Philip G. Zimbardo Quotes

“A good cult delivers on its promises. A good cult nourishes the needs of its members, has transparency and integrity, and creates provisions for challenging its leadership openly. A good cult expands the freedoms and well-being of its members rather than limits them.”

“Academic success depends on research and publications.”

“Evil is knowing better, but willingly doing worse.”

“Heroes are those who can somehow resist the power of the situation and act out of noble motives, or behave in ways that do not demean others when they easily can.”

“If you put good apples into a bad situation, you’ll get bad apples.”

“The line between good and evil is permeable and almost anyone can be induced to cross it when pressured by situational forces.”

“A good way to avoid crimes of obedience is to assert one’s personal authority and always take full responsibility for one’s actions.”

“Bad systems create bad situations, create bad apples, create bad behaviors. Even in good people.”

“Before I knew that a man could kill a man, because it happens all the time. Now I know that even the person with whom you've shared food, or whom you've slept, even he can kill you with no trouble. The closest neighbor can kill you with his teeth: that is what I have learned since the genocide, and my eyes no longer gaze the same on the face of the world.”

“Evil consists in intentionally behaving in ways that harm, abuse, demean, dehumanize, or destroy innocent others – or using one’s authority and systemic power to encourage or permit others to do so on your behalf.”

“Fear is the State's psychological weapon of choice to frighten citizens into sacrificing their basic freedoms and rule-of-law protections in exchange for the security promised by their all-powerful government.”