Quotes by Steven Pinker

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All of us have a theory about human nature.
 
Remember your math: an anecdote is not a trend.
 
Opposing reason is, by definition, unreasonable.
 
Isn't keeping statistics on violence a form of violence?
 
Life has become better, and no one seems to know about it.
 
Societies that empower women are less violent in every way.
 
Racism, because it favors color over talent, is bad for business.
 
We are visual creatures. Visual things stay put, whereas sounds fade.
 
All of the violence that doesn't occur doesn't get reported on the news.
 
The art of photography is all about directing the attention of the viewer.
 
Language mavens commonly confuse their own peeves with a worsening of the language.
 
We may be seeing a coming together of the humanities and the science of human nature.
 
Among the perquisites of freedom is the freedom of people to screw up their own lives.
 
The beauty of reason is that it can always be applied to understand failures of reason.
 
Most intellectuals today have a phobia of any explanation of the mind that invokes genetics.
 
Today we take it for granted that war happens in smaller, poorer and more backward countries.
 
We will never have a perfect world, but it's not romantic or naive to work toward a better one.
 
No matter how important learning and culture and socialization are, they don't happen by magic.
 
Time spent with friends makes a life happier; time spent with loved ones makes it more meaningful.
 
The first step toward wisdom is the realization that the laws of the universe don't care about you.
 
125 quotes     Show as list