There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which cannot fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance-that principle is contempt prior to investigation.
Herbert SpencerRead
Education is preparation to live completely.
Interpretation
Education equips individuals with the knowledge and skills necessary for a fulfilling life.
Herbert Spencer's quote emphasizes the essential role education plays in preparing individuals not just for careers but for all aspects of life. It suggests that through learning, one gains the tools to navigate the complexities of existence, ultimately leading to a more holistic and complete life experience.
In practice
In a speech at a graduation ceremony, you might say this quote to emphasize the importance of education.
There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which cannot fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance-that principle is contempt prior to investigation.
No one can be perfectly free till all are free; no one can be perfectly moral till all are moral; no one can be perfectly happy till all are happy.
That feelings of love and hate make rational judgments impossible in public affairs, as in private affairs, we can clearly enough see in others, though not so clearly in ourselves.
Be it or be it not true that Man is shapen in iniquity and conceived in sin, it is unquestionably true that Government is begotten of aggression, and by aggression.
Organs, faculties, powers, capacities, or whatever else we call them; grow by use and diminish from disuse, it is inferred that they will continue to do so. And if this inference is unquestionable, then is the one above deduced from it-that humanity must in the end become completely adapted to its conditions-unquestionable also. Progress, therefore, is not an accident, but a necessity.
This survival of the fittest implies multiplication of the fittest.
Literacy is not a luxury, it is a right and a responsibility. If our world is to meet the challenges of the twenty-first century we must harness the energy and creativity of all our citizens.
It is so important that British children are taught about the World Wars that their great grandparents fought in and lived through. It was a terrifying time.
Literature is news that stays news.
Whatβs strange is how many beginning writers seem to think that grammar is irrelevant, or that they are somehow above or beyond this subject more fit for a schoolchild than the future author of great literature.
He that studies books alone, will know how things ought to be; and he that studies men, will know how things are.
If you want me to give you a two-hour presentation, I am ready today. If you want only a five-minute speech, it will take me two weeks to prepare.
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