“Paying attention is not just analyzing carefully; rather, it is a constructive act… What we build has only the dimensions we have given it.”

—  Ulric Neisser

Source: Cognitive Psychology, 1967, p. 96; As cited in: A.H.C. Van der Heijden (1996)

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Ulric Neisser photo
Ulric Neisser10
American psychologist 1928–2012

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“Attention is not a mysterious concentration of psychic energy; it is simply an allotment of analyzing mechanisms to a limited region of the field. To pay attention to a figure is to make certain analyses of, or certain constructions in, the corresponding part of the icon.”

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Source: Cognitive Psychology, 1967, p. 88-89

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“We have an electorate that doesn't always pay that much attention to what's going on so people are influenced by a simple slogan rather than the facts or truth or what's happening.”

John F. Kerry (1943) politician from the United States

September 27, 2010. http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2010/09/28/democrats_in_denial_about_unpopular_policies.html

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“Pay appropriate attention to what has your attention, so you can pay attention to what really has your attention.”

David Allen (1945) American productivity consultant and author

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“There have been two or three meetings held in the City of London… attended by the same class of people, but not ending up with a resolution promising to pay. On the contrary, we are spending the money, but they won't pay. What has happened since to alter their tone? Simply that we have sent in the bill. We started our four Dreadnoughts. They cost eight millions of money. We promised them four more; they cost another eight millions. Somebody has got to pay, and then these gentlemen say: "Perfectly true; somebody has got to pay, but we would rather that somebody were somebody else". We started building; we wanted money to pay for the building; so we sent the hat round. We sent it round amongst workmen, and the miners and weavers of Derbyshire and Yorkshire, and the Scotchmen of Dumfries, who, like all their countrymen, know the value of money, they all dropped in their coppers. We went round Belgravia, and there has been such a howl ever since that it has well-nigh deafened us.”

David Lloyd George (1863–1945) Former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

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“To know what people really think, pay attention to what they do, rather than what they say.”

René Descartes (1596–1650) French philosopher, mathematician, and scientist

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“The U. S. could seek to acquire the moral authority to act as a healing presence in the world. Our role could be to adjudicate disputes, support "all-win" solutions to international problems, and make our resources available to people, groups and governments that were willing to help themselves. … We could seek to play a catalytic, rather than a dominant, role in the Third World. We could pay more attention to what the poor themselves want. We could concentrate less on funding massive projects, and more on building up the capacity of indigenous institutions to do for themselves. We could pay more attention to the context in which our aid is given. This may be a highly unconventional approach to foreign aid. But it could also be highly popular. It combines the traditional left's emphasis on equity and the traditional right's emphasis on self-help.”

Mark Satin (1946) American political theorist, author, and newsletter publisher

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“If we get more of what we pay for, then let’s pay to get more dads, rather than pay more when dads are absent.”

Warren Farrell (1943) author, spokesperson, expert witness, political candidate

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“Walk really, really carefully. It's not complicated, but if you mess up, you'll die, so pay attention.”

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“The purpose here is to demonstrate the diversity of classical formulae which appeared in architectural design, and if we look at classical architecture as a repertoire of forms rather than statements of specific design credos we can challenge teleological constructions of stylistic histories. The method of grouping the architecture from given periods of time under general stylistic labels has, without doubt, been the backbone of the discipline of architectural history. And when used skilfully and carefully it can provide useful punctuation marks in the lengthy and complex narrative that is the subject-matter of the history of western building. Yet it is only one of many tools with which to explore social and cultural contexts.”

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