Quotes About Behavior

The Laws of Human Nature, 16: See the Hostility Behind the Friendly Façade—The Law of Aggression

Progress and technology have not rewired us; they have merely altered the forms of our emotions and the type of irrationality that comes with them.

It is much more powerful to get others to agree with you through your actions, without saying a word. Demonstrate, do not explicate.

People who wear their hearts on their sleeves out in society are tiresome and embarrassing. Their sincerity notwithstanding, it is hard to take them seriously.

This should not upset you but liberate you. The book will teach you to stop taking personally their insinuating comments, shows of coldness, or moments of irritation. The more you grasp this, the easier it will be to react not with your emotions but rather with the desire to understand where their behavior might come from.

Normally, if we pay attention to people's behavior, we are in a rush to fit their actions into categories and to hurry to conclusions, so we settle for the judgment that suits our own preconceptions. Or we accept their self-serving explanations. The Laws will rid you of this habit by making it clear how easy it is to misread people and how deceptive first impressions can be.

You will see the signs of this shadow leaking out in everyday life. If people take an action that seems out of character, you will take note: what often appears out of character is actually more of their true character.

If people are essentially lazy or foolish, they leave clues to this in the smallest of details that you can pick up well before their behavior harms you.

We often notice a similar sensation of confusion and helplessness when it comes to ourselves and our own behavior. For instance, we suddenly say something that offends our boss or colleague or friend— we are not quite sure where it came from, but we are frustrated to find that some anger and tension from within has leaked out in a way that we regret.

When people are free to do as they please, they usually imitate each other. —Eric Hoffer

Having such clarity about ourselves and others could change the course of our lives in so many ways, but first we must clear up a common misconception: we tend to think of our behavior as largely conscious and willed.

la coqueta emite señales contradictorias que estimulan respuestas contradictorias, hundiendo a la víctima en la confusión.

Lo que la gente diga de sí misma no importa; dirá lo que sea. Ve lo que ha hecho; los actos no mienten.

We are subject to forces from deep within us that drive our behavior and that operate below the level of our awareness.

We see the results—our thoughts, moods, and actions—but have little conscious access to what actually moves our emotions and compels us to behave in certain ways.

We imagine we're acting of our own free will, unaware of how deeply our susceptibility to the emotions of others in the group is affecting what we do and how we respond.

In the end, think of this philosophy in the following terms: Since the beginning of human consciousness, our awareness of death has terrified us. This terror has shaped our beliefs, our religions, our institutions, and so much of our behavior in ways we cannot see or understand. We humans have become the slaves to our fears and our evasions.

People never do something just once.

a person who cannot control his words shows that he cannot control himself, and is unworthy of respect.

When you no longer surprise anyone, you give others the impression that they have found you out. Turn the tables: be deliberately unpredictable.

The Laws of Human Nature is designed to immerse you in all aspects of human behavior and illuminate its root causes. If you let it guide you, it will radically alter how you perceive people and your entire approach to dealing with them. It will also radically change how you see yourself.

A reasonable man in love may act like a madman, but he should not and cannot act like an idiot.

Los hombres son más prestos a devolver un agravio que un favor, porque la gratitud es una carga y la venganza un placer. TÁCITO, ca. 55-120 d.C.

Imagine a person who never develops these acting skills, whose face instantly grimaces when he dislikes what you say or cannot suppress a yawn when you fail to entertain him, who always speaks his mind, who completely goes his own way in his ideas and style, who acts the same whether he's talking to his boss or to a child, and you have imagined a person who would be shunned, ridiculed, and despised.