--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We have not yet seen what man can make of…" description: "\"We have not yet seen what man can make of man.\" — B. F. Skinner" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/904/b-f-skinner-4812_make_we-have-not-yet-seen-what-man-can-make-o_2475463.png" --- # We have not yet seen what man can make of man. ![“We have not yet seen what man can make of man.” quote by B. F. Skinner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/904/b-f-skinner-4812_make_we-have-not-yet-seen-what-man-can-make-o_2475463.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/904/b-f-skinner-4812_make_we-have-not-yet-seen-what-man-can-make-o_2475463.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/904/b-f-skinner-4812_make_we-have-not-yet-seen-what-man-can-make-o_2475463.png) > “We have not yet seen what man can make of man.” [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. Human behavior is shaped by environmental influences; we have yet to fully understand what we can create through these forces. **In simple terms:** We still don’t know what we can achieve by shaping environments. Key Takeaway Explore and responsibly design environments. Themes psychology behaviorism human potential environmental influence creativity Mood thoughtful cautious inquisitive Type philosophical ethical When to use this quote - education systems - organizational culture - urban planning - technology design Key Concepts behavioral science determinism ethical design Questions to Reflect On - What responsibilities come with shaping others’ behavior? - Where should we draw ethical lines? A Different Perspective Human agency and ethical limits may restrict how far environmental shaping can go. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) ## Related quotes > [“You must either make a tool of the creature, or a man of him. You cannot make both. Men were not intended to work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ruskin/you-must-either-make-a-tool-of-the-creature-or-a-man-of-him-you/) [John Ruskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ruskin/) > [Clothes don't make the man, but they make all of him except his hands and face during business hours, and that's a pretty considerable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-horace-lorimer/clothes-don-t-make-the-man-but-they-make-all-of-him-except-his-hands/) [George Horace Lorimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-horace-lorimer/) > [I'd never seen a man who could outshop me, but Jenks was a master.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-harrison/i-d-never-seen-a-man-who-could-outshop-me-but-jenks-was-a-master/) [Kim Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-harrison/) > [If you wish to know what a man is, make him king.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/if-you-wish-to-know-what-a-man-is-make-him-king/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [The eye of man hath not heard, the ear of man hath not seen, man's hand is not able to taste, his tongue to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/the-eye-of-man-hath-not-heard-the-ear-of-man-hath-not-seen-man-s-hand/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [I have never seen a man as fond of virtue as of women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/i-have-never-seen-a-man-as-fond-of-virtue-as-of-women/) [Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/) > [I've been everywhere in the world, seen everything, had everything a man can have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-ali/i-ve-been-everywhere-in-the-world-seen-everything-had-everything-a/) [Muhammad Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-ali/) > [“He's got \_go\_, anyhow.' Certainly, he's got go,' said Gudrun. 'In fact I've never seen a man that showed signs of so much. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence-2/he-s-got-go-anyhow-certainly-he-s-got-go-said-gudrun-in-fact-i-ve/) [D.H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence-2/) > [“Haven't you seen that part of me as well? A man's many things. To isolate one part of him and judge him on that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kent-krueger/haven-t-you-seen-that-part-of-me-as-well-a-man-s-many-things-to/) [William Kent Krueger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kent-krueger/) > [I have never seen a man as organised as Priydarshan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rimi-sen/i-have-never-seen-a-man-as-organised-as-priydarshan/) [Rimi Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rimi-sen/) > [Who is richer? The man who is seen, but cannot see? Or the man who is not being seen, but can see?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/babe-ruth/who-is-richer-the-man-who-is-seen-but-cannot-see-or-the-man-who-is/) [Babe Ruth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/babe-ruth/) > [I think it not improbable that man, like the grub that prepares a chamber for the winged thing it never has seen but is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/i-think-it-not-improbable-that-man-like-the-grub-that-prepares-a/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/) > [“It doesn’t matter what you’ve done or seen. Every man’s a child until he’s a father. It’s the way the world’s made.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-abraham/it-doesn-t-matter-what-you-ve-done-or-seen-every-man-s-a-child-until/) [Daniel Abraham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-abraham/) > [I have never seen a man lost who was on a straight path.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saadi/i-have-never-seen-a-man-lost-who-was-on-a-straight-path/) [Saadi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saadi/) > [I've never seen a man in my life I wanted to marry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-swaggart/i-ve-never-seen-a-man-in-my-life-i-wanted-to-marry/) [Jimmy Swaggart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-swaggart/) ## 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. 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