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Alison Gopnik Quotes


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Quotes by Alison Gopnik

Showing 1-10 of 72 Quotes by Alison Gopnik

The brain is highly structured, but it is also extremely flexible. It's not a blank slate, but it isn't written in stone, either.

~Alison Gopnik

Topics: Also Blank Blank Slate Brain Either Extremely Flexible Highly Slate Stone Structured Written

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Childhood is a fundamental part of all human lives, parents or not, since that's how we all start out. And yet babies and young children are so mysterious and puzzling and even paradoxical.

~Alison Gopnik

Topics: Babies Childhood Children Even Fundamental How Human Lives Mysterious Out Paradoxical Parents Part Puzzling Since Start Young Young Children

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For better or worse, we live in possible worlds as much as actual ones. We are cursed by that characteristically human guilt and regret about what might have been in the past. But that may be the cost for our ability to hope and plan for what might be in the future.

~Alison Gopnik

Topics: Ability About Actual Been Better Cost Cursed Future Guilt Hope Human In The Past Live May Might Much Our Past Plan Possible Regret Worlds Worse

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Young children seem to be learning who to share this toy with and figure out how it works, while adolescents seem to be exploring some very deep and profound questions: 'How should this society work? How should relationships among people work?' The exploration is: 'Who am I, what am I doing?'

~Alison Gopnik

Topics: Adolescent Am Among Children Deep Doing Exploration Exploring Figure How Learning Out People Profound Questions Relationships Seem Share Should Society Some Toy Very While Who Who Am I Work Works Young Young Children

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Successful creative adults seem to combine the wide-ranging exploration and openness we see in children with the focus and discipline we see in adults.

~Alison Gopnik

Topics: Adult Children Combine Creative Discipline Exploration Focus Openness See Seem Successful

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Texts and e-mails travel no faster than phone calls and telegrams, and their content isn't necessarily richer or poorer.

~Alison Gopnik

Topics: Calls Content Faster Necessarily Phone Phone Calls Poorer Richer Telegram Texts Than Travel E-Mails

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Each new generation of children grows up in the new environment its parents have created, and each generation of brains becomes wired in a different way. The human mind can change radically in just a few generations.

~Alison Gopnik

Topics: Becomes Brains Change Children Created Different Different Way Each Each Generation Environment Few Generation Generations Grows Human Human Mind Just Mind New New Generation Parents Radically Up Way Wired

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As adults, when we attend to something in the world we are vividly conscious of that particular thing, and we shut out the surrounding world. The classic metaphor is that attention is like a spotlight, illuminating one part of the world and leaving the rest in darkness.

~Alison Gopnik

Topics: Adult Attend Attention Classic Conscious Darkness Leaving Like Metaphor Out Part Particular Rest Shut Something Spotlight Surrounding Thing Vividly World

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Asking questions is what brains were born to do, at least when we were young children. For young children, quite literally, seeking explanations is as deeply rooted a drive as seeking food or water.

~Alison Gopnik

Topics: Asking Asking Questions Born Brains Children Deeply Drive Explanations Food Least Literally Questions Quite Rooted Seeking Water Were Young Young Children

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One of the things I say is, 'You want to know what it's like to be a baby? It's like being in love for the first time in Paris after four double espressos.' And boy, you are alive and conscious.

~Alison Gopnik

Topics: After Alive Baby Being Being In Love Boy Conscious Double First First Time Four Know Like Love One Of The Things Paris Say Things Time Want You

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Biography

Nationality: American

Type: Psychologist

Born: June 16th, 1955

Links

Find Alison Gopnik on Amazon

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