"Neither the life of an individual nor the history of a society can be understood without understanding both"

This quote by C. Wright Mills emphasizes the importance of comprehending both the life of a private and also the background of a society in order to obtain an extensive understanding of either. It suggests that the two are totally connected, and that one can not be fully comprehended without the various other. This is due to the fact that the life of an individual is formed by the society in which they live, and the background of a society is formed by the people that inhabit it. Therefore, to acquire a complete understanding of either, one must think about both the specific and also the culture. This quote acts as a suggestion that both are intertwined and that neither can be completely recognized without taking the various other right into account.