B. F. Skinner Quotes

The old theory was, that the least possible should be left to the choice of the individual agent; that all he had to do should, as far as practicable, be laid down for him by superior wisdom. Left to himself he was sure to go wrong.

Either you think, or else others have to think for you and take power from you, pervert and discipline your natural tastes, civilize and sterilize you.

If you believe in free will, why don't you have confidence in people to use it? Why do you want a government, or whoever, regulating them, if you believe in it?

Every human has four endowments - self awareness, conscience, independent will and creative imagination. These give us the ultimate human freedom... The power to choose, to respond, to change.

I am a free man.

The range of choice open to the individual is not the decisive factor in determining the degree of human freedom, but what can be chosen and what is chosen by the individual.

The important matter is freedom. When the people choose what they want, it is good for them and for us.

As precious as life itself is our heritage of individual freedom, for man's free agency is a God-given gift.

I hold it to be the inalienable right of anybody to go to hell in his own way.

Man is free at the instant he wants to be.

If you give people an opportunity for self government and freedom, most people will reach for freedom

Self Control, Not State Control

The only freedom which deserves the name is that of pursuing our own good in our own way, so long as we do not attempt to deprive others of theirs or impede their efforts to obtain it.

We must form men so that they can only will what we wish them to will.

Why shouldn't I do what I want to do... I'm an American citizen.

There is a distinction between total control and enjoying total freedom.

I can't believe people think they need permission to drive. Or permission to do anything.

For there are very few so foolish who would not rather govern themselves than be governed by others.

You are born and then you die, but in between you can do anything you want. It's society that creates rules for us, but you can break out of that.

If you are not free to say no, your yes is meaningless.

Freedom is a dangerous intoxicant and very few people can tolerate it in any quantity.

The American people have worn out their patience being told by their so-called bettors that you don't know how to live your lives the right way. We need to arrange things for you so you can do things better than you would do yourself.

Being liberated means reading what you want to read, and fantasizing about what you want to fantasize about.

Let me be a free man, free to travel, free to stop, free to work, free to trade where I choose, free to choose my own teachers, free to follow the religion of my fathers, free to talk, think and act for myself — and I will obey every law or submit to the penalty.

People are free to do whatever they want to do.