A nation that does not read much does not know much. And a nation that does not know much is more likely to make poor choices in the home, the marketplace, the jury box, and the voting booth. And those decisions ultimately affect the entire nation...the literate and illiterate.
Interpretation
Reading leads to knowledge, which is crucial for making informed decisions in various aspects of life.
This quote emphasizes the importance of literacy and knowledge in shaping the choices individuals and societies make. A lack of reading and knowledge can result in poor decision-making at crucial levels, such as in personal homes, the economy, and democratic processes, ultimately impacting everyone in the nation, regardless of their literacy status.
In practice
In a speech about the importance of education, this quote can be used to highlight the value of reading.
Each day millions of children arrive in American classrooms in search of more than reading and math skills. They are looking for a light in the darkness of their lives, a Good Samaritan who will stop and bandage a bruised heart or ego.
No player in the NBA was born wanting to play basketball. The desire to play ball or to read must be planted. The last 25 years of research show that reading aloud to a child is the oldest, cheapest and must successful method of instilling that desire. Shooting baskets with a child creates a basketball player; reading to a child creates a reader.
I believe that education is the civil rights issue of our generation. And if you care about promoting opportunity and reducing inequality, the classroom is the place to start. Great teaching is about so much more than education; it is a daily fight for social justice.
Books are the legacies that a great genius leaves to mankind
The only way you can invent tomorrow is if you break out of the enclosure that the school system has provided for you by the exams written by people who are trained in another generation.
I believe a child going without an education is tantamount to a crime. So I decided I was going to start prosecuting parents for truancy.
Your example, even more than your words, will be an eloquent lesson to the world.
A man who has never gone to school may steal from a freight car; but if he has a university education, he may steal the whole railroad.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.