Canadian - Scientist | September 18, 1954 -
I like ice hockey. No one is ever going to ask me to write about that as a metaphor for life.
Steven Pinker
LifeMeHockeyIceWriteAsk
The human capacity for compassion is not a reflex that is triggered automatically by the presence of another living thing.
CompassionLivingHumanPresence
People know there is a difference between what you do and what you accept. There is a difference between me knowing that people swear, me hearing people swear and me swearing, and everyone accepting that this is something you can do as much as you like.
PeopleMeYouKnowAcceptKnowing
Commerce is a noble profession, and Jews should get over any self-hatred they might harbor from contemplating the capitalist spirit of diaspora Judaism.
SpiritOverNobleGetJudaismJews
In societies no less than individuals, acknowledging our limitations may ultimately be more humane than denying them.
MoreLimitationsMayAcknowledging
Mother Teresa was the very embodiment of saintliness: white-clad, sad-eyed, ascetic and often photographed with the wretched of the earth.
MotherEarthVeryEmbodimentOften
The stirrings of morality emerge early in childhood. Toddlers spontaneously offer toys and help to others and try to comfort people they see in distress.
ChildhoodPeopleHelpEarlyComfort
People are under the impression that dictionaries legislate language. What a dictionary does is keep track of usages over time.
TimePeopleLanguageOverImpression
If anything, Powerpoint, if used well, would ideally reflect the way we think.
ThinkWayReflectAnythingUsed
M.I.T. has a reputation for turning out Dilberts. They may be brilliant in what they do, but no one can understand what they say.
ReputationSayUnderstandBrilliant
The brain is not a bag of traits. It's startlingly complex. There are few or no single genes with a consistent effect on the mind.
MindBrainBagSingleGenesComplex
Some people believe that the nuclear bomb should be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, since it scared the major powers away from war by equating it with doomsday.
PeaceWarPeopleBelieveSome People
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