants have long been a weekly or monthly ritual for many Americans.

Quotes by Jennifer Lee

Belief Quotes

Infelicity is an ill to which all acts are heir which have the general character of ritual or ceremonial, all conventional acts.

Quotes by J. L. Austin

There is a close meshing with the ritual properties of persons and with the egocentric forms of territoriality.

Quotes by Erving Goffman

Frequently Asked Questions

Are all the rituals in these quotes serious or sacred?
No, one is deliberately lighthearted, describing a backstage ritual built entirely around flatulence before a performance. It sits alongside more thoughtful reflections on what ritual means.
Can eating at the same restaurant regularly count as a ritual?
According to one quote, yes, a weekly or monthly visit to a Chinese restaurant is described as a genuine ritual for many Americans.
What does it mean for a ritual to fail or be "infelicitous"?
One quote discusses infelicity as a risk shared by all conventional, ceremonial acts, meaning a ritual can go wrong in ways specific to its own rules.
Why might someone say they love the idea of ritual?
One quote states that affection plainly, without elaborating further, suggesting an appreciation for structure and Repetition in daily life.
What ties these different rituals together?
Each treats repeated action, however small or strange, as capable of carrying real meaning or identity. The quotes agree ritual comes from repetition rather than scale.

A more formal quote treats ritual and ceremony as conventional acts that can fail in their own particular way when done wrong. Read side by side, the quotes suggest Repetition alone can turn almost anything into a ritual.