--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The question to ask about education is…" description: "\"“The question to ask about education is not ‘What can I do with it?’ That is the wrong question because it concentrates on instrumental values and redu..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dae/arthur-f-holmes-55713_art_the-question-to-ask-about-education-is-n_2063031.jpg" --- # The question to ask about education is not ‘What can I do… ![“The question to ask about education is not ‘What can I do with it?’ That is the wrong question because it concentrates on instrumental values and reduces everything to a useful art. The right question is rather ‘What can it do to me?” quote by Arthur F. Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dae/arthur-f-holmes-55713_art_the-question-to-ask-about-education-is-n_2063031.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dae/arthur-f-holmes-55713_art_the-question-to-ask-about-education-is-n_2063031.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dae/arthur-f-holmes-55713_art_the-question-to-ask-about-education-is-n_2063031.jpg) > ““The question to ask about education is not ‘What can I do with it?’ That is the wrong question because it concentrates on instrumental values and reduces everything to a useful art. The right question is rather ‘What can it do to me?”” [Arthur F. Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-f-holmes/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Education should be valued for its transformative personal impact, not merely for practical utility. **In simple terms:** Learn for personal growth, not just utility. Key Takeaway Seek education that changes you. Themes education personal development values Mood reflective inspirational Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - career planning - self‑improvement - lifelong learning - curriculum design Key Concepts transformative learning humanistic philosophy Questions to Reflect On - How has education reshaped your identity? - What personal changes do you value most? A Different Perspective It may be hard to measure personal transformation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Ask Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ask-education-1155324/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Education Wrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education-wrong-1631840/) [Question Ask](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/question-ask-836304/) [Right Question](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right-question-533089/) [Wrong Question](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wrong-question-500117/) ## Related quotes > [“The question to ask about an education is not 'What can I do with it?' but rather 'What is it doing to me –…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-f-holmes/the-question-to-ask-about-an-education-is-not-what-can-i-do-with-it/) [Arthur F. Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-f-holmes/) > [The wrong question to ask of a myth is whether it is true or false. The right question is whether it is living or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-holloway/the-wrong-question-to-ask-of-a-myth-is-whether-it-is-true-or-false/) [Richard Holloway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-holloway/) > [In my opinion the prevailing systems of education are all wrong, from the first stage to the last stage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-duane/in-my-opinion-the-prevailing-systems-of-education-are-all-wrong-from/) [William Duane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-duane/) > [The public school education system has done so much for me that it would be wrong not give anything back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-warren/the-public-school-education-system-has-done-so-much-for-me-that-it/) [Amanda Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-warren/) > [The factory model of education is the wrong model for the 21st century. Today, our schools must prepare all students for college and careers-and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arne-duncan/the-factory-model-of-education-is-the-wrong-model-for-the-21st/) [Arne Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arne-duncan/) > [This notion that I was somehow special and deserving of a more involved education was wrong.I was smart at taking tests, but I knew…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamasi-washington/this-notion-that-i-was-somehow-special-and-deserving-of-a-more/) [Kamasi Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamasi-washington/) > [“...There's no right answer to the wrong question. Now what do we do?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/there-s-no-right-answer-to-the-wrong-question-now-what-do-we-do/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [“For every question, there is an answer. Where everybody fails is by asking the wrong question.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-diaz/for-every-question-there-is-an-answer-where-everybody-fails-is-by/) [Richard Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-diaz/) > [No; we have been as usual asking the wrong question. It does not matter a hoot what the mockingbird on the chimney is singing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/no-we-have-been-as-usual-asking-the-wrong-question-it-does-not-matter/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [I have been asked this question over and over again: 'Dr. Jeremiah, do you think God is finished with America?' But that is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-jeremiah/i-have-been-asked-this-question-over-and-over-again-dr-jeremiah-do/) [David Jeremiah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-jeremiah/) > [“Are we products of nature or nurture? It's the wrong question. It's not one or the other. Nor is it a combination of both.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beau-lotto/are-we-products-of-nature-or-nurture-it-s-the-wrong-question-it-s-not/) [Beau Lotto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beau-lotto/) > [This is the best book ever written by any man on the wrong side of a question of which he is profoundly ignorant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-b-macaulay/this-is-the-best-book-ever-written-by-any-man-on-the-wrong-side-of-a/) [Thomas B. Macaulay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-b-macaulay/) > [The most serious mistakes are not being made as a result of wrong answers. The true dangerous thing is asking the wrong question.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-drucker/the-most-serious-mistakes-are-not-being-made-as-a-result-of-wrong/) [Peter Drucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-drucker/) > [If your horse says no, you either asked the wrong question or asked the question wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-your-horse-says-no-you-either-asked-the-wrong-question-or-asked/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If you are asking the wrong question, it doesn't matter how good the answer is, you aren't going to get where you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-wallis/if-you-are-asking-the-wrong-question-it-doesn-t-matter-how-good-the/) [Jim Wallis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-wallis/) ## More by Arthur F. Holmes > [“Language itself is so value-laden as to render value-neutrality almost impossible. Growing up in England I was introduced to the American Revolution by a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-f-holmes/language-itself-is-so-value-laden-as-to-render-value-neutrality/) [Arthur F. Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-f-holmes/) > [“The witness of solid moral character to a righteous way of life must never be underestimated.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-f-holmes/the-witness-of-solid-moral-character-to-a-righteous-way-of-life-must/) [Arthur F. Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-f-holmes/) > [“Again and again the old groupings of left and right no longer seem helpful. Sloganeering and dogmatizing settle nothing, nor do emotional tirades and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-f-holmes/again-and-again-the-old-groupings-of-left-and-right-no-longer-seem/) [Arthur F. Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-f-holmes/) > [“The evangelical with his "minority complex" often forgets that he is part of a massive historical movement much larger than his own kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-f-holmes/the-evangelical-with-his-minority-complex-often-forgets-that-he-is/) [Arthur F. Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-f-holmes/) > [“The question to ask about an education is not 'What can I do with it?' but rather 'What is it doing to me –…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-f-holmes/the-question-to-ask-about-an-education-is-not-what-can-i-do-with-it/) [Arthur F. Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-f-holmes/) [Explore all 6 Arthur F. Holmes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-f-holmes/) ## More Art quotes > [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/) [Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) > [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/) [Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/) > [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/) [Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/) > [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/) [Taf Teh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taf-teh/) > [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/) [Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/) > [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/) [Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/) [G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/) > [“The only thing--I tell you this straight from the heart--that disgusts me in Salzburg is that one can't have any proper social intercourse with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/the-only-thing-i-tell-you-this-straight-from-the-heart-that-disgusts/) [Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/) > [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/) [Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/) > [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) [Browse all 48,643 Art quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The question to ask about education is not ‘What can I do with it?’ That is the wrong question because it concentrates on instrumental values and reduces everything to a useful art. The right question is rather ‘What can it do to me?”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Arthur F. Holmes" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-f-holmes/the-question-to-ask-about-education-is-not-what-can-i-do-with-it-that/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Art" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-f-holmes/the-question-to-ask-about-education-is-not-what-can-i-do-with-it-that/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dae/arthur-f-holmes-55713_art_the-question-to-ask-about-education-is-n_2063031.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dae/arthur-f-holmes-55713_art_the-question-to-ask-about-education-is-n_2063031.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dae/arthur-f-holmes-55713_art_the-question-to-ask-about-education-is-n_2063031.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The question to ask about education is not ‘What can I do with it?’ That is the wrong question because it…” — Arthur F. Holmes", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Arthur F. Holmes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-f-holmes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The question to ask about education...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-f-holmes/the-question-to-ask-about-education-is-not-what-can-i-do-with-it-that/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-f-holmes/the-question-to-ask-about-education-is-not-what-can-i-do-with-it-that/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```