Standards are always out of date. That's what makes them standards.
Alan BennettRead
Have you ever thought, headmaster, that your standards might perhaps be a little out of date? Of course they're out of date. Standards are always out of date. That is what makes them standards.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Standards evolve over time, and clinging to outdated ones limits progress. Embracing change in standards is essential for growth.
This quote by Alan Bennett emphasizes the idea that standards, which are often seen as benchmarks for quality or behavior, can become obsolete as society changes. It suggests that adhering strictly to outdated standards can hinder innovation and adaptation, highlighting the need for flexibility and reevaluation in the face of new information and circumstances.
Themes
StandardsChangeEducationProgressInnovation
In practice
Example use cases
During a staff meeting about curriculum changes, this quote could encourage teachers to reconsider their approaches.
More from Alan Bennett
All quotes →To begin with, it's true, she read with trepidation and some unease. The sheer endlessness of books outfaced her and she had no idea how to go on; there was no system to her reading, with one book leading to another, and often she had two or three on the go at the same time.
Alan BennettRead
A book is a device to ignite the imagination.
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Those who have known the famous are publicly debriefed of their memories, knowing as their own dusk falls that they will only be remembered for remembering someone else.
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To read is to withdraw.To make oneself unavailable. One would feel easier about it if the pursuit inself were less...selfish.
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The best moments in reading are when you come across something - a thought, a feeling, a way of looking at things - which you had thought special and particular to you. And now, here it is, set down by someone else, a person you have never met, someone even who is long dead. And it is as if a hand has come out, and taken yours
Alan BennettRead
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