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
Any piece of knowledge which the pupil has himself acquired- any problem which he has himself solved, becomes, by virtue of the conquest, much more thoroughly his than it could else be. The preliminary activity of mind which his success implies, the concentration of thought necessary to it, and the excitement consequent on his triumph, conspire to register the facts in his memory in a way that no mere information heard from a teacher, or read in a schoolbook, can be registered.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Knowledge gained personally is better retained and understood than information passively received.
This quote emphasizes the importance of active learning and personal engagement in the educational process. Herbert Spencer argues that when students take the initiative to acquire knowledge and solve problems on their own, the resulting understanding and retention of that knowledge far surpasses what they would learn through traditional methods such as listening to teachers or reading textbooks. The mental effort and concentration required to overcome challenges and achieve success not only enhances memory but also fosters a deeper connection to the material.
Themes
KnowledgeLearningEducationActiveEngagementMemoryUnderstandingSuccess
In practice
Example use cases
During a seminar on teaching methods, a speaker can use this quote to highlight the effectiveness of experiential learning.
More from Herbert Spencer
All quotes →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.
Herbert SpencerRead
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.
Herbert SpencerRead
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.
Herbert SpencerRead
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.
Herbert SpencerRead
This survival of the fittest implies multiplication of the fittest.
Herbert SpencerRead
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