B.F. Skinner, born in 1904, was an influential American psychologist known for his work in behaviorism and operant conditioning. He pioneered the theory that behavior is influenced by environmental stimuli, particularly reinforcement or punishment. Skinner’s research led to the development of the operant conditioning chamber, or “Skinner box,” used to study animal behavior in controlled settings. He passed away in 1990, leaving behind a legacy of innovative research and influential theories in the field of psychology.

Burrhus Frederic Skinner Quotes

01. “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. Skinner

02. “A failure is not always a mistake, it may simply be the best one can do under the circumstances. The real mistake is to stop trying. ”
― B.F. Skinner

03. “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. Skinner

04. “Education is what survives when what has been learnt has been forgotten.”
― B.F. Skinner

05. “A person who has been punished is not thereby simply less inclined to behave in a given way; at best, he learns how to avoid punishment.”
― B.F Skinner

06. “No one asks how to motivate a baby. A baby naturally explores everything it can get at, unless restraining forces have already been at work. And this tendency doesn’t die out, it’s wiped out.”
― B.F. Skinner

07. “The real question is not whether machines think but whether men do. The mystery which surrounds a thinking machine already surrounds a thinking man.”
― B.F. Skinner

08. “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. Skinner

09. “What is love except another name for the use of positive reinforcement? Or vice versa.”
― B.F. Skinner

10. “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. Skinner

11. “Some of us learn control, more or less by accident. The rest of us go all our lives not even understanding how it is possible, and blaming our failure on being born the wrong way.”
― B.F. Skinner

12. “If freedom is a requisite for human happiness, then all that’s necessary is to provide the illusion of freedom.”
― B.F. Skinner

13. “At this very moment enormous numbers of intelligent men and women of goodwill are trying to build a better world. But problems are born faster than they can be solved.”
― B.F. Skinner

14. “The mob rushes in where individuals fear to tread.”
― B.F. Skinner

15. “It is a surprising fact that those who object most violently to the manipulation of behaviour nevertheless make the most vigorous effort to manipulate minds.”
― B.F. Skinner