"If there's ever a place where you can't argue that you can put the facts over here and the text over there and see if they fit, it is surely in anthropology"

In this quote, anthropologist Clifford Geertz is highlighting the intricacy and subjectivity of the field of anthropology. He recommends that unlike other disciplines where realities and text can be neatly separated and compared, sociology is a discipline where this technique does not work. This is due to the fact that anthropology deals with the research study of human cultures and societies, which are constantly progressing and can not be easily classified or analyzed. Geertz is stressing the value of comprehending the context and nuances of a culture in order to genuinely understand it, rather than simply depending on realities and information. He is also acknowledging the restrictions of objectivity in sociology, as it is eventually a subjective and interpretive field.