--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Education should be a right, not a…" description: "\"Education should be a right, not a privilege. We need a revolution in the way that the United States funds higher education.\" — Bernie Sanders" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/163/bernie-sanders-233_college_education-should-be-a-right-not-a-privil_1565366.jpg" --- # Education should be a right, not a privilege. We need a… ![“Education should be a right, not a privilege. We need a revolution in the way that the United States funds higher education.” quote by Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/163/bernie-sanders-233_college_education-should-be-a-right-not-a-privil_1565366.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/163/bernie-sanders-233_college_education-should-be-a-right-not-a-privil_1565366.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/163/bernie-sanders-233_college_education-should-be-a-right-not-a-privil_1565366.jpg) > “Education should be a right, not a privilege. We need a revolution in the way that the United States funds higher education.” [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Higher education must be universally accessible, requiring systemic funding reforms to eliminate socioeconomic barriers and treat learning as a public good. **In simple terms:** College should be a right, not a luxury. Key Takeaway Support universal education funding. Themes equality access public policy Mood hopeful determined Type political advocacy When to use this quote - policy advocacy - student loan reform - community college support Key Concepts social justice economic reform education funding Questions to Reflect On - How can citizens pressure lawmakers? - What models exist for free education? A Different Perspective Political resistance may stall change. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [College](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/college/) [College tuition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/college-tuition/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Education Right](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education-right-1317117/) [Fund](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fund/) [Higher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/higher/) [Higher Ed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/higher-ed/) [Higher education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/higher-education/) [Need Revolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/need-revolution-503986/) [Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs/) [Privilege](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/privilege/) [Privilege Need](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/privilege-need-991034/) [Revolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/revolution/) [Right Privilege](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right-privilege-277352/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [States](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/states/) [Tuition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tuition/) [United](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/united/) [United states](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/united-states/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) ## Related quotes > [We are moving in exactly the wrong direction in higher education. Forty years ago, tuition in some of the great American public universities and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/we-are-moving-in-exactly-the-wrong-direction-in-higher-education/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [In Germany, many other countries, college tuition is free. Why isn't free in America? Why do we have the highest rate of childhood poverty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/in-germany-many-other-countries-college-tuition-is-free-why-isn-t/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [In Germany, college tuition is free. In America, college tuition is increasingly unaffordable. In a highly competitive global economy, which country do you think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/in-germany-college-tuition-is-free-in-america-college-tuition-is/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [Every person in this country who has the desire and ability should be able to get all the education they need regardless of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/every-person-in-this-country-who-has-the-desire-and-ability-should-be/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [Bernie Sanders did not wake up last night with this great idea that we should guarantee health care to all people as a right.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/bernie-sanders-did-not-wake-up-last-night-with-this-great-idea-that/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [We have got to make sure that every qualified American in this country who wants to go to college can go to college --…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/we-have-got-to-make-sure-that-every-qualified-american-in-this/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [How can the United States be competitive globally if higher education is unaffordable? Germany, Austria, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Scotland and Sweden have no tuition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/how-can-the-united-states-be-competitive-globally-if-higher-education/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [I would like to make it so that education was a right, and not a privilege.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daphne-koller/i-would-like-to-make-it-so-that-education-was-a-right-and-not-a/) [Daphne Koller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daphne-koller/) > [Holiness is not a privilege of a few but a need for all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mother-teresa/holiness-is-not-a-privilege-of-a-few-but-a-need-for-all/) [Mother Teresa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mother-teresa/) > [It's great to talk about how good things are now. But we can't sit on our laurels and expect that our time will sustain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-davis/it-s-great-to-talk-about-how-good-things-are-now-but-we-can-t-sit-on/) [Wendy Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-davis/) > [I left school December of 1988. I was 21 at the time. And I hadn't quite finished my degree because I had done eight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-gordon/i-left-school-december-of-1988-i-was-21-at-the-time-and-i-hadn-t/) [Jon Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-gordon/) > [Higher education isn't just a personal investment. It's a public good that pays off in a more competitive workforce and better-informed and engaged citizens.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reich/higher-education-isn-t-just-a-personal-investment-it-s-a-public-good/) [Robert Reich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reich/) > [I’d compare college tuition to paying for a personal trainer at an athletic club. We professors play the roles of trainers, giving people access…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-pausch/i-d-compare-college-tuition-to-paying-for-a-personal-trainer-at-an/) [Randy Pausch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-pausch/) > [Before I was governor, tuition was skyrocketing, and we stopped that. We capped and then we froze college tuition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-allen/before-i-was-governor-tuition-was-skyrocketing-and-we-stopped-that-we/) [George Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-allen/) > [I want to make college tuition-free for the middle class and debt-free for everyone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/i-want-to-make-college-tuition-free-for-the-middle-class-and-debt/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) ## More by Bernie Sanders > [The rich people are apparently leaving America. They're giving up their citizenship. These great lovers of America who made their money in this country-when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/the-rich-people-are-apparently-leaving-america-they-re-giving-up/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [As the longest serving Independent in the history of the United States Congress, as somebody who came into office by defeating an incumbent Democratic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/as-the-longest-serving-independent-in-the-history-of-the-united/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [What Wall Street and credit card companies are doing is really not much different from what gangsters and loan sharks do who make predatory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/what-wall-street-and-credit-card-companies-are-doing-is-really-not/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [What we have got to do immediately is to say that racism and xenophobia is totally unacceptable and we will stand with the 1…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/what-we-have-got-to-do-immediately-is-to-say-that-racism-and/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [In 1999, Hoffmann-LaRoche paid a $500 million criminal fine for leading a worldwide conspiracy to fix prices for certain vitamins.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/in-1999-hoffmann-laroche-paid-a-500-million-criminal-fine-for-leading/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [We need a strategy. And the goal is to bring millions of people together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/we-need-a-strategy-and-the-goal-is-to-bring-millions-of-people/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [We are living at a time where a handful of people have wealth beyond comprehension - huge yachts, jet planes, tens of billions of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/we-are-living-at-a-time-where-a-handful-of-people-have-wealth-beyond/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [The deficit crisis is real and must be addressed. But it cannot be solved on the backs of the weak and vulnerable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/the-deficit-crisis-is-real-and-must-be-addressed-but-it-cannot-be/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [I want to break up the Wall Street banks. Hillary Clinton doesn't. I want to raise the minimum wage to 15 bucks an hour.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/i-want-to-break-up-the-wall-street-banks-hillary-clinton-doesn-t-i/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [The Palestinian people's needs must be respected.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/the-palestinian-people-s-needs-must-be-respected/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [Hillary Clinton wants to see that all Americans have the right to choose a public option in their health care exchange.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/hillary-clinton-wants-to-see-that-all-americans-have-the-right-to/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [If you want to know if your food contains gluten, aspartame, high fructose corn syrup, trans-fats or MSG, you simply read the ingredients listed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/if-you-want-to-know-if-your-food-contains-gluten-aspartame-high/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [It reminds me in some ways of the debate taking place in this country and around the world in the late 1930s. There were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/it-reminds-me-in-some-ways-of-the-debate-taking-place-in-this-country/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [I am sure that there are some single payer advocates who think the only thing worth fighting for is single payer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/i-am-sure-that-there-are-some-single-payer-advocates-who-think-the/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [The case to be made is that we have got to get people involved - continue to get people involved in the political process…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/the-case-to-be-made-is-that-we-have-got-to-get-people-involved/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) [Explore all 853 Bernie Sanders quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) ## More College quotes > [I made, like, five movies while I was in college. I think they just weren't memorable movies. I've taken breaks as the years have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodie-foster/i-made-like-five-movies-while-i-was-in-college-i-think-they-just/) [Jodie Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodie-foster/) > [My first ever job after college was as a flight attendant. I wanted to travel and could not afford it, so I decided to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-winspear/my-first-ever-job-after-college-was-as-a-flight-attendant-i-wanted-to/) [Jacqueline Winspear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-winspear/) > [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/) > [It was only when I started making short films in college and I was looking for girls to play the me-ish parts that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/it-was-only-when-i-started-making-short-films-in-college-and-i-was/) [Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/) > [I do not believe in public shaming. I do believe that young adults go to college to learn things, and that this process will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-weingarten/i-do-not-believe-in-public-shaming-i-do-believe-that-young-adults-go/) [Gene Weingarten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-weingarten/) > [Some people, you know, should just go to college and do what they do and have a great job and not worry about trying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-legend/some-people-you-know-should-just-go-to-college-and-do-what-they-do/) [John Legend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-legend/) > [Children should finish school and even go to college if they can.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-fuller/children-should-finish-school-and-even-go-to-college-if-they-can/) [Robert Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-fuller/) > [I was totally sober in college and really, really focused. 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Submitted by Lisa Letto, Coordinator, Nutrition Resource and Volunteer Centre, College of Pharmacy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/plant-flowers-in-others-gardens-and-your-life-becomes-a-bouquet/) [Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/) > [The number of poor, and poorly prepared, students who succeed in college and beyond undercuts the simplistic notion that economic or educational disadvantage is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-merullo/the-number-of-poor-and-poorly-prepared-students-who-succeed-in/) [Roland Merullo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-merullo/) > [Doing away with separate black colleges meets resistance from alumni and other blacks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/constance-baker-motley/doing-away-with-separate-black-colleges-meets-resistance-from-alumni/) [Constance Baker Motley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/constance-baker-motley/) > [My son going to college is a big milestone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-gore/my-son-going-to-college-is-a-big-milestone/) [Frank Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-gore/) > [The reason I got into acting was not to explore myself. I was a reader, I didn't care about acting. I got into it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/campbell-scott/the-reason-i-got-into-acting-was-not-to-explore-myself-i-was-a-reader/) [Campbell Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/campbell-scott/) [Browse all 7,391 College quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/college/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Education should be a right, not a privilege. 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