The great object of Education should be commensurate with the object of life. It should be a moral one; to teach self-trust: to inspire the youthful man with an interest in himself; with a curiosity touching his own nature; to acquaint him with the resources of his mind, and to teach him that there is all his strength.
Interpretation
Education should focus on moral development and self-trust, aligning with the purpose of life.
In this quote, Ralph Waldo Emerson emphasizes that education should not only be about acquiring knowledge but also about fostering moral values and self-awareness. He argues that true education inspires individuals to trust themselves, explore their own potential, and understand their inner strengths, thereby linking the ultimate goals of education with the broader objectives of life itself.
In practice
In a graduation speech, to inspire students to see the value of self-discovery in their education.
It is plain that there is no separate essence called courage, no cup or cell in the brain, no vessel in the heart containing drops or atoms that make or give this virtue; but it is the right or healthy state of every man, when he is free to do that which is constitutional to him to do.
Few people have any next, they live from hand to mouth without a plan, and are always at the end of their line.
Men cease to interest us when we find their limitations
Tis the good reader that makes the good book; a good head cannot read amiss: in every book he finds passages which seem confidences or asides hidden from all else and unmistakeably meant for his ear.
The world belongs to the energetic.
Hast thou named all the birds without a gun?
The best solution to income inequality is providing a high-quality education for everybody. In our highly technological, globalized economy, people without education will not be able to improve their economic situation.
We don't care really about children as a society and television reflects that indifference to children as human beings.
A Sunday school is a prison in which children do penance for the evil conscience of their parents.
Every time I've flown an aircraft, or visited a steelworks, or watched a panel-beater at work, I've learned something new that can be applied to buildings.
I'd be satisfied just coaching in high school. I turned down a number of colleges when I was teaching in South Bend, Indiana, before I went into the service. I honestly believe that if I hadn't enlisted in the service, I would never have left high school teaching. I'm sure I would have never left.
Never regard study as a duty, but as the enviable opportunity to learn
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