Reading furnishes the mind only with materials of knowledge; it is thinking that makes what we read ours.
Interpretation
Reading provides knowledge, but it's through thinking that we internalize it.
This quote by John Locke emphasizes the distinction between simply acquiring knowledge through reading and truly understanding and integrating that knowledge through thoughtful reflection. It suggests that the act of reading alone is insufficient; to truly possess knowledge, one must actively engage with it through critical thinking and contemplation.
In practice
In a speech about the importance of education, one might quote Locke to emphasize that students must think critically about what they read.
For where is the man that has incontestable evidence of the truth of all that he holds, or of the falsehood of all he condemns; or can say that he has examined to the bottom all his own, or other men's opinions? The necessity of believing without knowledge, nay often upon very slight grounds, in this fleeting state of action and blindness we are in, should make us more busy and careful to inform ourselves than constrain others.
There is frequently more to be learned from the unexpected questions of a child than the discourses of men.
Our deeds disguise us. People need endless time to try on their deeds, until each knows the proper deeds for him to do. But every day, every hour, rushes by. There is no time.
New opinions are always suspected, and usually opposed, without any other reason but because they are not already common.
I have always thought the actions of men the best interpreters of their thoughts.
One unerring mark of the love of truth is not entertaining any proposition with greater assurance than the proofs it is built upon will warrant.
You can control and censor a child's reading, but you can't control her interpretations; no one can guess how a message that to adults seems banal or ridiculous or outmoded will alter itself and evolve inside the darkness of a child's heart.
I am not your dear; I cannot lie down: send me to school soon, Mrs. Reed, for I hate to live here.
It is much easier to condemn a child than to understand a child.
Learning is like a cow of desire. It, like her, yields in all seasons. Like a mother, it feeds you on your journey. Therefore learning is a hidden treasure.
You must write for children the same way you write for adults, only better.
In my work a good library is essential. It enables me to learn the background and previous discussions of the various issues I am called upon to decide. It provides the stability and continuity for the rule of law.
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