If freedom is a requisite for human happiness, then all that’s necessary is to provide the illusion of freedom.
B. F. SKINNER
B. F. SKINNER
B. F. Skinner on freedom
B. F. Skinner107 quotes“If freedom is a requisite for human happiness, then all that’s necessary is to provide the illusion of freedom.”
More from B. F. Skinner
A piece of music is an experience to be taken by itself.
B. F. SkinnerB. F. Skinner The speaker does not feel the grammatical rules he is said to apply in composing sentences, and men spoke grammatically for thousands of years before anyone knew there were rules.
B. F. SkinnerB. F. Skinner Behavior is determined by its consequences.
B. F. SkinnerB. F. Skinner Unable to understand how or why the person we see behaves as he does, we attribute his behavior to a person we cannot see, whose behavior we cannot explain either but about whom we are not inclined to ask questions.
B. F. SkinnerB. F. Skinner Teachers must learn how to teach they need only to be taught more effective ways of teaching.
B. F. SkinnerB. F. Skinner But restraint is the only one sort of control, and absence of restraint isn’t freedom. It’s not control that’s lacking when one feels ‘free’, but the objectionable control of force.
B. F. SkinnerB. F. Skinner Do not intervene between a person and the consequences of their own behavior.
B. F. SkinnerB. F. Skinner Give me a child and I’ll shape him into anything.
B. F. SkinnerB. F. Skinner We are only just beginning to understand the power of love because we are just beginning to understand the weakness of force and aggression.
B. F. SkinnerB. F. Skinner Those who have had anything useful to say have said it far too often, and those who have had nothing to say have been no more reticent.
B. F. SkinnerB. F. Skinner If you’re old, don’t try to change yourself, change your environment.
B. F. SkinnerB. F. Skinner Science, not religion, has taught me my most useful values, among them intellectual honesty. It is better to go without answers than to accept those that merely resolve puzzlement.
B. F. SkinnerB. F. Skinner Society already possesses the psychological techniques needed to obtain universal observance of a code – a code which would guarantee the success of a community or state. The difficulty is that these techniques are in the hands of the wrong people-or, rather, there aren’t any right people.
B. F. SkinnerB. F. Skinner The major difference between rats and people is that rats learn from experience.
B. F. SkinnerB. F. Skinner We shouldn’t teach great books; we should teach a love of reading. Knowing the contents of a few works of literature is a trivial achievement. Being inclined to go on reading is a great achievement.
B. F. SkinnerB. F. Skinner Men build society and society builds men.
B. F. SkinnerB. F. Skinner
Original quotes
From our community writers
And in the end when the money is gone – will you still stay it was worth it.
M.K. StandbyM.K. Standby My soul speaks a language, only you can understand.
Ginnie BaleGinnie Bale In another life, you kept your word, and forever’s still ours for the taking.
Harriet SelinaHarriet Selina Journey with struggle becomes a great tale in the future.
Carla StokesCarla Stokes I’m not asking that you take the bullet for me. I wish you’d shoot first.
Danielle MontgomeryDanielle Montgomery A rainy day is the perfect excuse to explore deeper feelings.
Emily BockEmily Bock Stop taking care of everyone else before you take care of yourself.
Claire VinsonClaire Vinson Music is a weed, we all fallen souls are high on.
Ananya BhaskarAnanya Bhaskar
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More on freedom
The capacity to get free is nothing; the capacity to be free is the task.
Andre GideAndre Gide No one is free who has not obtained the empire of himself.
PythagorasPythagoras Forgiveness is such a blessing. It frees us.
Elezabeth SymondElezabeth Symond Gratitude is one of the simplest things we can do for each other and it’s free.
Lily DiazLily Diaz Letting go always brings freedom to your soul.
Sam GilbertSam Gilbert A lie will keep you living in shame from the past when God wants to set you free for a better future.
Elaine HaysElaine Hays The political core of any movement for freedom in the society has to have the political imperative to protect free speech.
Bell HooksBell Hooks The idea of freedom is inspiring. But what does it mean? If you are free in a political sense but have no food, what’s that? The freedom to starve?
Angela DavisAngela Davis
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