Why Learn?
Here are some motivational quotes about self education to answer the age-old question: Why should I be a self-learner?
The Best Quote
Of course, we must pause to discuss the best quote about self-education.
“Self-education is, I firmly believe, the only kind of education there is.”
who said it?
The attribution is generally to Isaac Asimov, but there is contention about that! Read more at the full article on the Habit of Self Education.
Quotes
After that most famous quote, let’s next look at why self-education is important.
Specifically, we will look at the quotes from famous people, authors, autodidactics, and educators: what they said about self-education.
Why is self-education IMPORTANT?
- “The secret of education lies in respecting the pupil. It is not for you to choose what he shall know, what he shall do. It is chosen and foreordained and he only holds the key to his own secret.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson
- “Learning is not attained by chance, it must be sought for with ardor and diligence.” -Abigail Adams
- “There is only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that’s your own self.” -Aldous Huxley
- “Study without desire spoils the memory, and it retains nothing that it takes in.” -Leonardo Da Vinci
- “None of the world’s problems will have a solution until the world’s individuals become thoroughly self-educated.” –Buckminster Fuller (creator of the geodesic dome)
How to Self-educate
Everyone seems to agree. Read more books.
- “A person who won’t read has no advantage over one who can’t read.” -Mark Twain
- “I spent three days a week for 10 years educating myself in the public library, and it’s better than college. People should educate themselves – you can get a complete education for no money. At the end of 10 years, I had read every book in the library and I’d written a thousand stories.” -Ray Bradbury
- “I find television very educating. Every time somebody turns on the set, I go into the other room and read a book.”-Groucho Marx
- “The love of learning, the sequestered nooks, And all the sweet serenity of books.”-Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
- “Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” -Mahatma Gandhi
Effectiveness of Self Education
Does it work? Try it and find out. Here’s what others have said.
- “I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious.”-Albert Einstein
- “It is always in season for old men to learn.”-Aeschylus
- “Where my reason, imagination, or interest were not engaged, I would not or I could not learn.” -Winston Churchill
- “All men who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education.” -Sir Walter Scott
FAQ
To summarize these quotes on self-education:
Undoubtedly, the best quote is “Self-education is, I firmly believe, the only kind of education there is.” But the attribution to who said it first is questionable. Asimov said it after Robert Frost did. Even Charlotte Mason is quoted as saying “Self-education is the only education,” and she lived at the end of the 19th century!
Self-education is a method of improving oneself. If you seek it with ardor and diligence, as Abigail Adams said, perhaps you can solve the world’s problems, as suggested by Buckminster Fuller. At the very least, you can learn something small, like growing microgreens, and solve the small local problem of growing fresh vegetables in winter.
Most of the autodidacts I have studied seem to have read a lot of books. Become a life-long learner and keep learning new things that interest you.
Albert Einstein claimed he was just “passionately curious”. Ray Bradbury said he wrote a thousand stories because of reading every book in his library. What can you do by becoming self-learner?
Keep Learning
For more detail on Self Education
- The Habit of Self Education
- Always Keep Learning & Apply What You Learning
- Top Habits for Learning
- Reading Books as a Habit
- Learning by Doing: Quotes for the Commonplace
For more articles with famous quotations
More quotes to ponder
What do I do with all these quotes?
You can add your favorites to your commonplace book. Or you can use some of them for copywork. Make bookmarks by practicing your hand lettering.
Or just enjoy them and read some more books.
