Skip to content
quotesby

About this quote

What does it mean?
Einstein suggests that formal schooling can sometimes hinder natural curiosity and self-directed learning.
In plain terms
Formal education can get in the way of true learning.
What can you take from it?
Don't let structured schooling stop you from exploring on your own.

Where it applies

  • reflecting on school experiences
  • self-education planning

Putting it to work

  • pursue self-study
  • question rigid curricula

Questions to consider

  • How has your education helped or hindered your learning?

Another view

It overlooks the value of structured guidance in foundational subjects.

More from Albert Einstein

  1. Two things inspire me to awe: the starry heavens and the moral universe within.

    Permalink to quote #269
  2. There comes a time when the mind takes a higher plane of knowledge but can never prove how it got there.

    Permalink to quote #271
  3. Evil is the absence of God.

    Permalink to quote #268

Related quotes

  1. When it came to formal classes, I was a slacker. But I've always been a diligent autodidact and can teach myself virtually any subject - if I have a serious in…

    Dean R. KoontzDean R. Koontz quote #1
  2. I said I liked being half-educated; you were so much more surprised at everything when you were ignorant.

    Gerald DurrellGerald Durrell quote #4
  3. There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about.

    Ashleigh BrilliantAshleigh Brilliant quote #5