--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A person who has been punished is not…" description: "\"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.\" — Anonymous" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e85/anonymous-1_behave_a-person-who-has-been-punished-is-not-th_185973.jpg" --- # A person who has been punished is not thereby simply less… ![“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.” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e85/anonymous-1_behave_a-person-who-has-been-punished-is-not-th_185973.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e85/anonymous-1_behave_a-person-who-has-been-punished-is-not-th_185973.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e85/anonymous-1_behave_a-person-who-has-been-punished-is-not-th_185973.jpg) > “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.” [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Punishment teaches avoidance rather than genuine moral change, leading to strategic behavior to evade penalties. **In simple terms:** Punishment leads to avoidance, not true reform. Key Takeaway Focus on fostering intrinsic motivation. Themes behavior ethics learning Mood reflective critical Type advice insight When to use this quote - education - workplace discipline - legal systems - parenting Key Concepts psychology deterrence behavioral economics Questions to Reflect On - How can we encourage internal moral growth? - What alternatives to punishment promote genuine change? A Different Perspective It may not address underlying attitudes or values. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Crime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crime/) [Psychological](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychological/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Punishment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/punishment/) ## Related quotes > [A person who has been punished is not less inclined to behave in a given way; at best, he learns how to avoid punishment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-f-skinner/a-person-who-has-been-punished-is-not-less-inclined-to-behave-in-a/) [B. F. Skinner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-f-skinner/) > [“Should a person be punished for showing no consideration towards an idiot behaving like an idiot?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-nesb/should-a-person-be-punished-for-showing-no-consideration-towards-an/) [Jo Nesbø](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-nesb/) > [This is appalling. The idea that a person could be punished because of their religious belief and the idea they might be executed is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-howard/this-is-appalling-the-idea-that-a-person-could-be-punished-because-of/) [John Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-howard/) > [It is more dangerous that even a guilty person should be punished without the forms of law than that he should escape.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/it-is-more-dangerous-that-even-a-guilty-person-should-be-punished/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [No one so dislikes being punished unjustly as the person who might have been punished justly on scores of previous occasions, if he had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/no-one-so-dislikes-being-punished-unjustly-as-the-person-who-might/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A person who is discreet in speaking will be useful during the good times and will avoid punishment during the bad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yamamoto-tsunetomo/a-person-who-is-discreet-in-speaking-will-be-useful-during-the-good/) [Yamamoto Tsunetomo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yamamoto-tsunetomo/) > [If the people be led by laws, and uniformity sought to be given them by punishments, they will try to avoid the punishment, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/if-the-people-be-led-by-laws-and-uniformity-sought-to-be-given-them/) [Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/) > [If the people are governed by laws and punishment is used to maintain order, they will try to avoid the punishment but have no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/if-the-people-are-governed-by-laws-and-punishment-is-used-to-maintain/) [Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/) > [“When a person is punished for their honesty they begin to learn to lie.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/when-a-person-is-punished-for-their-honesty-they-begin-to-learn-to-lie/) [Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) > [“5So you must submit to them, not only to avoid punishment, but also to keep a clear conscience.+”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyndale/5so-you-must-submit-to-them-not-only-to-avoid-punishment-but-also-to/) [Tyndale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyndale/) > [I wanted to show that crime doesn't pay. If you are saved and accept the Lord, you cannot use that as an excuse to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-duvall/i-wanted-to-show-that-crime-doesn-t-pay-if-you-are-saved-and-accept/) [Robert Duvall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-duvall/) > [I did nothing wrong, I am the one being punished and lied to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-did-nothing-wrong-i-am-the-one-being-punished-and-lied-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Still, not much of a reason to live, is it? The fear of being punished for killing yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/still-not-much-of-a-reason-to-live-is-it-the-fear-of-being-punished/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If you commit a crime , it is only natural you get punished](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-commit-a-crime-it-is-only-natural-you-get-punished/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Men are not punished for their sins, but by them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/men-are-not-punished-for-their-sins-but-by-them/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Anonymous > [And a tear rolled down her cheek, as she said goodbye; because she's walking away, and she's never looking back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-a-tear-rolled-down-her-cheek-as-she-said-goodbye-because-she-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Scrabble - The game is available in Braille. That’s a nice fact. This makes me feel better about humanity for some reason. I can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/scrabble-the-game-is-available-in-braille-that-s-a-nice-fact-this/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Everyone needs someone to love, and I choose you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-needs-someone-to-love-and-i-choose-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Put on my J's and dance the whole night away Im naughty by nature like Im hip-hop hooray With my hands in the sky,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/put-on-my-j-s-and-dance-the-whole-night-away-im-naughty-by-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Me.. I have been through a lot, but I still manage to have a smile on my face. Im not worried about the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/me-i-have-been-through-a-lot-but-i-still-manage-to-have-a-smile-on-my/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Distance is a test of love. many will fail for those who can't withstand it, but for those who can, theres only one answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/distance-is-a-test-of-love-many-will-fail-for-those-who-can-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Im sorry I ever tried...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-sorry-i-ever-tried/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Being betrayed by the one you love is the worst feeling in the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-betrayed-by-the-one-you-love-is-the-worst-feeling-in-the-world/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The only person I've ever purposely caused pain here is myself...By simply sharing, caring too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-person-i-ve-ever-purposely-caused-pain-here-is-myself-by/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The truth is, of course, that the curtness of the Ten Commandments is an evidence, not of the gloom and narrowness of a religion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-truth-is-of-course-that-the-curtness-of-the-ten-commandments-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Explore all 162,899 Anonymous quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More Behave quotes > [If you are well-mannered towards those whose views are similar to yours, you may be said to exhibit a fairly good character. But, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-are-well-mannered-towards-those-whose-views-are-similar-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [To behave creatively in art means behavior with skill; and skill comes from discipline, not derangement. The artist who knows the rules -and proportion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burne-hogarth/to-behave-creatively-in-art-means-behavior-with-skill-and-skill-comes/) Burne Hogarth > [You can behave as badly as you like in America. Nobody notices.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-crisp/you-can-behave-as-badly-as-you-like-in-america-nobody-notices/) [Quentin Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-crisp/) > [For war to man, like childbirth to women, is simplifying in its emotions and activities. All the real problems of life can be put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-s-buck/for-war-to-man-like-childbirth-to-women-is-simplifying-in-its/) [Pearl S. Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-s-buck/) > [“Then Olympus it is. But do try to behave. I know it’s hard for you, but… (Delphine) I won’t piss on the floor. (Jericho)…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/then-olympus-it-is-but-do-try-to-behave-i-know-it-s-hard-for-you-but/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [The possibility of saying anything about a thing rests on the assumption that it preserves its identity, or continues to be the same thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-knight/the-possibility-of-saying-anything-about-a-thing-rests-on-the/) [Frank Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-knight/) > [Why does man behave like perfect idiot? This is the problem I wish to deal with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-szent-gyorgyi/why-does-man-behave-like-perfect-idiot-this-is-the-problem-i-wish-to/) [Albert Szent-Gyorgyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-szent-gyorgyi/) > [This is a time in my life where I'm gonna behave like an elegant human being. Or not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-stritch/this-is-a-time-in-my-life-where-i-m-gonna-behave-like-an-elegant/) [Elaine Stritch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elaine-stritch/) > [Most people, even in simple risky situations, don't behave the way the theory of utility would have them behave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-raiffa/most-people-even-in-simple-risky-situations-don-t-behave-the-way-the/) [Howard Raiffa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-raiffa/) > [As a club, we have an educational purpose: to give back to those people who love Arsenal so that they learn moral values from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arsene-wenger/as-a-club-we-have-an-educational-purpose-to-give-back-to-those-people/) [Arsene Wenger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arsene-wenger/) > [What astonishes many of us is not so much that human nature is fundamentally corrupt; we are astonished rather that it does not behave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morton-irving-seiden/what-astonishes-many-of-us-is-not-so-much-that-human-nature-is/) Morton Irving Seiden > [Do we behave out of fear of punishment, or out of the demands of our heart? For me, it is the latter, as I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/do-we-behave-out-of-fear-of-punishment-or-out-of-the-demands-of-our/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When you are in hard labor, remember that the length of labor is usually proportional to the number of people around. Avoid the presence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-odent/when-you-are-in-hard-labor-remember-that-the-length-of-labor-is/) [Michel Odent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-odent/) > [The superpowers often behave like two heavily armed blind men feeling their way around a room, each believing himself in mortal peril from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-superpowers-often-behave-like-two-heavily-armed-blind-men-feeling/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [For political and bureaucratic reasons, governments at all levels are telling far less to the public than to insiders about how to prepare for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barton-gellman/for-political-and-bureaucratic-reasons-governments-at-all-levels-are/) [Barton Gellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barton-gellman/) Browse all 1,587 Behave quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "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.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Anonymous" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-person-who-has-been-punished-is-not-thereby-simply-less-inclined-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Behave" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-person-who-has-been-punished-is-not-thereby-simply-less-inclined-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e85/anonymous-1_behave_a-person-who-has-been-punished-is-not-th_185973.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e85/anonymous-1_behave_a-person-who-has-been-punished-is-not-th_185973.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e85/anonymous-1_behave_a-person-who-has-been-punished-is-not-th_185973.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A person who has been punished is not thereby simply less inclined to behave in a given way; at best, he…” — Anonymous", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Anonymous", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A person who has been punished...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-person-who-has-been-punished-is-not-thereby-simply-less-inclined-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-person-who-has-been-punished-is-not-thereby-simply-less-inclined-to/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```