--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It has always been the task of formal…" description: "\"It has always been the task of formal education to set up behavior which would prove useful or enjoyable later in a student's life.\" — B. F. Skinner" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/32a/b-f-skinner-4812_behavior_it-has-always-been-the-task-of-formal-ed_2075400.png" --- # It has always been the task of formal education to set up… ![“It has always been the task of formal education to set up behavior which would prove useful or enjoyable later in a student's life.” quote by B. F. Skinner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/32a/b-f-skinner-4812_behavior_it-has-always-been-the-task-of-formal-ed_2075400.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/32a/b-f-skinner-4812_behavior_it-has-always-been-the-task-of-formal-ed_2075400.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/32a/b-f-skinner-4812_behavior_it-has-always-been-the-task-of-formal-ed_2075400.png) > “It has always been the task of formal education to set up behavior which would prove useful or enjoyable later in a student's life.” [B. F. Skinner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-f-skinner/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Formal education should shape behaviors that become useful and enjoyable later in life. **In simple terms:** Education builds useful, enjoyable habits. Key Takeaway Design learning for future benefit. Themes education behavior utility Mood analytical practical Type academic philosophical When to use this quote - curriculum design - skill training - career planning Key Concepts behaviorism pedagogy lifelong learning Questions to Reflect On - How can education balance utility and curiosity? - What habits do you want to develop? A Different Perspective May overlook intrinsic motivation and creativity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Behavior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/behavior/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Formal education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/formal-education/) [Habits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/habits/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Students](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/students/) ## Related quotes > [Many instructional arrangements seem "contrived," but there is nothing wrong with that. It is the teacher's function to contrive conditions under which students learn.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-f-skinner/many-instructional-arrangements-seem-contrived-but-there-is-nothing/) [B. F. Skinner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-f-skinner/) > [Everyone is an expert on T.V., just as he is on education; everyone has some education and a T.V. set.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-lamarsh/everyone-is-an-expert-on-t-v-just-as-he-is-on-education-everyone-has/) [Judy LaMarsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judy-lamarsh/) > [We have been learning since we were children how to make money, buy things, build things. The whole education system is set up to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yakov-smirnoff/we-have-been-learning-since-we-were-children-how-to-make-money-buy/) [Yakov Smirnoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yakov-smirnoff/) > [The mantra I grew up with was that no matter where you came from, hard work and education could set you free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annastacia-palaszczuk/the-mantra-i-grew-up-with-was-that-no-matter-where-you-came-from-hard/) [Annastacia Palaszczuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annastacia-palaszczuk/) > [Standards of education are not set by government, but by God, the Bible, the home and the school.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stockwell-day/standards-of-education-are-not-set-by-government-but-by-god-the-bible/) [Stockwell Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stockwell-day/) > [The most important outcome of education is to help students become independent of formal education.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-most-important-outcome-of-education-is-to-help-students-become/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I admired Hitler, for instance, because he came from being a little man with almost no formal education, up to power. I admire him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-schwarzenegger/i-admired-hitler-for-instance-because-he-came-from-being-a-little-man/) [Arnold Schwarzenegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-schwarzenegger/) > [Confronted by an absolutely infuriating review, it is sometimes helpful for the victim to do a little personal research on the critic. Is there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-kerr/confronted-by-an-absolutely-infuriating-review-it-is-sometimes/) [Jean Kerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-kerr/) > [One must search diligently to find laudatory comments on education (other than those pious platitudes which are fodder for commencement speeches). It appears that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/one-must-search-diligently-to-find-laudatory-comments-on-education/) [Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/) > [I think the ultimate challenge is to have some kind of style and grace, even though you haven't got money, or standing in society,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madonna-ciccone/i-think-the-ultimate-challenge-is-to-have-some-kind-of-style-and/) [Madonna Ciccone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madonna-ciccone/) > [The spiritual kinship between Lincoln and Whitman was founded upon their Americanism, their essential Westernism. Whitman had grown up without much formal education; Lincoln…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-lee-masters/the-spiritual-kinship-between-lincoln-and-whitman-was-founded-upon/) [Edgar Lee Masters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-lee-masters/) > [I didn't have much of a formal education myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-robinson/i-didn-t-have-much-of-a-formal-education-myself/) [Tony Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-robinson/) > [Oppressed people, whatever their level of formal education, have the ability to understand and interpret the world around them, to see the world for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ella-baker/oppressed-people-whatever-their-level-of-formal-education-have-the/) [Ella Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ella-baker/) > [It is a miracle that curiosity survives formal education.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/it-is-a-miracle-that-curiosity-survives-formal-education/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [The truth is that once you get down on the trading floor, you find that the traders come from all walks of life. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-bradford-raschke/the-truth-is-that-once-you-get-down-on-the-trading-floor-you-find/) [Linda Bradford Raschke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-bradford-raschke/) ## More by B. F. Skinner > [To require a citizen to sign a loyalty oath is to destroy some of the loyalty he could otherwise claim, since any subsequent loyal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-f-skinner/to-require-a-citizen-to-sign-a-loyalty-oath-is-to-destroy-some-of-the/) [B. F. Skinner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-f-skinner/) > [A first principle not formally recognized by scientific methodologists: when you run into something interesting, drop everything else and study it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-f-skinner/a-first-principle-not-formally-recognized-by-scientific/) [B. F. Skinner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-f-skinner/) > [The problem of far greater importance remains to be solved. Rather than build a world in which we shall all live well, we must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-f-skinner/the-problem-of-far-greater-importance-remains-to-be-solved-rather/) [B. F. Skinner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-f-skinner/) > [I remember when I was a freshman in college, I was still somewhat bothered by... worried... about religion. I remember going to this professor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-f-skinner/i-remember-when-i-was-a-freshman-in-college-i-was-still-somewhat/) [B. F. Skinner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-f-skinner/) > [Those who have had anything useful to say have said it far too often, and those who have had nothing to say have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-f-skinner/those-who-have-had-anything-useful-to-say-have-said-it-far-too-often/) [B. F. Skinner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-f-skinner/) > [I would be opposed to any kind of totalitarian control.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-f-skinner/i-would-be-opposed-to-any-kind-of-totalitarian-control/) [B. F. Skinner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-f-skinner/) > [A disappointment is not generally an oversight. It might just be the best one can do the situation being what it is. The genuine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-f-skinner/a-disappointment-is-not-generally-an-oversight-it-might-just-be-the/) [B. F. Skinner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-f-skinner/) > [The simplest and most satisfactory view is that thought is simply behavior - verbal or nonverbal, covert or overt. It is not some mysterious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-f-skinner/the-simplest-and-most-satisfactory-view-is-that-thought-is-simply/) [B. F. Skinner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-f-skinner/) > [Behavior is shaped and maintained by its consequences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-f-skinner/behavior-is-shaped-and-maintained-by-its-consequences/) [B. F. Skinner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-f-skinner/) > [The alphabet was a great invention, which enabled men to store and to learn with little effort what others had learned the hard way-that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-f-skinner/the-alphabet-was-a-great-invention-which-enabled-men-to-store-and-to/) [B. F. Skinner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-f-skinner/) > [The people who control the condition in which we live have no reason to think beyond more than the next five or 10 years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-f-skinner/the-people-who-control-the-condition-in-which-we-live-have-no-reason/) [B. F. Skinner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-f-skinner/) > [I am opposed to the military use of animals. I am also opposed to the military use of men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-f-skinner/i-am-opposed-to-the-military-use-of-animals-i-am-also-opposed-to-the/) [B. F. Skinner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-f-skinner/) > [A person's genetic endowment, a product of the evolution of the species, is said to explain part of the workings of his mind and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-f-skinner/a-person-s-genetic-endowment-a-product-of-the-evolution-of-the/) [B. F. Skinner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-f-skinner/) > [Reinforcement is being right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-f-skinner/reinforcement-is-being-right/) [B. F. Skinner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-f-skinner/) > [If you're old, don't try to change yourself, change your environment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-f-skinner/if-you-re-old-don-t-try-to-change-yourself-change-your-environment/) [B. F. Skinner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-f-skinner/) [Explore all 105 B. F. Skinner quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-f-skinner/) ## More Behavior quotes > [The vision of the left, full of envy and resentment, takes its worst toll on those at the bottom - whether black or white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-vision-of-the-left-full-of-envy-and-resentment-takes-its-worst/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [As you begin changing your thinking, start immediately to change your behaviour. Begin to act the part of the person you would like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-you-begin-changing-your-thinking-start-immediately-to-change-your/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I now know that deep within the human concept is something dark, selfish, and completely willing to do whatever is necessary to support the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-west/i-now-know-that-deep-within-the-human-concept-is-something-dark/) [Melissa West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-west/) > [“We are endowed with genes which code out our reaction to beavers and otters, maybe our reaction to each other as well. We are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-thomas/we-are-endowed-with-genes-which-code-out-our-reaction-to-beavers-and/) [Lewis Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-thomas/) > [The number of poor, and poorly prepared, students who succeed in college and beyond undercuts the simplistic notion that economic or educational disadvantage is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-merullo/the-number-of-poor-and-poorly-prepared-students-who-succeed-in/) [Roland Merullo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-merullo/) > [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 don't put milk in chamomile tea - that's disgusting behavior! That's not right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-fraser/you-don-t-put-milk-in-chamomile-tea-that-s-disgusting-behavior-that-s/) [Laura Fraser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-fraser/) > [The laws of thermodynamics, as empirically determined, express the approximate and probable behavior of systems of a great number of particles, or, more precisely,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-willard-gibbs/the-laws-of-thermodynamics-as-empirically-determined-express-the/) J. Willard Gibbs > [I started with the belief that every person who came to the laboratory was free to accept or to reject the dictates of authority.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-milgram/i-started-with-the-belief-that-every-person-who-came-to-the/) [Stanley Milgram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-milgram/) > [The tipping point is that magic moment when an idea, trend, or social behavior crosses a threshold, tips, and spreads like wildfire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/the-tipping-point-is-that-magic-moment-when-an-idea-trend-or-social/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [I think we've told a lot of lies about human behavior through film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-arquette/i-think-we-ve-told-a-lot-of-lies-about-human-behavior-through-film/) [Patricia Arquette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-arquette/) > [The strongest rebellion may be expressed in quiet, undramatic behavior.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-spock/the-strongest-rebellion-may-be-expressed-in-quiet-undramatic-behavior/) [Benjamin Spock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-spock/) > [The behavior of any bureaucratic organization can best be understood by assuming that it is controlled by a secret cabal of its enemies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-conquest/the-behavior-of-any-bureaucratic-organization-can-best-be-understood/) [Robert Conquest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-conquest/) > [If you want good behavior, don't pay on a commission basis. Our judges aren't paid so much a case. We keep them pretty well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/if-you-want-good-behavior-don-t-pay-on-a-commission-basis-our-judges/) [Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/) [Browse all 4,218 Behavior quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/behavior/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It has always been the task of formal education to set up behavior which would prove useful or enjoyable later in a student's life.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "B. F. 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