B. F. Skinner quotes - page 3

I don't believe in God, so I'm not afraid of dying. (B. F. Skinner)
The alphabet was a great invention, which enabled men to store and to learn with little effort what others had learned the hard way-that is, to learn from books rather than from direct, possibly painful, contact with the real world. View quote
B. F. Skinner
We do not choose survival as a value, it chooses us. View quote
B. F. Skinner
If the world is to save any part of its resources for the future, it must reduce not only consumption but the number of consumers. View quote
B. F. Skinner
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. View quote
B. F. Skinner
Death does not trouble me. I have no fear of supernatural punishments, of course, nor could I enjoy an eternal life in which there would be nothing left for me to do, the task of living having been accomplished. View quote
B. F. Skinner
Must we wait for selection to solve the problems of overpopulation, exhaustion of resources, pollution of the environment and a nuclear holocaust, or can we take explicit steps to make our future more secure? In the latter case, must we not transcend selection? View quote
B. F. Skinner
When you run into something interesting, drop everything else and study it. View quote
B. F. Skinner
Even the mundane task of washing dishes by hand is an example of the small tasks and personal activities that once filled people's daily lives with a sense of achievement. View quote
B. F. Skinner
The feeling of being interested can act as a kind of neurological signal, directing us to fruitful areas of inquiry. View quote
B. F. Skinner
I won't say that I'm an agnostic, since agnosticism maintains that one cannot know... but I'm not averse to the idea of some intelligence or some organizing force that set up the initial conditions of the universe in such a way that ultimately generated stars, planets and life. (B. F. Skinner)
No theory changes what it is a theory about; man remains what he has always been. View quote
B. F. Skinner
I am opposed to the military use of animals. I am also opposed to the military use of men. View quote
B. F. Skinner
You can get along very well in this world by simply coming up with a quantity of reasonably valid statements. View quote
B. F. Skinner
I would be opposed to any kind of totalitarian control. View quote
B. F. Skinner
I don't know whether I want to improve religion or not. I prefer to get rid of it. View quote
B. F. Skinner
The strengthening of behavior which results from reinforcement is appropriately called "conditioning." View quote
B. F. Skinner
"I have been misunderstood" An interview with B. F. Skinner 1972 March/April Center Magazine, pp. 63−65. View quote
B. F. Skinner