Acceptance of others, their looks, their behaviors, their beliefs, brings you an inner peace and tranquillity instead of anger and resentment.
—Anonymous
I don’t say we all ought to misbehave, but we ought to look as if we could.
—Orson Welles (1915–85) American Film Director, Actor
What ever is the natural propensity of a person is hard to overcome. If a dog were made a king, he would still gnaw at his shoes laces.
—The Hitopadesha Indian Collection of Fables
Everyone is bound to bear patiently the results of his own behavior.
—Plato (428 BCE–347 BCE) Ancient Greek Philosopher, Mathematician, Educator
The “self-image” is the key to human personality and human behavior. Change the self image and you change the personality and the behavior.
—Maxwell Maltz (1899–1975) American Surgeon, Motivational Writer
What is the appropriate behavior for a man or a woman in the midst of this world, where each person is clinging to his piece of debris? What’s the proper salutation between people as they pass each other in this flood?
—Leonard Cohen (1934–2016) Canadian Singer, Songwriter, Poet, Novelist
Still people are dangerous.
—Jean de La Fontaine (1621–95) French Poet, Short Story Writer
The world of the happy is quite different from that of the unhappy.
—Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889–1951) Austrian-born British Philosopher
What is becoming in behavior is honorable, and what is honorable is becoming.
—Cicero (106BCE–43BCE) Roman Philosopher, Orator, Politician, Lawyer
Our humanity rests upon a series of learned behaviors, woven together into patterns that are infinitely fragile and never directly inherited.
—Margaret Mead (1901–78) American Anthropologist, Social Psychologist
Levity of behavior is the bane of all that is good and virtuous.
—Seneca the Younger (Lucius Annaeus Seneca) (c.4 BCE–65 CE) Roman Stoic Philosopher, Statesman, Tragedian
Behavior is what a man does, not what he thinks, feels, or believes
—Unknown
The test of one’s behavior pattern; relationship to society, relationship to one’s work, relationship to sex.
—Alfred Adler (1870–1937) Austrian Psychiatrist
We Barbie dolls are not supposed to behave the way I do.
—Sharon Stone (b.1958) American Actor
What we are doing at the moment is more that just one thing added to the rest; it is a memoir.
—Unknown
Of course, behaviorism works. So does torture. Give me a no-nonsense, down-to-earth behaviorist, a few drugs, and simple electrical appliances, and in six months I will have him reciting the Athanasian Creed in public.
—W. H. Auden (1907–73) British-born American Poet, Dramatist
A mission could be defined as an image of a desired state that you want to get to. Once fully seen, it will inspire you to act, fuel your imagination and determine your behavior.
—Charles A. Garfield (b.1944) American Psychologist
Many men have been capable of doing a wise thing, more a cunning thing, but very few a generous thing.
—Alexander Pope (1688–1744) English Poet
Suppose that humans happen to be so constructed that they desire the opportunity for freely undertaken productive work. Suppose that they want to be free from the meddling of technocrats and commissars, bankers and tycoons, mad bombers who engage in psychological tests of will with peasants defending their homes, behavioral scientists who can’t tell a pigeon from a poet, or anyone else who tries to wish freedom and dignity out of existence or beat them into oblivion.
—Noam Chomsky (b.1928) American Linguist, Social Critic
Oddities and singularities of behavior may attend genius, but when they do, they are its misfortunes and blemishes.—The man of true genius will be ashamed of them, or, at least, will never affect to be distinguished by them.
—William Temple (1881–1944) British Clergyman, Theologian
Contraries are cured by contraries.
—Common Proverb
I place a high moral value on the way people behave. I find it repellent to have a lot, and to behave with anything other than courtesy in the old sense of the word—politeness of the heart, a gentleness of the spirit.
—Emma Thompson (b.1959) British Actress, Screenwriter, Activist
We like to see others, but don’t like others to see through us.
—Francois de La Rochefoucauld (1613–80) French Writer
A man’s ethical behavior should be based effectively on sympathy, education, and social relationships; no religious basis is necessary. Man would indeed be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hope of reward after death.
—Albert Einstein (1879–1955) German-born Physicist
Perfect behavior is born of complete indifference.
—Cesare Pavese (1908–50) Italian Novelist, Poet, Critic, Translator
Physics does not change the nature of the world it studies, and no science of behavior can change the essential nature of man, even though both sciences yield technologies with a vast power to manipulate the subject matters.
—B. F. Skinner (1904–90) American Psychologist, Social Philosopher, Inventor, Author
Our thinking and our behaviour are always in anticipation of a response. It is therefore fear-based.
—Deepak Chopra (b.1946) Indian-born American Physician, Public Speaker, Writer
The greater part of what my neighbors call good I believe in my soul to be bad, and if I repent of anything, it is very likely to be my good behavior. What demon possessed me that I behaved so well? You may say the wisest thing you can, old man,—you who have lived seventy years, not without honor of a kind,—I hear an irresistible voice which invites me away from all that.
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–62) American Philosopher
Behavior which appears superficially correct but is intrinsically corrupt always irritates those who see below the surface
—James Bryant Conant (1893–1978) American Chemist, Educator
If the human race wishes to have a prolonged and indefinite period of material prosperity, they have only got to behave in a peaceful and helpful way toward one another.
—Winston Churchill (1874–1965) British Head of State, Political leader, Historian, Journalist, Author