”Nothing in the world can take the place of Persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan ‘Press On’ has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.” ~ Calvin Coolidge
And another just because I love it:
“Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back– Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth that ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now.” ~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Please add any thoughts, links or quotes of your own, I’d love to read your ideas on this one.
Education is a vast subject, and it all depends. I know that Einstein succeeded because he stopped studying. He failed – everyone knows it, yet he has done some many important things for the human race. Sometimes it is good to take a step back from education and start thinking on our own. And that’s when creativity is unleashed
There you go again, Daphnee, dropping the wisdom of a sage on my pages! Loving it and you for your sharing. Yay for Einstein and for you!!!
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I must have a long talk with Calvin Coolidge some time and put him straight.
M
Methinks you capable of putting many people straight with a mind like yours, M. Feel free to share your enlightening eloquence anytime. I, for one, would be glad to read your wisdom again.
Well instead of holding forth myself, I’m going to add a contribution I garnered yesterday from elsewhere – an anonymous commenter on a news item in ‘The Guardian’ wrote:
“Society is never improved only by the few who have knowledge, it improves by many people having knowledge and making contact with each other. Out of those many, a few will excel, but they need the many around them, to pass and communicate ideas, to fill in the gaps of knowledge. This is why it is called a knowledge base. A utilitarian society, where people are only educated for specific jobs, will not flourish. This is why innovation, and market forces are two completely separate fields.”
Great point, Marie! Thank you for finding and sharing this with us. Love it. See your pages soon!
On this side of the pond, we are about to face upheavals in the exam system. However, the debate on what education is, what we want from it, what it gives us, is not happening. So long as we see education as the route to employment, and restrict that education to a hierarchy of subjects, we are going to have highly educated people who are unemployed and who have lost their way. For a more articulate response, go to Ted talks and find Ken Robinson talking about how schools kill creativity.
Yes! So true and I actually posted the TED talks of Ken Robinson here once. Amazing. Thank you for the reminder, Isobel. May just have to do that again. Creative, critical thinking is, in my opinion, far more important than academics. Without the ability to think for ourselves, we can easily become one fearful mass instead of many fearless individual voices.
Today, we think of the value of education as what kind of job/salary can it get us. I like to think of the value of education in term of what kind of thinker/human does it make us.
Your comments are so wisdom rich, love that you had time to drop this here today, thanks, Lorna! See your pages very soon xo
My son has just graduated, but can’t get a job D:
I left school without any qualifications and got a job immediately. Ten year’s on, when I started my nurse’s training, I got paid for training whilst working.
Sadly, in the UK at the moment, youngsters are encouraged to go to university (so as to temporarily improve the Government’s unemployment statistics) but then find themselves on job seeker’s allowance after they’ve studied hard for three years. I really hope my son’s efforts are rewarded soon. He hasn’t even been called for an interview yet, despite applying for jobs every day.
Today, he’s enjoying himself down the allotment in the sunshine, doing some digging with his stepfather. Now that’s good for the soul
It seems jobs are scarce all over the world, much as I dislike engaging in a scarcity mentality, I see signs of it everywhere. Let’s hope the future, wherever our respective futures are, will bring much joy in work and soulfulness for those of us seeking.
Education should not be viewed as purely vocational/utilitarian, i.e. assuming that its sole aim is to equip for employment. This is a narrow view that I recall first re-emerged with Thatcherism – apparently we weren’t giving people the skills the economy demanded. That is only a small part of what education is all about. I’ll leave aside the manipulation of the university population to enhance employment figures, because that is an unspeakable abuse. However, the overarching principle of education is that it adds to the sum of humanity. If you were in the first mind-set, you might say “But what’s the USE of a Philosophy degree?”. My answer would be that evolution tells us our ancestors lost their tails because they no longer used them… you work it out!
M
LOL All worked out… I think
Well said, M.
Over educated & under employed is an ever-growing situation in the U.S.
By the same token, lack of educational opportunity is also a painful reality…
Agree fully. It’s a widening gap between what should be and what is. No fast remedy for this one in these times.