Education
Socrates mistrusted books because they could neither ask nor answer questions and were apt to be swallowed whole. He said that readers of books read much and learned nothing, that they appeared full of knowledge, but for the most part were without it, and had the show of wisdom without its reality.
[From Phaedrus by Plato, 360 BC]
Our future well-being – the well-being of all of us on the planet – depends on the education of our decendants.
[From Darwin's Dangerous Idea by Daniel C Dennett, 1995]
It is important that students bring a certain ragamuffin, barefoot, irreverence to their studies; they are not here to worship what is known, but to question it.
[From The Ascent of Man by Jacob Bronowski, 1973]
Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.
[William Butler Yeats, 1865 to 1939]
"Rabbit's clever," said Pooh thoughtfully.
"Yes," said Piglet, "Rabbit's clever."
"And he has Brain."
"Yes," said Piglet, "Rabbit has Brain."
There was a long silence.
"I suppose," said Pooh, "that that's why he never understands anything."
[From The House at Pooh Corner by A A Milne, 1928]
The sea squirt, after an active life, settles on the sea floor and, like a professor given tenure, absorbs its brain.
[From Darwin's Ghost by Steve Jones, 1999]
He had earned his Ph.D. in art history. His original thesis was cataloging cows in nineteenth century French paintings and he had expanded this original interest to a thorough knowledge of cows in Western art. ... Soon, he confided, leaning over to draw me into his words, he would begin his greatest project: cows in Indian art—a long smoldering passion.
[From Rubyfruit Jungle by Rita Mae Brown, 1973]
In reality (and especially in the case of the United States) one could say that never have so many stayed in school so long to learn so little.
[From Social Sciences as Sorcery by Stanislav Andreski, 1972]
As in law school, the other students were disturbed. Hagbard began to understand: they are not here to learn, they are here to acquire a piece of paper that would make them eligible for certain jobs....
[From The Illuminatus! Trilogy: The Eye in the Pyramid by Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson, 1975]
Not to know is bad; not to wish to know is worse
[African proverb]
There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn't true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true.
[Søren Kierkegaard, 1813 to 1855]
One of the most important things I have learned from teaching is that the presumption of stupidity leads to the production of stupidity.
[From Your Call Is Important to Us by Laura Penny, 2005]
I used to read, but it's easier to make up stuff.
[Wally, in a Dilbert cartoon by Scott Adams, 2005]
Among adults, the ones most in need of education are generally the least willing to learn.
[From Exegesis by Astro Teller, 1997]
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