Quotes about behavior

„The alcoholic and the drug addict harm only themselves by their behavior; the person who violates the rules of morality governing mans life in society harms not only himself, but everyone.“

—  Ludwig von Mises, book Liberalism

Source: Liberalism

„Human behavior is predictable, but, as in physical science, accurate prediction hinges on the correctness of underlying theoretical assumptions. There is, in fact, no prediction without theory; all managerial decisions and actions rest on assumptions about behavior. If we adopt the posture of the ostrich with respect to our assumptions under the mistaken idea that we are thus “being ‘practical,” or that “management is an art,” our progress with respect to the human side of enterprise will indeed be slow. Only as we examine and test our theoretical assumptions can we hope to make them more adequate, to remove inconsistencies, and thus to improve our ability to predict.“

—  Douglas McGregor American professor 1906 - 1964

Source: The Human Side of Enterprise (1960), p. 11 (2006; 13)

„It is an open question whether any behavior based on fear of eternal punishment can be regarded as ethical or should be regarded as merely cowardly.“

—  Margaret Mead American anthropologist 1901 - 1978

Attributed in American Quotations (1992) by Gorton Carruth and Eugene H. Ehrlich, p. 149
1990s

„We do not consider patriotism desirable if it contradicts civilized behavior.“

—  Friedrich Dürrenmatt, Romulus the Great

Romulus the Great, act I (1956)

„The State’s behavior is violence, and it calls its violence “law”; that of the individual, “crime.”“

—  Max Stirner, book The Ego and Its Own

The state calls its own violence law, but that of the individual, crime.
As quoted in The Great Quotations (1960) by George Seldes, p. 664
The Ego and Its Own (1845)

„There was no difference between the behavior of a god and the operations of pure chance.“

—  Thomas Pynchon, book Gravity's Rainbow

Gravity's Rainbow (1973)

„The behavior of an individual is determined not by his racial affiliation, but by the character of his ancestry and his cultural environment.“

—  Franz Boas German-American anthropologist 1858 - 1942

Source: Race and Democratic Society (1945), Chapter 2.

„“Human beings fear difference,” Lilith had told him once. “Oankali crave difference. Humans persecute their different ones, yet they need them to give themselves definition and status. Oankali seek difference and collect it. They need it to keep themselves from stagnation and overspecialization. If you don’t understand this, you will. You’ll probably find both tendencies surfacing in your own behavior.” And she had put her hand on his hair. “When you feel a conflict, try to go the Oankali way. Embrace difference.”“

—  Octavia E. Butler, book Adulthood Rites

Part II “Phoenix” chapter 4 (p. 329).
Adulthood Rites (1988)

„Those in the dawn of life require nurturing from others; their personality traits and behaviors are formed during this period and they learn more from example and observation than words; reveal, kindness, truth, respect, and empathy for others.“

—  RJ Intindola (Gandolfo)

1978

„Anger and aggressive behavior create a combative environment and temporarily reduces one’s ability to utilize their intellectual capacity.“

—  RJ Intindola (Gandolfo)

2007

„Societal mores, religious beliefs and more importantly, traditions and habits impede the diffusion of innovations; alterations of behavioral patterns and practices require change, many adamantly oppose.“

—  RJ Intindola (Gandolfo)

2006

„Avoid constantly trying to adapt to situations, people, and other circumstances that have no value to your future. The phenomenon of always attempting to please and alter behavior is more likely to be unsuccessful then to enhance your life. Adapt by continuing to learn and improve your knowledge.

1980“

—  RJ Intindola (Gandolfo)

„Mankind will possess incalculable advantages and extraordinary control over human behavior when the scientific investigator will be able to subject his fellow men to the same external analysis he would employ for any natural object, and when the human mind will contemplate itself not from within but from without.“

—  Ivan Pavlov Russian physiologist 1849 - 1936

Scientific Study of So-Called Psychical Processes in the Higher Animals.

„The behavior of the Taliban as well as their extremist attitudes do not correspond in any way with a tolerant Islam. We have always been opposed to extremist tendencies of Islam and we still are. We have not stopped insisting on defending an Islam of tolerance which would be profitable to every Muslim, in Afghanistan and in the whole world, and we will always defend it.“

—  Ahmad Shah Massoud Afghan military leader 1953 - 2001

Meeting with European legislators http://www.afghanistannewscenter.com/news/2000/june/jun23i2000.html (11 June 2000).

„You cannot "love" a dog out of her bad behavior, just as you can't "love" a criminal into stopping his crimes.“

—  Cesar Millan Mexican - American dog trainer and television personality 1969

Source: Cesar's Way: The Natural, Everyday Guide to Understanding and Correcting Common Dog Problems

„In order to understand what kind of behaviors classrooms promote, one must become accustomed to observing what, in fact, students actually do in them.“

—  Neil Postman American writer and academic 1931 - 2003

Teaching as a Subversive Activity (1969)
Context: In order to understand what kind of behaviors classrooms promote, one must become accustomed to observing what, in fact, students actually do in them. What students do in a classroom is what they learn (as Dewey would say), and what they learn to do is the classroom's message (as McLuhan would say). Now, what is it that students do in the classroom? Well, mostly they sit and listen to the teacher. Mostly, they are required to believe in authorities, or at least pretend to such belief when they take tests. Mostly they are required to remember. They are almost never required to make observations, formulate definitions, or perform any intellectual operations that go beyond repeating what someone else says is true. They are rarely encouraged to ask substantive questions, although they are permitted to ask about administrative and technical details. (How long should the paper be? Does spelling count? When is the assignment due?) It is practically unheard of for students to play any role in determining what problems are worth studying or what procedures of inquiry ought to be used. Examine the types of questions teachers ask in classrooms, and you will find that most of them are what might technically be called "convergent questions," but what might more simply be called "Guess what I am thinking " questions.

„In their behavior toward creatures, all men are Nazis. Human beings see oppression vividly when they're the victims. Otherwise they victimize blindly and without a thought.“

—  Isaac Bashevis Singer Polish-born Jewish-American author 1902 - 1991

„When you talk about a great actor, you're not talking about Tom Cruise. His whole behavior is so shocking. It's inappropriate and vulgar and absolutely unacceptable to use your private life to sell anything commercially, but I think it's kind of a sickness.“

—  Lauren Bacall American actress, model 1924 - 2014

On Tom Cruise, Time magazine (8 August 2005)

„The hardware of a computer is useless without the right software. Similarly, in an organization the hardware (strategy and structure) is inert without the software (beliefs and behaviors).“

—  Larry Bossidy American businessman 1935

Source: Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done