With kids heading back to classrooms all over the country this week, I thought now would be the perfect time to share some of my favorite back to school quotes that inspire a passion for learning! Print them out and put them on your fridge, bulletin boards or at your homework station (or, as we call it, the dining room table).
Inspirational Back to School Quotes
1. “Education is the kindling of a flame, not the filling of a vessel.” ―
In other words, school can’t teach you everything there is to know. Instead, it should inspire you to find your own passions and explore them more on your own.
2. “Any fool can know. The point is to understand.” – Einstein
I think this is pretty self-explanatory! There is a huge difference between knowing something and understanding it. I also think this is a pretty good reason to do away with standardized testing! Think about it, any child can learn facts through rote memorization and click the right box on a multiple-choice test, but it doesn’t mean they actually understand what any of it means.
3. “Wisdom…. comes not from age, but from education and learning.” ―
In other words, just because you’re old doesn’t mean you’re wise. 😀 Seriously, my son proves to me time and again that he’s wiser than people 3 times his age.
I think this is a good quote to share with Millennials and Gen-Z kids who are constantly bombard with memes and messages mocking them for taking a stand and insinuating that their youthfulness invalidates their opinions.
4. “Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” ―
Gandhi is full of wise little gems, including this powerful quote about learning.
5. We learn from failure, not from success!” ― Dracula
Success teaches you the ONE thing that works. Failure not only teaches you all the things that doesn’t, it also gives you new ideas. Let’s say you’re trying to build a better mousetrap (preferably a humane one!). If you get it right on the first try, wonderful, you’ve learned how to build a mousetrap.
However, each failure gives you a chance to discover something that you weren’t even looking for! Remember, microwaves, penicillin, and x-rays were discovered accidentally!
6. “Perfectionism is the enemy of happiness. Embrace being perfectly imperfect. Learn from your mistakes and forgive yourself, you’ll be happier.” -―
With all the pressure that schools put on kids these days, this message is more important than ever. It’s also a reminder to parents to stop demanding perfection from their kids. I am always astounded and amazed (and totally not in a good way) by parents who ground their kids for getting a single bad grade. Are you awesome at every single subject? I know I’m not, so why should I expect my child to be???
7. “Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.” – Ben Franklin
I really wish more public schools would pay attention to this quote! It seems that they’re more of the “tell me” variety than anything, and I don’t blame the teachers for that. The vast majority that I know would prefer to involve kids in lessons rather than just teach to a test.
8. “That is what learning is. You suddenly understand something you’ve understood all your life, but in a new way.” ―
I can’t tell you how often something I learned decades ago suddenly clicks and I look at it in a whole new way!
9. “Self-education is, I firmly believe, the only kind of education there is.” ―
A great quote for homeschoolers and unschoolers, but also for those in a traditional classroom setting! I went to college for years but everything I really know, I taught myself. That’s not to say that I didn’t learn from my teachers, just that I had to go home and explore topics on my own to really absorb them.
10. “Literature is the safe and traditional vehicle through which we learn about the world and pass on values from on generation to the next. Books save lives.” ―
Can’t have back to school quotes without mentioning books, right? I couldn’t agree more with this quote. Books definitely saved my life!
There you go. Short and sweet post, I tried to let the pictures speak for themselves. Also, I’m being lazy because it’s been a crazy week getting Jake ready for high school and I’ve totally neglected my writing. 😀
