He promoted the education of the parish clergy and wrote: He seems to me a very foolish man, and very wretched, who will not increase his understanding while he is in the world, and ever wish and long to reach that endless life where all shall be made clear.
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes the importance of continuous learning and understanding in life.
Alfred the Great highlights the folly of neglecting one’s education and growth during life, arguing that seeking knowledge is essential to prepare oneself for the afterlife, where clarity and understanding are fully realized. He suggests that a person who does not strive to learn while alive is missing a vital aspect of existence and is therefore wretched.
In practice
In a speech about lifelong learning, one might refer to this quote to inspire others to continue their education.
One summer morning at sunrise a long time ago I met a little girl with a book under her arm. I asked her why she was out so early and she answered that there were too many books and far too little time. And there she was absolutely right.
A fool's brain digests philosophy into folly, science into superstition, and art into pedantry. Hence University education.
A new word is like a fresh seed sown on the ground of the discussion.
The Greeks understood that mind and body must develop in harmonious proportions to produce a creative intelligence. And so did the most brilliant intelligence of our earliest days - Thomas Jefferson - when he said, not less than two hours a day should be devoted to exercise. If the man who wrote the Declaration of Independence, was Secretary of State, and twice President, could give it two hours, our children can give it ten or fifteen minutes.
Everyone [in higher education] was what I call drillers of deeper wells. These academics sit at the bottom of a deep well and they look up and see a sliver of the sky. They know everything about that little sliver of sky and nothing else. I scan all my horizons.
I'm very passionate about political issues, but I also think that listening to people who disagree is extremely important, and I try to build that into my teaching, sometimes by co-teaching with rightwing colleagues.
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