49 Formal Education Quotes: Know the Importance of Learning

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Education is an incredible journey, one that takes various forms and shapes. While formal education, the kind we typically receive in schools, colleges, and structured institutions, holds a significant place in our lives, its true essence often extends far beyond classrooms and textbooks.

In a world where learning takes many paths, the perspectives on formal education are as diverse as the individuals who’ve experienced it. Quotes about formal education encapsulate the myriad thoughts, beliefs, and experiences of people from all walks of life, offering invaluable insights into the significance, limitations, and impact of structured learning.

In this blog, we embark on a journey through simple yet profound quotes about formal education. These snippets of wisdom penned by renowned figures from various fields shed light on the complexities, nuances, and sometimes paradoxical nature of education.

Join us as we unpack these quotes, each a treasure trove of thoughts, observations, and philosophies, to gain a deeper understanding of the role, challenges, and potentials of formal education in shaping our lives and our world. Let’s delve into these quotes, unraveling their wisdom and discovering the layers of meaning they hold, as we navigate the vast landscape of learning.

Through these succinct yet powerful expressions, we’ll explore the essence of formal education, contemplating its impact on individuals, societies, and the pursuit of knowledge itself. These quotes serve as windows into the minds of thinkers, educators, and visionaries, offering us the chance to reflect on the evolving landscape of education and the paths it carves for each of us.

So, let’s explore these quotes, as we seek to uncover the multifaceted nature of formal education and its profound influence on our lives.

Formal Education Quotes

1. “The quality of strength lined with tenderness is an unbeatable combination, as are intelligence and necessity when unblunted by formal education.” ― Maya Angelou

Maya Angelou says that having strength along with tenderness is really strong. Similarly, being intelligent and needing something strongly without being influenced by formal education rules can be very powerful.

What it teaches: Strength combined with kindness is strong. Being smart and understanding what you really need, without just following what you’re taught in school, can be very powerful.

2. “It is a miracle that curiosity survives formal education.” ― Albert Einstein

Albert Einstein thought it’s amazing that when you’re curious, especially considering how formal education can sometimes be boring or suppress curiosity, that curiosity still survives.

What it teaches: It’s impressive that even though school might not always encourage curiosity, people still stay curious. Curiosity is valuable and important, even when formal education might not always support it.

3. “Formal education will make you a living; self-education will make you a fortune.” ― Jim Rohn

Jim Rohn believed that formal education helps you get a job, while teaching yourself helps you gain wealth and success beyond just earning a living.

What it teaches: Going to school helps you find a job, but learning things on your own can help you become really successful and wealthy.

4. “I understood a powerful fact: formal education gets you a job, but self-education is what makes you rich!” ― Jim Rohn

Jim Rohn’s message is similar here: going to school gets you a job, but teaching yourself and learning independently is what makes you truly successful and wealthy.

What it teaches: School helps you find work, but teaching yourself is what truly makes you successful and wealthy.

5. “Formal education opens the world to you; contemplation and reflection open yourself to you.” ― Debasish Mridha

Debasish Mridha talks about how formal education opens up the world to you, while taking time to think deeply helps you understand yourself better.

What it teaches: School helps you understand the world, but thinking deeply helps you understand yourself better.

6. “It is clearly absurd to limit the term ‘education’ to a person’s formal schooling.” ― Murray N. Rothbard

Murray N. Rothbard believes it’s silly to only consider education as what happens in schools.

What it teaches: Education isn’t just what you learn in school; it’s much broader and includes everything you learn in life.

7. “Formal education enhances what you do, self-education nourishes who you are.” ― Auliq Ice

Auliq Ice says that formal education improves what you do, but teaching yourself and learning outside of school makes you a better person.

What it teaches: School makes you better at what you do, but learning on your own makes you a better person overall.

8. “A formal education will give you knowledge; self-education will give you wisdom.” ― Debasish Mridha

Debasish Mridha emphasizes that school gives you knowledge, but learning independently gives you wisdom, which is a deeper understanding and insight.

What it teaches: School teaches you things, but teaching yourself gives you a deeper understanding and insight into life.

9. “Any formal attack on ignorance is bound to fail because the masses are always ready to defend their most precious possession – their ignorance.” ― Hendrick Willem Van Loon

Hendrick Willem Van Loon suggests that trying to fight ignorance in a formal or direct way often fails because people love and protect their ignorance, which they see as very important.

What it teaches: Trying to directly fight ignorance through formal methods usually doesn’t work because people hold onto their ignorance dearly.

10. “Formal education teaches how to stand, but to see the rainbow you must come out and walk many steps on your own.” ― Amit Ray

Amit Ray explains that while formal education teaches you basics like standing up, to experience beautiful things like a rainbow, you need to take your own steps and explore.

What it teaches: School teaches you some things, but to experience wonderful things, you need to explore and learn on your own.

Schooling Education Quotes

11. “Not the formal schooling but the journey through life is the best teacher.” ― Debasish Mridha

Debasish Mridha believes that the journey through life teaches you more than just going to school.

What it teaches: Life teaches you more than just school does.

12. “Formal education makes you a living, self-education makes you a legend.” ― Habeeb Akande

Habeeb Akande says that while formal education helps you earn a living, teaching yourself makes you legendary or exceptional.

What it teaches: School helps you get a job, but teaching yourself makes you exceptional or legendary.

13. “I enjoyed my formal education but I appreciate my acquired specific knowledge a lot.” ― Anyaele Sam Chiyson

Anyaele Sam Chiyson says they enjoyed formal education but value the specific knowledge they gained outside of school even more.

What it teaches: They liked school, but they value the knowledge they gained outside of it even more.

14. “Formal education and current position can define your worthiness. What makes you extraordinary is defined by your attitude towards others.” ― Ashish Patel

Ashish Patel says that while school and your current job might determine your value to some extent, how you treat others is what truly makes you exceptional.

What it teaches: Your education and job might determine your value somewhat, but treating others well is what makes you truly exceptional.

15. “Formal learning is like riding a bus: the driver decides where the bus is going; the passengers are along for the ride. Informal learning is like riding a bike: the rider chooses the destination, the speed, and the route.” ― Jay Cross

Jay Cross explains that formal learning is like being on a bus where someone else decides the destination. Informal learning is like riding a bike where you choose where to go and how fast.

What it teaches: School is like a bus where others decide what you learn, but learning on your own is like riding a bike where you choose what and how fast you learn.

16. “Everyone must be given the opportunity to think, read and write.” ― Lailah Gifty Akita

Lailah Gifty Akita emphasizes that everyone should have the chance to think, read, and write.

What it teaches: Everyone should have the opportunity to think, read, and write, regardless of their background or circumstances.

17. “Formal schooling tends to demand that humans use their memories the way computers do, rather than the way humans do. This, too, can make people seem stupid.” ― James Paul Gee

James Paul Gee mentions that formal schooling often asks people to use their memories like computers do, which might not be the best way for humans. This can make people appear less smart.

What it teaches: Schools sometimes expect people to memorize things like computers do, but that’s not always the best way for humans to learn and understand, which might make them seem less smart.

18. “Formal education is like a billboard for the blind. It robs us of our autodidactic nature. Who taught the first teacher?” ― Mike Stagnitta

Mike Stagnitta compares formal education to a billboard for blind people, saying it takes away our natural ability to teach ourselves. It questions who taught the first teacher.

What it teaches: Schooling can sometimes take away our natural ability to learn independently. It also raises a thought-provoking question about how the first teacher learned.

19. “Lack of a formal education is a death sentence to some and an opportunity to explore for others.” ― Nicky Verd

Nicky Verd suggests that not having a formal education can be seen as a terrible thing for some people, while for others, it’s an opportunity to explore new things.

What it teaches: For some, not going to school is very bad, but for others, it’s a chance to explore and learn in different ways.

Education Quotes for Self-Motivation

20. “Neither formal education, desire, hard work, nor a good person guarantees success… the most important key to success is self-motivation. And a consciously chosen vision of the future is a powerful aid to motivate yourself.” ― Phil Laut

Phil Laut believes that having formal education, desire, hard work, or being a good person doesn’t guarantee success. Self-motivation and having a clear vision for the future are what really help you succeed.

What it teaches: School, wanting success, working hard, or being nice doesn’t always guarantee success. What really helps is being motivated and having a clear idea of what you want for the future.

21. “Sometimes it is harder to teach people who are educated than people who haven’t even had a formal education.” ― Krizha Mae G. Abia

Krizha Mae G. Abia thinks that sometimes it’s harder to teach people who have been to school than those who haven’t.

What it teaches: Teaching people who have been to school can sometimes be harder than teaching those who haven’t.

22. “I wonder in what way I would function as a person, in a society without ever attending school. I’d be myself.” ― J.R. Rim

J.R. Rim wonders how they would be as a person in a society without ever going to school, suggesting they’d still be themselves.

What it teaches: Wondering how life would be without school, the person feels they’d still be the same person they are today.

23. “The formal education of women was rarely considered important. Girls of good birth were taught domestic skills at home or in a convent, and rarely learned to read and write, for it was feared that if they did they would waste their talents writing love letters or reading romances that led to promiscuity.” ― Alison Weir

Alison Weir talks about how women’s formal education wasn’t considered important historically. Girls from good families were taught domestic skills, and learning to read and write was discouraged because it was feared they might misuse it.

What it teaches: In the past, women from good families were taught household skills, not academics, because it was feared they might use reading and writing in ways society disapproved of.

24. “Everyone is influenced by those things that precede formal education, that come out of the blue and out of everyday life.” ― Rebecca Solnit

Rebecca Solnit believes that everyone is shaped by things that happen before formal education, things that unexpectedly come into life.

What it teaches: Everyone is influenced by things that happen before they go to school, things that unexpectedly happen in everyday life.

25. “Strange as it may seem, no amount of learning can cure stupidity, and formal education positively fortifies it.” ― Stephen Vizinczey

Stephen Vizinczey mentions that no matter how much someone learns, it can’t fix stupidity, and sometimes, formal education even makes stupidity stronger.

What it teaches: Learning a lot doesn’t always fix stupidity, and sometimes school makes it worse.

26. “Everyone is influenced by those things that precede formal education, that come out of the blue and out of everyday life. Those excluded influences I call the grandmothers.” ― Rebecca Solnit

Rebecca Solnit talks about how things from life before formal education, unexpected things, influence us. She calls these influences “the grandmothers.”

What it teaches: Things that happen before going to school, unexpected things in life, have a big impact on us. She calls these influences “the grandmothers.”

Quotes to Know the Need for Formal Education

27. “Today one needs education. One needs formal training. Or else one needs to be extraordinarily gifted at self-education. And one needs to understand that the process can never stop, because new knowledge begins to make one’s training obsolete almost as soon as one completes it.” ― Nathaniel Branden

Nathaniel Branden says that today, you need education or training, or you have to be really good at teaching yourself. And this learning process never stops because new knowledge makes what you learned quickly outdated.

What it teaches: Nowadays, you need schooling or training, or you have to be really good at teaching yourself. Learning never ends because new knowledge quickly makes old knowledge outdated.

28. “Formal education will make you a living; self-education will make you a fortune.” ― Albert Goodman

Albert Goodman believes that school helps you make a living, but learning on your own helps you make a lot of money.

What it teaches: School helps you earn money, but teaching yourself helps you become really rich.

29. “In terms of formal education, I may somewhat be lacking. I never finished school. I am a self-taught entrepreneur, that’s the best kind there is, trust me.” ― Aravind Adiga

Aravind Adiga admits he might not have much formal education but says he’s a self-taught entrepreneur, which, according to him, is the best kind.

What it teaches: He might not have finished school, but he learned to be an entrepreneur on his own, which he thinks is the best way to learn.

30. “Contrary to popular belief, the performers who emerged from the southern hills to become the pioneers of country music and bluegrass were not from an exclusively aural folk tradition. Formal musical education, albeit rudimentary, was available each summer in towns like Rosine in the form of “singing schools!” ― Richard D. Smith

Aravind Adiga admits he might not have much formal education but says he’s a self-taught entrepreneur, which, according to him, is the best kind.

What it teaches: He might not have finished school, but he learned to be an entrepreneur on his own, which he thinks is the best way to learn.

31. “A formal education will teach you how to conform with society. Self-education will teach you how to get out of conformity so that you can fill your life with adventure and beauty.” ― Debasish Mridha

Debasish Mridha says school teaches you to fit in with society, while teaching yourself helps you break away from that and fill your life with adventure and beauty.

What it teaches: School teaches you to be like everyone else, but teaching yourself helps you break away and fill your life with adventure and beauty.

32. “Formal education can rob us of our autodidactic nature if not approached with complete and objective awareness. Who taught the first teacher?” ― Michael Stagnitta

Michael Stagnitta mentions that formal education might take away our natural ability to teach ourselves if we’re not fully aware and objective about it. He questions who taught the first teacher.

What it teaches: School might stop us from learning on our own if we’re not careful. It also asks who taught the first teacher, making us think about how learning started.

33. “Sizing up succinctly with his lack of formal education compared with his determination to learn from others, the author writes, “I went to college with every person I ever met.” ― Chris Gardner

Chris Gardner talks about how, despite not having a formal education, he learned from every person he met, suggesting that everyone he encountered taught him something valuable.

What it teaches: Even without going to school, you can learn a lot from the people you meet in life.

34. “Practically all of the successful Negroes in this country are of the uneducated type or of that of Negroes who have had no formal education at all.” ― Carter G. Woodson

Carter G. Woodson mentions that many successful Black people in the US were either uneducated or had no formal schooling.

What it teaches: Many successful Black individuals in the US didn’t go to school or didn’t have much formal education.

Best Formal Learning Quotes

35. “Out of the nine years spent in formal medical education, I would estimate I had four hours of lectures on nutrition.” ― Jason Fung

Jason Fung, a doctor, says that out of the nine years he spent studying to become a doctor, he only had a few hours of lessons on nutrition.

What it teaches: Even in medical school, there’s very little education about nutrition, despite its importance.

36. “The more formal education you have, the more you can distinguish between truth and fiction. In other words, individuals who are more educated are less likely to be brainwashed from negative influence.” ― Saaif Alam

Saaif Alam believes that the more education you have, the better you can tell what’s true from what’s not. Educated individuals are less likely to be influenced negatively.

What it teaches: The more you learn, the better you can distinguish truth from fiction. Educated people are less likely to be misled.

37. “Education is a life-long process that involves not only formal schooling but a continual quest to learn and understand what’s happening in the world. It is driven by curiosity and a desire to know the truth and acquire wisdom.” ― Laurence Overmire

Laurence Overmire thinks that education isn’t just about school; it’s a lifelong process driven by curiosity and the desire to learn about the world and gain wisdom.

What it teaches: Learning isn’t just about school; it’s a lifelong journey driven by curiosity and the desire to understand the world and gain wisdom.

38. “We educated people to make a great display of humility when we meet, trying to get the better of each other in unimportance. It is usually only a formality, of course, a polite mask for our feelings of superiority.” ― John Spurling

John Spurling believes that educated people often pretend to be very humble when they meet each other, but it’s usually just a polite act to show superiority.

What it teaches: Educated people often pretend to be humble when they meet, but it’s often just a show of superiority.

39. “The quality of strength lined with tenderness is an unbeatable combination, as are intelligence and necessity when unblunted by formal education.” ― Maya Angelou

Maya Angelou talks about the strength of being both strong and tender, as well as the power of intelligence and necessity when not hindered by formal education.

What it teaches: Being strong and tender together is powerful, as is intelligence combined with necessity when not restricted by formal education.

40. “Read more books than those who have a formal education, developing this into a lifelong habit.” ― Robert Greene

Robert Greene suggests that you should read more books than those who have gone to school and make this a lifelong habit.

What it teaches: Read more books than those who went to school, and make reading a lifelong habit.

41. “Mastery begins when formal education ends.” ― James Altucher

James Altucher believes that real expertise or mastery starts after formal education finishes.

What it teaches: True mastery in something starts after you finish formal schooling.

42. “The education of an artist is one of the most chaotic branches of formal education.” ― Bertram D. Wolfe

Bertram D. Wolfe suggests that the education of an artist is quite chaotic compared to other formal educations.

What it teaches: An artist’s education is more chaotic compared to other types of formal education.

43. “Formal education will make you a living; self-education will make you a fortune.” ― Sophia Franklin

Sophia Franklin believes that while school helps you earn a living, teaching yourself helps you become wealthy.

What it teaches: School helps you make a living, but teaching yourself makes you rich.

44. “Education is a means, not an end. We don’t enroll in formal education ad nauseam as a way of escaping life. Rather, we educate ourselves in order to become equipped to respond wisely to God’s calling.” ― Ken Wytsma

Ken Wytsma thinks that education isn’t an end in itself but a tool to help us respond wisely to life’s challenges.

What it teaches: Education is a tool to help us respond wisely to life’s challenges, not just a way to escape life.

Formal Teaching Quotes

45. “As formal teaching and training grow to an extent, there is the danger of creating an undesirable split between the experience gained in more direct associations and what is acquired in school. This danger was never greater than at the present time, on account of the rapid growth in the last few centuries of knowledge and technical modes of skill.” ― John Dewey

John Dewey talks about the danger of a divide between what’s learned in direct experiences versus what’s learned in school due to the rapid growth of knowledge and technical skills.

What it teaches: Rapid growth in knowledge and technical skills might create a split between what’s learned in direct experience and what’s learned in school.

46. “In a setting of formal education, one would imagine that abstract thought would be encouraged and that questioning obvious errors within the current system wouldn’t be frowned upon. Wrong again; these cunts are out to protect their pocketbooks and paradigms.” ― Scott Parker

Scott Parker expresses disappointment in formal education systems, believing they discourage questioning and protect their own interests.

What it teaches: Formal education systems might discourage questioning and protect their own interests instead of encouraging abstract thinking.

47. “Every child must be taught how to think, read and write.” ― Lailah Gifty Akita

Lailah Gifty Akita emphasizes that every child should be taught how to think, read, and write.

What it teaches: Every child should learn how to think, read, and write.

48. “It was his fifth son and namesake, Sam, thirteen at the time of his father’s death, who could lose himself in the shelves of books even to the detriment of his formal education.” ― James L. Haley

James L. Haley mentions a son who was so engrossed in reading books that it affected his formal education.

What it teaches: A son was so into reading books that it affected his formal schooling.

49. “It is one of the strangest anomalies of life that the absence of fear, and not formal education or brilliance of mind, is the major cause of individual success.” ― Napoleon Hill

Napoleon Hill believes that success doesn’t come from formal education or brilliance but from the absence of fear.

What it teaches: Success doesn’t just come from going to school or being smart; it comes from not being afraid.

I hope you liked the above Formal Education Quotes. Don’t forget to mention the best line that you liked most from the above lines in the comment box below.

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Source: Education Quotes – Goodreads

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