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In the United States we have concentrated tremendous sums of money on the educational plant, seemingly with the idea that the right number of buildings will turn out the right number of graduates. Yet the teachers who actually instruct the future citizens of our country are more often than not miserably paid. If in the future we find ourselves with a lot of fourth-rate citizens, we have only ourselves to blame.
Louis L'Amour
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Interpretation

What this quote means

This quote highlights the disparity between investment in educational infrastructure and the inadequate compensation of teachers, emphasizing the consequences of such neglect.

Louis L'Amour's quote addresses the misguided priorities in the American educational system, where substantial funds are allocated to buildings and facilities rather than fair salaries for teachers, who are crucial in shaping the future of society. He warns that if society fails to invest adequately in its educators, the resulting citizens may reflect the shortcomings of the system, suggesting a direct correlation between teacher support and the quality of future generations.

Themes

EducationTeachersSocietyInvestmentFuture

In practice

Example use cases

During a school board meeting, when discussing budget allocations.

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Books are the perfect Time Machine. By the simple act of opening a book you can, in an instant, be travelling up a jungle river without once being bitten by mosquitoes, or you can almost die of thirst in the desert while holding a cold drink in your hand, or dine in the finest restaurants and never have to worry about paying the bill, or ride the wild country of our western frontier and never worry about losing your scalp to a raiding party.
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Adventure is just a romantic name for trouble. It sounds swell when you write about it, but it's hell when you meet it face to face in a dark and lonely place.
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