Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school.
– Albert Einstein
VOCABULARY
To remain (verb) = to stay behind
To forget (verb) = to not remember
Remember that there are two ways of writing the past tense and past participle of the verb To Learn:
Learnt (UK) and Learned (US)
What does it mean?
Einstein is saying that you only really start learning once you have left school and forgotten what you learnt there. He is suggesting that although school is there to educate you about important subjects such as maths and science, only real life can really educate you about things which are important. He is also suggesting that what you learn at schools is counterproductive – it can have a negative impact on your life – and that only once you have forgotten what you learnt at school do you start learning useful things.
He probably thought this way after one of his teachers said “You will never amount to anything” (which means you won’t get anywhere in life). Of course, he eventually proved that teacher wrong.
Do you agree with this quote?
Which do you think is more important: the skills you learn at school or the skills you learn by being in the real world: going to work, having relationships, etc?
