QuoteProject
Any nation that expects to be ignorant and free," Jefferson said, "expects what never was and never will be." And if the gap between the educated and the uneducated in America continues to grow as it is in our time, as fast as or faster than the gap between the rich and the poor, the gap between the educated and the uneducated is going to be of greater consequence and the more serious threat to our way of life. We must not, by any means, misunderstand that.
David Mccullough
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

Ignorance and freedom cannot coexist; education is essential for a functioning society.

This quote emphasizes the critical relationship between education and liberty. Jefferson's assertion indicates that a nation's expectation to remain both uninformed and free is unrealistic. As the divide between educated and uneducated individuals widens, it poses a significant threat to societal stability and values. McCullough underscores the urgency of addressing educational disparities, suggesting that ignorance can lead to the erosion of freedom and societal health.

Themes

EducationFreedomIgnoranceSocietyKnowledge

In practice

Example use cases

This quote can be used in a speech about the importance of educational reform.

More from David Mccullough

If you get down about the state of American culture, just remember there are still more public libraries in this country than there are McDonalds.
David McculloughRead
There is only one person who can measure your success. That person is you.
David McculloughRead
I just thank my father and mother, my lucky stars, that I had the advantage of an education in the humanities.
David McculloughRead
Napoleon could never imagine that some people loved their country as much as he loved his own.
David McculloughRead
When the founders wrote about life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, they didn't mean longer vacations and more comfortable hammocks. They meant the pursuit of learning. The pursuit of improvement and excellence. In hard work is happiness.
David McculloughRead
Read. Read every chance you get. Read to keep growing. Read history. Read poetry. Read for pure enjoyment. Read a book called Life on a Little Known Planet. It's about insects. It will make you feel better.
David McculloughRead

Similar quotes

Critical and liberating dialogue, which presupposes action, must be carried on with the oppressed at whatever the stage of their struggle for liberation. The content of that dialogue can and should vary in accordance with historical conditions and the level at which the oppressed perceive reality.
Paulo FreireRead
Read a lot. Read broadly... Tell stories to your friends, and pay attention to when they get bored... Write a lot.
John GreenRead
That's the public-school system all over. They may kick you out, but they never let you down.
Evelyn WaughRead
The library is the temple of learning, and learning has liberated more people than all the wars in history.
Carl T. RowanRead
Schools are the single largest lever of mobility in this country. When we commit to creating and enforcing laws that acknowledge the injustice of the past, we open up the possibility of using schools as a means of reducing inequality.
Clint SmithRead
Always read something that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it.
P. J. O'RourkeRead

A little wisdom, now and then

Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.