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." - Meaning and context.">
Beyond Freedom and Dignity (1971)
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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

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "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." in the context of "Beyond Freedom and Dignity (1971)" to mean that wisdom is timeless.

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Source: Wikiquote: "B. F. Skinner" (Quotes) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
B. F. Skinner

About B. F. Skinner

Burrhus Frederic Skinner (20 March 1904 – 18 August 1990) was an American behaviorist, author, inventor, baseball enthusiast, social philosopher and poet.