We do not choose survival as a value, it chooses us.
B. F. SkinnerRead
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.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the importance of fostering a love for reading rather than just focusing on specific literary works.
B.F. Skinner highlights that teaching should not solely revolve around the memorization of great literature, but rather instilling a passion for reading itself. He suggests that the true accomplishment lies in nurturing an enduring desire to read, which ultimately enriches one's understanding and appreciation of literature more than merely being familiar with a few notable books.
Themes
ReadingEducationLiteraturePassionLearning
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used to inspire students at a school assembly about the joys of reading.
More from B. F. Skinner
All quotes βEach of us has interests which conflict the interests of everybody else... 'everybody else' we call 'society'. It's a powerful opponent and it always wins. Oh, here and there an individual prevails for a while and gets what he wants. Sometimes he storms the culture of a society and changes it to his own advantage. But society wins in the long run, for it has the advantage of numbers and of age.
B. F. SkinnerRead
No theory changes what it is a theory about; man remains what he has always been.
B. F. SkinnerRead
I am opposed to the military use of animals. I am also opposed to the military use of men.
B. F. SkinnerRead
The ideal of behaviorism is to eliminate coercion: to apply controls by changing the environment in such a way as to reinforce the kind of behavior that benefits everyone.
B. F. SkinnerRead
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. SkinnerRead
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In an effort to create a culture within my classroom where students feel safe sharing the intimacies of their own silences, I have four core principles posted on the board that sits in the front of my class, which every student signs at the beginning of the year: read critically, write consciously, speak clearly, tell your truth.
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