My school was 90 percent white, but 90 percent of the kids I played with were black. So I got the best of both worlds. I think that is where my comedy developed.
Will SmithRead
The things that have been most valuable to me I did not learn in school. Traditional education is based on facts and figures and passing tests - not on a comprehension of the material and its application to your life.
Interpretation
What this quote means
True value in learning comes from real-life applications rather than traditional schooling.
Will Smith emphasizes that the most significant lessons and valuable experiences in life are not necessarily acquired through formal education. He critiques traditional education, which often focuses on rote memorization and testing, instead of fostering a deep understanding of material and its practical relevance to everyday life, urging individuals to seek knowledge and insights beyond the classroom.
Themes
EducationLearningExperienceKnowledgeApplication
In practice
Example use cases
During a graduation speech to inspire students to seek knowledge beyond their studies.
More from Will Smith
All quotes βIn my mind, I've always been an A-list Hollywood superstar. Y'all just didn't know yet.
Will SmithRead
The first eight years of schooling was with all white people. So that helped me to understand how white people think. I think that transition is what helped me bridge the gap, because that's what my success has really been about: bridging the gap between the black community and the white community.
Will SmithRead
We all want to be in love and find that person who is going to love us no matter how our feet smell, no matter how angry we get one day, no matter the things we say that we don't mean.
Will SmithRead
I'm profoundly changed. There's a bittersweet emotion that I feel from playing this role. . . . I want the world to be different because I was here. However lofty or crazy or delusional that may sound, I want people's lives to be better because I was here.
Will SmithRead
The separation of talent and skill is one of the largest misconceptions in modern society. Talent is something you born with, but skill can only be attained through Hours and Hours of hard work perfecting your talent as a craft. Which is why Talent will fail you without skill.
Will SmithRead
Similar quotes
One of the biggest ways to level the playing field is to give all young people the same context on what opportunities are out there. And that means touching on some of the questions that are a little taboo in society: How much money do you make? What are your stresses? What would you do differently if you could?
Sal KhanRead
Children live in the same world we do. To kid ourselves that we can shelter them from it isn't just naive it's a vanity.
Lionel ShriverRead
Some kids win the lottery at birth; far too many don't - and most people have a hard time catching up over the rest of their lives. Children raised in disadvantaged environments are not only much less likely to succeed in school or in society, but they are also much less likely to be healthy adults.
James HeckmanRead
Instead of seeing these children for the blessings that they are, we are measuring them only by the standard of whether they will be future deficits or assets for our nation's competitive needs.
Jonathan KozolRead
Many people want to send their children to faith schools because they get good exam results, but they're not foolish enough to believe that it's because of faith that they get good exam results.
Richard DawkinsRead
Teaching that impacts is not head to head, but heart to heart.
Howard G. HendricksRead