What makes great education quotes? I think the best quotes on education look at the consequences. Saints, martyrs, thought leaders and tyrants have all had great quotes on education, and have shared there wisdom. Here are a few quotes about education from some of my favorite thought leaders.
One of my all time favorite quotes about education comes from Confucius, who said, “Education breeds confidence. Confidence breeds hope. Hope breeds peace.” To me, this sums up all of the best things education can give. Education builds character, it is true. But that character comes from affecting the change you wish to see, and having the tools to do so. As Confucius was implying, education gives you the tools to shape the world around you. When you can do that, you know what the world will be like.
Another commentator had one of the darker quotes about education that touched on the same theme. “Education is a weapon, whose effect depends on who holds it in his hands and at whom it is aimed,” said tyrant and mass murderer Josef Stalin. Stalin, unlike Confucius, was not a peaceful man, and sought to destroy far more than he built. But Stalin was also very intelligent, and knew the power of education. To Stalin, education also had the power to shape lives through oppression, and framed his quotes about education accordingly.
But alas, Stalin is an exception. There are other quotes about education that express similar themes in a much more positive light. Take Teresa de Avila, who said, “Untilled ground, however rich, will bring forth thistles and thorns; so also the mind of man.” Here, Teresa implied that the soil needs to be tilled and cared for to feed men.
Quotes about education can do many things. Some educational quotes take a rather cynical view of education. Other quotes about education focus more about teaching as a craft. I prefer to read quotes about education that illustrate the consequences of education. Education affects change in everyone and everything around you. Whether you use it to build things or oppress others is up to you.