William Glasser Quotes

A collection of quotes by William Glasser.

William Glasser (1925-2013) was an American psychiatrist and author known for his innovative theories on mental health and education. Born on May 11, 1925, in Cleveland, Ohio, Glasser earned his medical degree from Case Western Reserve University in 1953. He initially worked as a psychiatrist in private practice before becoming a staff psychiatrist at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Los Angeles.

Throughout his career, Glasser developed unique ideas about the causes and treatment of mental health disorders. He founded Reality Therapy, a form of psychotherapy that emphasizes personal responsibility and individual choice. Glasser believed that individuals have the power to control their behavior and happiness, advocating for a focus on conscious decision-making and self-evaluation.

In addition to Reality Therapy, Glasser also introduced the concept of Choice Theory, which suggests that all human actions are driven by the desire to fulfill five basic needs: survival, love and belonging, power, freedom, and fun. He contended that individuals can learn to make better choices by understanding their own needs and the consequences of their actions.

A prolific writer, Glasser authored several influential books, including "Reality Therapy: A New Approach to Psychiatry" (1965), "Choice Theory: A New Psychology of Personal Freedom" (1998), and "The Quality School: Managing Students Without Coercion" (1990).

William Glasser's works continue to have a profound impact on the fields of psychiatry, psychology, and education, offering valuable insights into human behavior and personal development.

What happened in the past that was painful has a great deal

What happened in the past that was painful has a great deal to do with what we are today, but revisiting this painful past can contribute little or nothing to what we need to do now.

William Glasser

In a Glasser Quality School there is no such thing as a clos

In a Glasser Quality School there is no such thing as a closed book test. Students are told to get out their notes and open their books. There is no such thing as being forbidden to ask the teacher or another student for help.

William Glasser

What students lack in school is an intellectual relationship

What students lack in school is an intellectual relationship or conversation with the teacher.

William Glasser

Since there will be no one left to talk peace after the next

Since there will be no one left to talk peace after the next war, it makes good sense to break with tradition and hold the peace conference first.

William Glasser

We are driven by five genetic needs: survival, love and belo

We are driven by five genetic needs: survival, love and belonging, power, freedom, and fun.

William Glasser

We can teach a lot of things, but if the teacher can't relat

We can teach a lot of things, but if the teacher can't relate by talking to a group of friendly students, he'll never be a competent teacher.

William Glasser

To counter the avoidance of intellectual challenge and respo

To counter the avoidance of intellectual challenge and responsibility, we must reduce the domination of certainty in education.

William Glasser

I think it is totally wrong and terribly harmful if educatio

I think it is totally wrong and terribly harmful if education is defined as acquiring knowledge.

William Glasser

I think education is both using and improving knowledge and

I think education is both using and improving knowledge and that changes the whole picture.

William Glasser

Education is the process in which we discover that learning

Education is the process in which we discover that learning adds quality to our lives. Learning must be experienced.

William Glasser

Caring for but never trying to own may be a further way to d

Caring for but never trying to own may be a further way to define friendship.

William Glasser

We don't focus as much in schools on educational knowledge w

We don't focus as much in schools on educational knowledge which requires thinking and application, as we do on acquiring facts.

William Glasser

If I could explain it to the average person, I wouldn't have

If I could explain it to the average person, I wouldn't have been worth the Nobel Prize.

Richard Feynman

As long as acquiring knowledge is the educational goal of sc

As long as acquiring knowledge is the educational goal of schools, educational opportunities will be limited, as they are now, to affluent families.

William Glasser

Prior to being allowed to enter the profession, prospective

Prior to being allowed to enter the profession, prospective teachers should be asked to talk with a group of friendly students for at least half an hour and be able to engage them in an interesting conversation about any subject the prospective teacher wants to talk about.

William Glasser

If you improve education by teaching for competence, elimina

If you improve education by teaching for competence, eliminating schooling, and connecting with students, the test scores will improve.

William Glasser

If you want to change attitudes, start with a change in beha

If you want to change attitudes, start with a change in behavior.

William Glasser

You can acquire a lot of knowledge without ever going to sch

You can acquire a lot of knowledge without ever going to school.

William Glasser

Using no control and using humor will build a relationship a

Using no control and using humor will build a relationship and make a dent to where the client puts the counselor in their quality world and then begins to relate and seek out the counselor. Effective therapy begins with the acceptance of the therapist into the client's quality world.

William Glasser

If we had in this room a hundred teachers, good teachers fro

If we had in this room a hundred teachers, good teachers from good schools, and asked them to define the word education, there would be very little general agreement.

William Glasser