Quotes from Edward Thorndike

The real difference between a man's scientific judgments about himself and the judgment of others about him is he has added sources of knowledge.

Human beings are accustomed to think of intellect as the power of having and controlling ideas and of ability to learn as synonymous with ability to have ideas. But learning by having ideas is really one of the rare and isolated events in nature.

For origin and development of human faculty we must look to these processes of association in lower animals.

The dog, on the other hand, has few or no ideas because his brain acts in coarse fashion and because there are few connections with each single process.

The function of intellect is to provide a means of modifying our reactions to the circumstances of life, so that we may secure pleasure, the symptom of welfare.

The un-conscious distortion of the facts is almost harmless compared to the unconscious neglect of an animal's mental life until it verges on the unusual and marvelous.

Psychology is the science of the intellects, characters and behavior of animals including man.

Psychology helps to measure the probability that an aim is attainable.

Just as the science and art of agriculture depend upon chemistry and botany, so the art of education depends upon physiology and psychology.

The real difference between a man's scientific judgments about himself and the judgment of others about him is he has added sources of knowledge.

Human education is concerned with certain changes in the intellects, characters and behavior of men, its problems being roughly included under these four topics: Aims, materials, means and methods.

There is no reasoning, no process of inference or comparison there is no thinking about things, no putting two and two together there are no ideas - the animal does not think of the box or of the food or of the act he is to perform.

Human folk are as a matter of fact eager to find intelligence in animals.

From the lowest animals of which we can affirm intelligence up to man this type of intellect is found.

Psychology is the science of the intellects, characters and behavior of animals including man.

Human beings are accustomed to think of intellect as the power of having and controlling ideas and of ability to learn as synonymous with ability to have ideas. But learning by having ideas is really one of the rare and isolated events in nature.

Colors fade, temples crumble, empires fall, but wise words endure.

There is no reasoning, no process of inference or comparison; there is no thinking about things, no putting two and two together; there are no ideas - the animal does not think of the box or of the food or of the act he is to perform.

Human folk are as a matter of fact eager to find intelligence in animals.

So the animal finally performs in that situation only the fitting act.

When, instead of merely associating some act with some situation in the animal way, we think the situation out, we have a set of particular feelings of its elements.

Nowhere more truly than in his mental capacities is man a part of nature.

From the lowest animals of which we can affirm intelligence up to man this type of intellect is found.

Colors fade, temples crumble, empires fall, but wise words endure.