Like almost everyone else in America, I grew up believing the myth of the objective scientist. Fortunately I was raised on the edges of two very distinct cultures, western European and American Indian.
Vine Deloria Jr.Read
Every society needs educated people, but the primary responsibility of educated people is to bring wisdom back into the community and make it available to others so that the lives they are leading make sense.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Educated individuals should share their knowledge and wisdom with their communities to enhance collective understanding.
This quote emphasizes the vital role that educated individuals play in society. While education is crucial for personal growth and societal advancement, it is equally important that those who are educated take on the responsibility of imparting wisdom and insights back to their communities. By doing so, they help others navigate their lives with a sense of purpose and understanding, fostering a more informed and thoughtful society.
Themes
EducationWisdomCommunityResponsibilityKnowledge
In practice
Example use cases
A teacher might use this quote to inspire students to contribute to their local community.
More from Vine Deloria Jr.
All quotes →If the tribal peoples actually represented Western origins at a much earlier time, it was exceedingly valuable that they should be studied intensely for clues about the nature and origin of human society. Consequently it was an injury to science and human knowledge to allow the military to simply exterminate them.
Vine Deloria Jr.Read
The bottom line about the information possessed by non-Western peoples is that the information becomes valid only when offered by a white scholar recognized by the academic establishment; in effect, the color of the skin guarantees scientific objectivity.
Vine Deloria Jr.Read
Similar quotes
Teaching has ruined more American novelists than drink.
Gore VidalRead
The proudest moment for [a teacher of leaders] is seeing not what students learn but what they do.
David GergenRead
Wherever they went the Irish brought with them their books, many unseen in Europe for centuries and tied to their waists as signs of triumph, just as Irish heroes had once tied to their waists their enemies' heads. Where they went they brought their love of learning and their skills in bookmaking. In the bays and valleys of their exile, they reestablished literacy and breathed new life into the exhausted literary culture of Europe. And that is how the Irish saved civilization.
Thomas CahillRead
Reading is the gateway skill that makes all other learning possible
Barack ObamaRead
I dropped out of school when I was 15 years old. I dropped out because I guess I wasn't getting anything out of my investment in the school.
August WilsonRead
Early intervention programs enrich adverse family environments. The largest effects of the early intervention programs are on noncognitive traits. Now, what do I mean by that? I mean perseverance, motivation, self-esteem, and hard work.
James HeckmanRead