---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The only thing more expensive than…"
description: "\"The only thing more expensive than education is ignorance.\" — Benjamin Franklin"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/37a/benjamin-franklin-65_education_the-only-thing-more-expensive-than-educa_471176.png"
---

#  The only thing more expensive than education is ignorance.

![“The only thing more expensive than education is ignorance.” quote by Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/37a/benjamin-franklin-65_education_the-only-thing-more-expensive-than-educa_471176.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/37a/benjamin-franklin-65_education_the-only-thing-more-expensive-than-educa_471176.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/37a/benjamin-franklin-65_education_the-only-thing-more-expensive-than-educa_471176.png)

> “The only thing more expensive than education is ignorance.”

[Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Education costs less than the long‑term damage caused by ignorance, so investing in learning saves greater expenses later.

**In simple terms:** Education is cheaper than ignorance.

Key Takeaway

Invest in learning to avoid costly mistakes.

Themes

education economics wisdom

Mood

reflective inspirational

Type

philosophical motivational

When to use this quote

- policy making
- personal development
- public health
- business strategy

Key Concepts

cost of ignorance long‑term savings

Questions to Reflect On

- What areas of your life need more learning?
- How does knowledge prevent hidden costs?

A Different Perspective

Ignorance can be mitigated by experience, not just formal education.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Ignorance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ignorance/)

## Related quotes

> [The only thing that is more expensive than education is ignorance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/the-only-thing-that-is-more-expensive-than-education-is-ignorance/)

[Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/)

> [The only thing more expensive than hiring a professional, is hiring an amateur.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/red-adair/the-only-thing-more-expensive-than-hiring-a-professional-is-hiring-an/)

[Red Adair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/red-adair/)

> [“Money comes to money, and poverty to poverty. Education comes to education, and ignorance to ignorance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/money-comes-to-money-and-poverty-to-poverty-education-comes-to/)

[Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/)

> [I had a very elitist, snobbish, expensive education in India, and that almost destroyed me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bunker-roy/i-had-a-very-elitist-snobbish-expensive-education-in-india-and-that/)

[Bunker Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bunker-roy/)

> [I've learned that whether it's with your skin or your hair, less is more. People go and do so much to it, I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyle-richards/i-ve-learned-that-whether-it-s-with-your-skin-or-your-hair-less-is/)

[Kyle Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyle-richards/)

> [I went to a very elitist, snobbish, expensive education in India, and it almost killed me. I was all set to be a diplomat,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bunker-roy/i-went-to-a-very-elitist-snobbish-expensive-education-in-india-and-it/)

[Bunker Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bunker-roy/)

> [By the word simplicity, is not always meant folly or ignorance; but often, pure and upright Nature, free from artifice, craft or deceitful ornament.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/by-the-word-simplicity-is-not-always-meant-folly-or-ignorance-but/)

[Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/)

> [Education is a progressive discovery of our own ignorance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/education-is-a-progressive-discovery-of-our-own-ignorance/)

[Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/)

> [“Education always costs less than ignorance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matshona-dhliwayo/education-always-costs-less-than-ignorance/)

[Matshona Dhliwayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matshona-dhliwayo/)

> [If you had made the acquiring of ignorance the study of your life, you could not have graduated with higher honor than you could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/if-you-had-made-the-acquiring-of-ignorance-the-study-of-your-life-you/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [I watched a film called 'Elephant' recently. Its not stylish in the sense of expensive suits and Italian cars, but the styling on every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tinie-tempah/i-watched-a-film-called-elephant-recently-its-not-stylish-in-the/)

[Tinie Tempah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tinie-tempah/)

> [This is not really currency that circulates. It's like the old joke about expensive vintage wine. Wine prices will go up and once in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hudson/this-is-not-really-currency-that-circulates-it-s-like-the-old-joke/)

[Michael Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hudson/)

> [The liveness of theater, and the excitement of experiencing it alongside an audience, is something you can't get at home. That makes the theater…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-blaemire/the-liveness-of-theater-and-the-excitement-of-experiencing-it/)

[Nick Blaemire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-blaemire/)

> [Consumers can choose organic cotton grown without pesticides, but it uses more water and requires more land than conventional crops. Organic cotton can also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tatiana-schlossberg/consumers-can-choose-organic-cotton-grown-without-pesticides-but-it/)

[Tatiana Schlossberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tatiana-schlossberg/)

## More by Benjamin Franklin

> [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/)

> [Think of these things, whence you came, where you are going, and to whom you must account.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/think-of-these-things-whence-you-came-where-you-are-going-and-to-whom/)

[Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/)

> [“Give me 26 lead soldiers and I will conquer the world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/give-me-26-lead-soldiers-and-i-will-conquer-the-world/)

[Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/)

> [Flowers are the alphabet of angels, whereby they write on the hills and fields mysterious truths.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/flowers-are-the-alphabet-of-angels-whereby-they-write-on-the-hills/)

[Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/)

> [In the affairs of this world, men are saved not by faith, but by the want of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/in-the-affairs-of-this-world-men-are-saved-not-by-faith-but-by-the/)

[Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/)

> [By heaven we understand a state of happiness infinite in degree, and endless in duration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/by-heaven-we-understand-a-state-of-happiness-infinite-in-degree-and/)

[Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/)

> [I have thought that wild flowers might be the alphabet of angels, — whereby they write on hills and fields mysterious truths, which it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/i-have-thought-that-wild-flowers-might-be-the-alphabet-of-angels/)

[Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/)

> [How do you become better tomorrow? By improving yourself, the world is made better. Be not afraid of growing too slowly. Be afraid of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/how-do-you-become-better-tomorrow-by-improving-yourself-the-world-is/)

[Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/)

> [Little leaks sink the ship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/little-leaks-sink-the-ship/)

[Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/)

> [Who is rich? He that is content. Who is that? Nobody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/who-is-rich-he-that-is-content-who-is-that-nobody/)

[Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/)

> [“But on the whole, though I never arrived at the perfection I had been so ambitious of obtaining, but fell far short of it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/but-on-the-whole-though-i-never-arrived-at-the-perfection-i-had-been/)

[Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/)

> [The good particular men may do separately, in relieving the sick, is small, compared with what they may do collectively.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/the-good-particular-men-may-do-separately-in-relieving-the-sick-is/)

[Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/)

> [Love your Neighbour; yet don't pull down your Hedge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/love-your-neighbour-yet-don-t-pull-down-your-hedge/)

[Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/)

> [Take counsel in wine, but resolve afterwards in water.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/take-counsel-in-wine-but-resolve-afterwards-in-water/)

[Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/)

> [He that's secure is not safe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/he-that-s-secure-is-not-safe/)

[Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/)

[Explore all 1,692 Benjamin Franklin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/)

## More Education quotes

> [I put myself in the student's place and remember the frustrations, doubts, determination, and desires I felt when I was going through the initial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-martinez/i-put-myself-in-the-student-s-place-and-remember-the-frustrations/)

Ted Martinez

> [“In school you are taught to obey and not to think straight for your own good. Otherwise the world would be full of millionaires…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mwanandeke-kindembo/in-school-you-are-taught-to-obey-and-not-to-think-straight-for-your/)

[Mwanandeke Kindembo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mwanandeke-kindembo/)

> [For successful education there must always be a certain freshness in the knowledge dealt with. It must be either new in itself or invested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/for-successful-education-there-must-always-be-a-certain-freshness-in/)

[Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/)

> [Where I grew up, learning was a collective activity. But when I got to school and tried to share learning with other students that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/where-i-grew-up-learning-was-a-collective-activity-but-when-i-got-to/)

[Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/)

> [There's no authoritarian structure at Reed College, but the education is conservative. So what you have is a lot of students who are very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-miller/there-s-no-authoritarian-structure-at-reed-college-but-the-education/)

[Donald Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-miller/)

> [“What's the best thing about being in college? Good teachers. They inspire you, they entertain you, and you end up learning a ton even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/what-s-the-best-thing-about-being-in-college-good-teachers-they/)

[Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/)

> [“If one has not a head of steel it will burst; if he has not within it a brain of liquid quicksilver, he will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ioannes-amos-commenius/if-one-has-not-a-head-of-steel-it-will-burst-if-he-has-not-within-it/)

Ioannes Amos Commenius

> [“let us not teach / what we have learned badly / and not profited by”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-d-hilda-doolittle/let-us-not-teach-what-we-have-learned-badly-and-not-profited-by/)

H.D. (Hilda Doolittle

> [“It took me years to learn to sit at my desk for more than two minutes at a time, to put up with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/it-took-me-years-to-learn-to-sit-at-my-desk-for-more-than-two-minutes/)

[Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/)

> [According to Plato, we don't learn anything. Our soul has lived so many lives that we know everything. Teachers and education can only remind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/according-to-plato-we-don-t-learn-anything-our-soul-has-lived-so-many/)

[Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/)

> [“I only began to enjoy studying after I got through the educational system and became a so-called member of society. If something interested me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-only-began-to-enjoy-studying-after-i-got-through-the-educational/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [If you had made the acquiring of ignorance the study of your life, you could not have graduated with higher honor than you could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/if-you-had-made-the-acquiring-of-ignorance-the-study-of-your-life-you/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [How wonderful it would be, I thought, if only we could practice the teachings of the Buddha as he really taught them from his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dzogchen-ponlop-rinpoche/how-wonderful-it-would-be-i-thought-if-only-we-could-practice-the/)

[Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dzogchen-ponlop-rinpoche/)

> [English teachers tend to put more thought in the books than the author did](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/english-teachers-tend-to-put-more-thought-in-the-books-than-the/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [When will society, like a mother, take care of all her children?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-mann/when-will-society-like-a-mother-take-care-of-all-her-children/)

[Horace Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace-mann/)

[Browse all 37,666 Education quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The only thing more expensive than education is ignorance.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Benjamin Franklin"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/the-only-thing-more-expensive-than-education-is-ignorance/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Education"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/the-only-thing-more-expensive-than-education-is-ignorance/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/37a/benjamin-franklin-65_education_the-only-thing-more-expensive-than-educa_471176.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/37a/benjamin-franklin-65_education_the-only-thing-more-expensive-than-educa_471176.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/37a/benjamin-franklin-65_education_the-only-thing-more-expensive-than-educa_471176.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The only thing more expensive than education is ignorance.” — Benjamin Franklin",
                "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": "Benjamin Franklin",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The only thing more expensive than...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/the-only-thing-more-expensive-than-education-is-ignorance/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/the-only-thing-more-expensive-than-education-is-ignorance/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
