--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Twenty-five hundred years ago it might…" description: "\"Twenty-five hundred years ago it might have been said that man understood himself as well as any other part of the world. Today he is the thing he unde..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/01b/b-f-skinner-4812_five_twenty-five-hundred-years-ago-it-might-h_2927410.png" --- # Twenty-five hundred years ago it might have been said that… ![“Twenty-five hundred years ago it might have been said that man understood himself as well as any other part of the world. Today he is the thing he understands least.” quote by B. F. Skinner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/01b/b-f-skinner-4812_five_twenty-five-hundred-years-ago-it-might-h_2927410.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/01b/b-f-skinner-4812_five_twenty-five-hundred-years-ago-it-might-h_2927410.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/01b/b-f-skinner-4812_five_twenty-five-hundred-years-ago-it-might-h_2927410.png) > “Twenty-five hundred years ago it might have been said that man understood himself as well as any other part of the world. Today he is the thing he understands least.” [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. Humans claim self‑knowledge but truly understand themselves the least. **In simple terms:** We know ourselves the least. Key Takeaway Seek deeper self‑awareness. Themes self‑knowledge humility psychology Mood thoughtful inquisitive Type philosophical psychological When to use this quote - personal development - education - therapy - leadership Key Concepts cognitive bias introspection Questions to Reflect On - What blind spots hinder self‑understanding? - How can we improve self‑awareness? A Different Perspective Self‑knowledge is limited by bias. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Mankind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mankind/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/today/) [Twenties](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/twenties/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [World today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-today/) ## Related quotes > [He who understands one thing understands everything, for the same laws are in all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-maria-rilke/he-who-understands-one-thing-understands-everything-for-the-same-laws/) [Rainer Maria Rilke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-maria-rilke/) > [“Today the same thing over. I've got it up the tree again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/today-the-same-thing-over-i-ve-got-it-up-the-tree-again/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [Funny, losing my mind wasn't ON my list of things to do today, yet it was the first thing I got accomplished.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author-name/funny-losing-my-mind-wasn-t-on-my-list-of-things-to-do-today-yet-it/) Author Name > [Today to that thing you always wanted to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/today-to-that-thing-you-always-wanted-to-do/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The great thing about living today is that there is this thing called the Interweb, and you can just look up anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/padma-lakshmi/the-great-thing-about-living-today-is-that-there-is-this-thing-called/) [Padma Lakshmi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/padma-lakshmi/) > [“Today is what you have and the only thing you can work with. Yesterday is gone and tomorrow isn't here yet.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aidh-bin-abdullah-al-qarni/today-is-what-you-have-and-the-only-thing-you-can-work-with-yesterday/) [Aidh bin Abdullah al-Qarni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aidh-bin-abdullah-al-qarni/) > [“MANAGE YOUR MOOD: Name 1 thing that surprised you today...Name 1 thing that moved you...Name 1 thing that inspired you...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gino-norris/manage-your-mood-name-1-thing-that-surprised-you-today-name-1-thing/) [Gino Norris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gino-norris/) > [“the past is history written in stone that can’t be altered. The future is transitory and never guaranteed. Today is the only thing you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/the-past-is-history-written-in-stone-that-can-t-be-altered-the-future-3/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [I don't suppose any man has ever understood any woman since the beginning of things. You don't understand our imaginations, how wild our imaginations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells/i-don-t-suppose-any-man-has-ever-understood-any-woman-since-the/) [H. G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells/) > [Only one man ever understood me, and he didn't understand me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/only-one-man-ever-understood-me-and-he-didn-t-understand-me/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If man understood that "what I create has nothing to do with what anybody else is creating" then he wouldn't be so afraid of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-hicks/if-man-understood-that-what-i-create-has-nothing-to-do-with-what/) [Esther Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-hicks/) > [“This is that old well known man, for who I understood that one morning he puts the pistol in his mouth and put the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandar-tomov/this-is-that-old-well-known-man-for-who-i-understood-that-one-morning/) [Alexandar Tomov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandar-tomov/) > [Man can be understood only by ascending from physics, chemistry, biology, and geology. In other words, he is first of all a cosmic problem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin/man-can-be-understood-only-by-ascending-from-physics-chemistry/) [Pierre Teilhard de Chardin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin/) > [For he loved her and he understood that a woman cannot always live as a man. He understood that she cannot always think as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippa-gregory/for-he-loved-her-and-he-understood-that-a-woman-cannot-always-live-as/) [Philippa Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippa-gregory/) > [My father...was a man who understood all dogs thoroughly and treated them like human beings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flann-o-brien/my-father-was-a-man-who-understood-all-dogs-thoroughly-and-treated/) [Flann O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flann-o-brien/) ## 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 Five quotes > [I made, like, five movies while I was in college. I think they just weren't memorable movies. I've taken breaks as the years have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodie-foster/i-made-like-five-movies-while-i-was-in-college-i-think-they-just/) [Jodie Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodie-foster/) > [Five days or five months, but it certainly isn't going to last longer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-rumsfeld/five-days-or-five-months-but-it-certainly-isn-t-going-to-last-longer/) [Donald Rumsfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-rumsfeld/) > [The only regret I have in my career, is my managers wanted a big payday, and I wanted four or five more fights before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerry-cooney/the-only-regret-i-have-in-my-career-is-my-managers-wanted-a-big/) [Gerry Cooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerry-cooney/) > [If you look at the charts every year, there may be five or ten memorable songs from each year.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-jackson/if-you-look-at-the-charts-every-year-there-may-be-five-or-ten/) [Randy Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-jackson/) > [I want to make myself and the crowd happy by way of something different, and that makes things difficult. I'm never playing something that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiesto/i-want-to-make-myself-and-the-crowd-happy-by-way-of-something/) [Tiesto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiesto/) > [Even with clothing naked animals, there were people who wanted to send in money. A woman in Santa Barbara, California, sent a $40,000 check.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-abel/even-with-clothing-naked-animals-there-were-people-who-wanted-to-send/) [Alan Abel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-abel/) > [I remember my friend Johnny von Neumann used to say, 'with four parameters I can fit an elephant and with five I can make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enrico-fermi/i-remember-my-friend-johnny-von-neumann-used-to-say-with-four/) [Enrico Fermi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enrico-fermi/) > [That is the real problem of depression - a condition which will affect an estimated one in five of the population at some point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-andreae/that-is-the-real-problem-of-depression-a-condition-which-will-affect/) [Giles Andreae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-andreae/) > [I don't think you should ever say, 'This is the last time'. Music isn't like that. You'll be sitting there not wishing to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-daltrey/i-don-t-think-you-should-ever-say-this-is-the-last-time-music-isn-t/) [Roger Daltrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-daltrey/) > [I don't think we need a featuring though , because five of us are enough .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-hyun-joong/i-don-t-think-we-need-a-featuring-though-because-five-of-us-are-enough/) [Kim Hyun-joong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-hyun-joong/) > [People who are complaining about the Fed are people who've been predicting runaway inflation for five and six years, and it hasn't happened.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-krugman/people-who-are-complaining-about-the-fed-are-people-who-ve-been/) [Paul Krugman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-krugman/) > [I am naturally a thin person and I am 5'1" and putting on five or 10 pounds, that looks like a lot on me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-richie/i-am-naturally-a-thin-person-and-i-am-5-1-and-putting-on-five-or-10/) [Nicole Richie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-richie/) > [The official independence celebration was going to be held over four or five days, and a group of journalists from all over the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryszard-kapuscinski/the-official-independence-celebration-was-going-to-be-held-over-four/) [Ryszard Kapuscinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryszard-kapuscinski/) > [Man, you'd be surprised how much I'm learning - not only about myself, but about the musicians who came before me. You don't realize…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-hubbard/man-you-d-be-surprised-how-much-i-m-learning-not-only-about-myself/) [Freddie Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-hubbard/) > [A lot of times, when people send me books to read - new writers mostly - I find that the book is still in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-woodson/a-lot-of-times-when-people-send-me-books-to-read-new-writers-mostly-i/) [Jacqueline Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-woodson/) Browse all 6,265 Five quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Twenty-five hundred years ago it might have been said that man understood himself as well as any other part of the world. Today he is the thing he understands least.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "B. F. 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