Ten Inspirational Quotes About L3 Learning
by Lauren Della Bella
9 Billion Schools is far from the first to advocate for lifelong learning and its many benefits. The benefits of life-long, life-wide and life-deep (L3) learning have been expressed by some of the greatest minds throughout history. To inspire inquisitive minds to never stop learning, here are ten quotes from people who exemplified the L3 learning lifestyle.
1. “Education is the kindling of a flame, not the filling of a vessel.” ― Socrates
We kick things off with some words of wisdom from one of the greatest philosophers of all time, Socrates. Even before the rise of the modern educational system, the ancients understood that learning was more than a building and transcended the need to pass a test or get a grade.
2. “The man who graduates today and stops learning tomorrow is uneducated the day after.” ― Newton D. Baker
Education doesn’t die with a diploma. Baker ought to have known; he was, among other things, the U.S. Secretary of War during World War I, a lawyer and the mayor of Cleveland.
3. “There cannot be mental atrophy in any person who continues to observe, to remember what he observes, and to seek answers for his unceasing hows and whys about things.” ― Alexander Graham Bell
The man who gave us the modern telephone also established Canada’s first Montessori classroom in 1912. He recognized the crucial role that curiosity and inquiry play in education.
4. “Intellectual growth should commence at birth and cease only at death.” ― Albert Einstein
Take it from a theoretical physicist who was considered one of the world’s brightest minds: learning can and should stretch from womb to tomb.
5. “Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at 20 or 80. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young.” ― Henry Ford
The physical and psychological benefits of a life spent learning are well-documented, and we’d all do well to subscribe to Ford’s philosophy.
6. “If a man empties his purse into his head, no one can take it away from him. An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest.” ― Benjamin Franklin
We’re sure most employers would agree with this intellectual heavyweight. It’s hard to argue with a guy whose Wikipedia page lists his occupation as “author, printer, political theorist, politician, freemason, postmaster, scientist, inventor, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat”.
7. “Develop a passion for learning. If you do, you will never cease to grow.” ― Anthony J. D'Angelo
After barely earning his own college degree, D’Angelo founded College EmPowerment, a consultancy group that focuses on teaching college students leadership skills. We’d say he’s practicing what he preaches.
8. “You'll never know everything about anything, especially something you love.” ― Julia Child
For Child, it was cooking, but the concept applies to anyone with any set of interests. Passion is a primary ingredient in learning. Apply it liberally.
9. “Be a student as long as you still have something to learn, and this will mean all your life.” ― Henry L. Doherty
Doherty certainly lived by his own advice – this Roaring Twenties-era oil tycoon and financier dropped out of school at age 12 to enter the workforce, and by 20 was a chief engineer at a gas company.
10. “Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.” ― John Dewey
Dewey was a 20th-century philosopher and educational reformer who posited that schools should double as social institutions where students learn to maximize their potential. Pretty profound stuff, and we think it still holds true today.
Did we miss your favorite quote on lifelong learning? Sound off in the comments or on Facebook and let us know!
