B. F. Skinner on change
B. F. Skinner107 quotes“Going out of style isn’t a natural process, but a manipulated change which destroys the beauty of last year’s dress in order to make it worthless.”
More from B. F. Skinner
We have seen that in certain respects operant reinforcement resembles the natural selection of evolutionary theory. Just as genetic characteristics which arise as mutations are selected or discarded by their consequences, so novel forms of behavior are selected or discarded through reinforcement.
B. F. SkinnerB. F. Skinner We have seen that in certain respects operant reinforcement resembles the natural selection of evolutionary theory. Just as genetic characteristics which arise as mutations are selected or discarded by their consequences, so novel forms of behavior are selected or discarded through reinforcement.
B. F. SkinnerB. F. Skinner To require a citizen to sign a loyalty oath is to destroy some of the loyalty he could otherwise claim, since any subsequent loyal behavior may then be attributed to the oath.
B. F. SkinnerB. F. Skinner I don’t believe in God, so I’m not afraid of dying.
B. F. SkinnerB. F. Skinner The juvenile delinquent does not feel his disturbed personality. The intelligent man does not feel his intelligence or the introvert his introversion.
B. F. SkinnerB. F. Skinner A vast technology has been developed to prevent, reduce, or terminate exhausting labor and physical damage. It is now dedicated to the production of the most trivial conveniences and comfort.
B. F. SkinnerB. F. Skinner The only geniuses produced by the chaos of society are those who do something about it. Chaos breeds geniuses. It offers a man something to be a genius about.
B. F. SkinnerB. F. Skinner Chaos breeds geniuses. It offers a man something to be a genius about.
B. F. SkinnerB. F. Skinner We shouldn’t teach great books; we should teach a love of reading.
B. F. SkinnerB. F. Skinner We do not choose survival as a value, it chooses us.
B. F. SkinnerB. F. Skinner A fourth-grade reader may be a sixth-grade mathematician. The grade is an administrative device which does violence to the nature of the developmental process.
B. F. SkinnerB. F. Skinner If freedom is a requisite for human happiness, then all that’s necessary is to provide the illusion of freedom.
B. F. SkinnerB. F. Skinner The simulated approval and affection with which parents and teachers are often urged to solve behavior problems are counterfeit. So are flattery, backslap-ping, and many other ways of “winning friends.
B. F. SkinnerB. F. Skinner The one fact that I would cry form every housetop is this: the Good Life is waiting for us – here and now.
B. F. SkinnerB. F. Skinner The way positive reinforcement is carried out is more important than the amount.
B. F. SkinnerB. F. Skinner I’ve often said that my rats have taught me much more than I’ve taught them.
B. F. SkinnerB. F. Skinner
Original quotes
From our community writers
Mental health doesn’t have to be an uphill battle.
Isabel RocioIsabel Rocio The worst thing is not to share our pain with each other when you can.
Ayaka HaseAyaka Hase I have happened in so many places, to so many people – the essence of me lives on in these nuances, these moments.
Lang LeavLang Leav Respect your body, it’s a home to be thankful for.
SargamSargam My heart holds your name like it’s the only thing it knows.
N.M SanchezN.M Sanchez Listening and empathizing will enable you to look past fake smiles and dive deeper into the pain in their eyes.
Ankur SinghAnkur Singh I heard the universe whisper “take care of her”
Karla GaleanaKarla Galeana Respect me, not because I respect you, but because I deserve your respect.
Najwa ZebianNajwa Zebian
Meet the writers
More on change
Life belongs to the living, and he who lives must be prepared for changes.
Johann Wolfgang von GoetheJohann Wolfgang von Goethe As long as politics is the shadow of big business, the attenuation of the shadow will not change the substance.
John DeweyJohn Dewey You never change your life until you step out of your comfort zone; change begins at the end of your comfort zone.
Roy T. BennettRoy T. Bennett Why is love beyond all measure of other human possibilities so rich and such a sweet burden for the one who has been struck by it? Because we change ourselves into that which we love, and yet remain ourselves.
Martin HeideggerMartin Heidegger The poets are in the vanguard of a changed conception of Being.
Martin HeideggerMartin Heidegger A heart well worth winning, and well won. A heart that, once won, goes through fire and water for the winner, and never changes, and is never daunted.
Charles DickensCharles Dickens I feel I have lived my whole life, day to day, without planning anything and I like it that way. Things change so fast, one minute you are here, the next minute you are on a plane, it’s great fun.
Paul WalkerPaul Walker It’s never too late to change your life for the better. You don’t have to take huge steps to change your life. Making even the smallest changes to your daily routine can make a big difference to your life.
Roy T. BennettRoy T. Bennett
Keep exploring
More American psychologists
