--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I wanted to be a psychological engineer…" description: "\"I wanted to be a psychological engineer, but we lacked the facilities, so I did the next best thing - I went into politics. It's practically the same t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/103/isaac-asimov-309_engineering_i-wanted-to-be-a-psychological-engineer_715823.jpg" --- # I wanted to be a psychological engineer, but we lacked the… ![“I wanted to be a psychological engineer, but we lacked the facilities, so I did the next best thing - I went into politics. It's practically the same thing.” quote by Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/103/isaac-asimov-309_engineering_i-wanted-to-be-a-psychological-engineer_715823.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/103/isaac-asimov-309_engineering_i-wanted-to-be-a-psychological-engineer_715823.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/103/isaac-asimov-309_engineering_i-wanted-to-be-a-psychological-engineer_715823.jpg) > “I wanted to be a psychological engineer, but we lacked the facilities, so I did the next best thing - I went into politics. It's practically the same thing.” [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker sees politics as a practical extension of psychological engineering, implying both fields shape human behavior and society. **In simple terms:** Politics and psychology both influence people; they’re similar. Key Takeaway Apply scientific thinking to political work. Themes politics psychology career paths interdisciplinary Mood thoughtful motivational Type philosophical practical When to use this quote - campaign strategy - public health messaging - organizational leadership Key Concepts sociology public policy behavioral science Questions to Reflect On - How can scientific methods improve political decisions? - What ethical concerns arise when merging these fields? A Different Perspective Political work may lack the controlled experiments of engineering. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Engineering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/engineering/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Psychological](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychological/) ## Related quotes > [In politics practically everything you hear is scandal, and besides, the funny thing is that the things they are whispering ain't half has bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/in-politics-practically-everything-you-hear-is-scandal-and-besides/) [Will Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/) > [ Jean \[Kennedy Smith, JFK's sister\] told me she thinks the whole sports angle has been overplayed, that politics was central to him. This nonsense… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-matthews/jean-kennedy-smith-jfk-s-sister-told-me-she-thinks-the-whole-sports/) [Chris Matthews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-matthews/) > [I always think that friends and family are off-bounds. I went into politics; they didn't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-varadkar/i-always-think-that-friends-and-family-are-off-bounds-i-went-into/) [Leo Varadkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-varadkar/) > [I went into politics thinking that, if I made arguments in good faith, I'd get a hearing. It's a reasonable assumption, but it's wrong.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/i-went-into-politics-thinking-that-if-i-made-arguments-in-good-faith/) [Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/) > [I could throw 56-pound words clear across the Grand Canyon. 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It's Galaxy-wide. It's a worship of the past. It's a deterioration - a stagnation!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/don-t-you-see-it-s-galaxy-wide-it-s-a-worship-of-the-past-it-s-a/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [So the universe is not quite as you thought it was. You'd better rearrange your beliefs, then. Because you certainly can't rearrange the universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/so-the-universe-is-not-quite-as-you-thought-it-was-you-d-better/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [It is in meeting the great tests that mankind can most successfully rise to great heights. 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If there is one science into which man has probed continuously and successfully, it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/you-are-a-military-man-and-should-know-better-if-there-is-one-science/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [“temperatura constante de mais ou menos 21 graus”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/temperatura-constante-de-mais-ou-menos-21-graus/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [“Human beings can tolerate an immortal robot, for it doesn't matter how long a machine lasts, but they cannot tolerate an immortal human being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/human-beings-can-tolerate-an-immortal-robot-for-it-doesn-t-matter-how/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [“if people believe this, they would act on that belief. Many a prophecy, by the mere force of its being believed, is transmuted”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/if-people-believe-this-they-would-act-on-that-belief-many-a-prophecy/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [I do not use airplanes. They strike me as unsporting. You can have an automobile accident-and survive. You can be on a sinking ship-and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/i-do-not-use-airplanes-they-strike-me-as-unsporting-you-can-have-an/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [There are many aspects of the universe that still cannot be explained satisfactorily by science; but ignorance implies only ignorance that may someday be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/there-are-many-aspects-of-the-universe-that-still-cannot-be-explained/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law. \[The Second Law…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/a-robot-must-obey-the-orders-given-it-by-human-beings-except-where/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) [Explore all 671 Isaac Asimov quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) ## More Engineering quotes > [The bones of my architecture are very much related to the structure, to the physical fact of how a building can stand up; it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santiago-calatrava/the-bones-of-my-architecture-are-very-much-related-to-the-structure/) [Santiago Calatrava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santiago-calatrava/) > [“Nothing is easier than yesterday's solutions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-sperry/nothing-is-easier-than-yesterday-s-solutions/) Roger Sperry > [Design is not making beauty, beauty emerges from selection, affinities, integration, love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-kahn/design-is-not-making-beauty-beauty-emerges-from-selection-affinities/) [Louis Kahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-kahn/) > [Batley and Spen has a high proportion of people working in manufacturing, and we can boast the full range of industries, including high-skilled, precision…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-cox/batley-and-spen-has-a-high-proportion-of-people-working-in/) [Jo Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-cox/) > [I design some of my own clothes now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiernan-shipka/i-design-some-of-my-own-clothes-now/) [Kiernan Shipka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiernan-shipka/) > [Design is a very personal thing. 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