--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: University, as institutions, pre-date the…" description: "\"University, as institutions, pre-date the information economy by many centuries and are not for-profit cultural entities, whose reason of existence (pu..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d89/bruce-sterling-3596_century_university-as-institutions-pre-date-the_718553.jpg" --- # University, as institutions, pre-date the information… ![“University, as institutions, pre-date the information economy by many centuries and are not for-profit cultural entities, whose reason of existence (purportedly) is to discover truth, codify it through techniques of scholarship, and then teach it. Universities are meant to pass the torch of…” quote by Bruce Sterling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d89/bruce-sterling-3596_century_university-as-institutions-pre-date-the_718553.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d89/bruce-sterling-3596_century_university-as-institutions-pre-date-the_718553.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d89/bruce-sterling-3596_century_university-as-institutions-pre-date-the_718553.jpg) > “University, as institutions, pre-date the information economy by many centuries and are not for-profit cultural entities, whose reason of existence (purportedly) is to discover truth, codify it through techniques of scholarship, and then teach it. Universities are meant to pass the torch of civilization not just download data into student skulls.” [Bruce Sterling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-sterling/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Universities are historic, non‑profit cultural institutions dedicated to discovering and teaching truth, not merely storing data. **In simple terms:** Universities aim to teach truth, not just data. Key Takeaway Support and protect academic independence. Themes education truth culture Mood thoughtful critical Type academic philosophical When to use this quote - policy discussions - academic reform - higher‑education strategy Key Concepts scholarship public good institutional purpose Questions to Reflect On - How can universities stay true to their mission? - What role should profit play in education? A Different Perspective Funding pressures can threaten non‑profit missions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Century](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/century/) [Civilization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilization/) [Data](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/data/) [Downloads](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/downloads/) [Economy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economy/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Entity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/entity/) [Existence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existence/) [Information](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/information/) [Information Economy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/information-economy-434458/) [Institutions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/institutions/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Profit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/profit/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [Scholarship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scholarship/) [Skulls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/skulls/) [Students](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/students/) [Teach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teach/) [Teach Universities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teach-universities-497743/) [Technique](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technique/) [Torches](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/torches/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) [Universities Meant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/universities-meant-5002997/) [University](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/university/) [University Institutions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/university-institutions-5653235/) ## Related quotes > [Universities are meant to pass the torch of civilization.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-abelson/universities-are-meant-to-pass-the-torch-of-civilization/) [Hal Abelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-abelson/) > [They teach anything in universities today. You can major in mud pies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-welles/they-teach-anything-in-universities-today-you-can-major-in-mud-pies/) [Orson Welles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-welles/) > [...universities were not meant entirely, or even chiefly, as stepping-stones to an examination, but that there is something else which universities can teach and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/universities-were-not-meant-entirely-or-even-chiefly-as-stepping/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The most important feature of an information economy, in which information is defined as surprise, is the overthrow, not the attainment, of equilibrium. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-gilder/the-most-important-feature-of-an-information-economy-in-which/) [George Gilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-gilder/) > [Today it's fashionable to talk about the New Economy, or the Information Economy, or the Knowledge Economy. But when I think about the imperatives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-levitt-jr/today-it-s-fashionable-to-talk-about-the-new-economy-or-the/) [Arthur Levitt Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-levitt-jr/) > [“Unfortunately, by forcing more and more value off the books as the world economy turns into an information economy, the ideal of “free” information…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaron-lanier/unfortunately-by-forcing-more-and-more-value-off-the-books-as-the/) [Jaron Lanier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaron-lanier/) > [The information glut has become a ruling cliche. As all resources - from energy to information - become more abundant, the presure of economic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-gilder/the-information-glut-has-become-a-ruling-cliche-as-all-resources-from/) [George Gilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-gilder/) > [I mean, you can't have advertising be the only official business of the information economy if the information economy is going to take over.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaron-lanier/i-mean-you-can-t-have-advertising-be-the-only-official-business-of/) [Jaron Lanier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaron-lanier/) > [In an information economy, entrepreneurs master the science of information in order to overcome the laws of the purely physical sciences. They can succeed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-gilder/in-an-information-economy-entrepreneurs-master-the-science-of/) [George Gilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-gilder/) > [“We're an information economy. They teach you that in school. What they don't tell you is that it's impossible to move, to live, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/we-re-an-information-economy-they-teach-you-that-in-school-what-they/) [William Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/) > [We live in an information economy. The problem is that information's usually impossible to get, at least in the right place, at the right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/we-live-in-an-information-economy-the-problem-is-that-information-s/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [“We have an information economy that’s dependent on complex systems that change rapidly.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/we-have-an-information-economy-that-s-dependent-on-complex-systems/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) > [“as we shift to an information economy, more and more of our population are knowledge workers, and deep work is becoming a key currency—even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/as-we-shift-to-an-information-economy-more-and-more-of-our-population/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) > [There is a central difference between the old and new economies: the old industrial economy was driven by economies of scale; the new information…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-shapiro/there-is-a-central-difference-between-the-old-and-new-economies-the/) [Carl Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-shapiro/) > [“The Internet’s impact on the economy has been no greater than the fax machine’s….ten years from now, the phrase “information economy” will sound silly.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-krugman/the-internet-s-impact-on-the-economy-has-been-no-greater-than-the-fax/) [Paul Krugman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-krugman/) ## More by Bruce Sterling > [They used to be seen as insane or unthinkable acts of madmen. But if they take place they'll be called 'war' too. And there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-sterling/they-used-to-be-seen-as-insane-or-unthinkable-acts-of-madmen-but-if/) [Bruce Sterling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-sterling/) > [“You give a guy a license to steal, you've got to expect him to use it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-sterling/you-give-a-guy-a-license-to-steal-you-ve-got-to-expect-him-to-use-it/) [Bruce Sterling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-sterling/) > [“America hadn't really been suited for its long and tiresome role as the Last Superpower, the World's Policeman. As a patriotic American, Oscar was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-sterling/america-hadn-t-really-been-suited-for-its-long-and-tiresome-role-as/) [Bruce Sterling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-sterling/) > [“But the economy's out of control. Money just doesn't need human beings anymore. Most of us only get in the way.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-sterling/but-the-economy-s-out-of-control-money-just-doesn-t-need-human-beings/) [Bruce Sterling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-sterling/) > [It's going to be really interesting to see what the heroin market does in the next two years or so. One thing you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-sterling/it-s-going-to-be-really-interesting-to-see-what-the-heroin-market/) [Bruce Sterling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-sterling/) > [Information wants you to give me a dollar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-sterling/information-wants-you-to-give-me-a-dollar/) [Bruce Sterling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-sterling/) > [Architects thrive after massive urban disasters. The abject collapse of East Berlin gave us the only city in Europe with a mighty host of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-sterling/architects-thrive-after-massive-urban-disasters-the-abject-collapse/) [Bruce Sterling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-sterling/) > [Information wants to be free. Believe it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-sterling/information-wants-to-be-free-believe-it/) [Bruce Sterling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-sterling/) > [The internet brought many laudable things, but prosperity, stability, accountability and honest politics were not four of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-sterling/the-internet-brought-many-laudable-things-but-prosperity-stability/) [Bruce Sterling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-sterling/) > [I was once a student in a punk T-Shirt hooked on screwed-up scenarios. That's how I became the esteemed cultural figure that I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-sterling/i-was-once-a-student-in-a-punk-t-shirt-hooked-on-screwed-up-scenarios/) [Bruce Sterling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-sterling/) > [ “If America suffers from drugs, perhaps you should ask what America is lacking, \[“What an asshole,”\] Eric King commented suddenly. They ignored him.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-sterling/if-america-suffers-from-drugs-perhaps-you-should-ask-what-america-is/) [Bruce Sterling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-sterling/) > [“Forget trying to pass for normal. Follow your geekdom. Embrace nerditude. In the immortal words of Lafcadio Hearn, a geek of incredible obscurity whose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-sterling/forget-trying-to-pass-for-normal-follow-your-geekdom-embrace/) [Bruce Sterling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-sterling/) > [I like to get paid for doing basic research, so it's pleasant to write some nonfiction about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-sterling/i-like-to-get-paid-for-doing-basic-research-so-it-s-pleasant-to-write/) [Bruce Sterling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-sterling/) > [Find a client and get a job.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-sterling/find-a-client-and-get-a-job/) [Bruce Sterling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-sterling/) > [I wouldn't describe that "position" as "parasitic." I'd describe that experience as "edifying." I don't merely write from a critical intellectual distance. I actually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-sterling/i-wouldn-t-describe-that-position-as-parasitic-i-d-describe-that/) [Bruce Sterling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-sterling/) [Explore all 126 Bruce Sterling quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-sterling/) ## More Century quotes > [I know always that I am an outsider; a stranger in this century and among those who are still men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-know-always-that-i-am-an-outsider-a-stranger-in-this-century-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [ \[The Dalai Lama\] told me some years ago, "I've made every concession to China, and I've been as open and tolerant as I could,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pico-iyer/the-dalai-lama-told-me-some-years-ago-i-ve-made-every-concession-to/) [Pico Iyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pico-iyer/) > [Anybody looking for a quiet life has picked the wrong century to born in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/anybody-looking-for-a-quiet-life-has-picked-the-wrong-century-to-born/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The poetry from the eighteenth century was prose; the prose from the seventeenth century was poetry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hare/the-poetry-from-the-eighteenth-century-was-prose-the-prose-from-the/) [David Hare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hare/) > [In the nineteenth century some parts of the world were unexplored, but there was almost no restriction on travel.:; Up to 1914 you did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/in-the-nineteenth-century-some-parts-of-the-world-were-unexplored-but/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [Talented people can predict with great accuracy what's about to happen just a tiny bit ahead of their competitors. It might be two seconds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-maney/talented-people-can-predict-with-great-accuracy-what-s-about-to/) [Kevin Maney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-maney/) > [The world's history is a divine poem, of which the history of every nation is a canto, and every man a word. Its strains…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/the-world-s-history-is-a-divine-poem-of-which-the-history-of-every/) [James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/) > [The nineteenth century lynching mob cuts off ears, toes, and fingers, strips off flesh, and distributes portions of the body as souvenirs among the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ida-b-wells/the-nineteenth-century-lynching-mob-cuts-off-ears-toes-and-fingers/) [Ida B. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ida-b-wells/) > [At no time in the past century has public distrust of the government been so broadly distributed across the political spectrum, as it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-zimmermann/at-no-time-in-the-past-century-has-public-distrust-of-the-government/) [Phil Zimmermann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-zimmermann/) > [While husbands and lovers in the stories are of all kinds, ranging from sympathetic to disgusting, women are invariably deceivers: inconstant, unscrupulous, quarrelsome, querulous,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-tuchman/while-husbands-and-lovers-in-the-stories-are-of-all-kinds-ranging/) [Barbara Tuchman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-tuchman/) > [The young people today are the 21st century.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-scorsese/the-young-people-today-are-the-21st-century/) [Martin Scorsese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-scorsese/) > [The wisdom of our actions in the first three years of peace will determine the course of world history for half a century.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-a-wallace/the-wisdom-of-our-actions-in-the-first-three-years-of-peace-will/) [Henry A. Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-a-wallace/) > [For me, the melancholy of the late XXth Century is walking late at night by the Mont Blanc pen store and seeing these things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/for-me-the-melancholy-of-the-late-xxth-century-is-walking-late-at/) [William Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/) > [In a general way, the literature of the twentieth century is essentially psychological; and psychology consists of describing states of the soul by displaying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/in-a-general-way-the-literature-of-the-twentieth-century-is/) [Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/) > [Consequently, citizen legislators, rotating back to their communities after a short period of public service—considered an indispensable and routine characteristic and design of representative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/consequently-citizen-legislators-rotating-back-to-their-communities/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 5,406 Century quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/century/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "University, as institutions, pre-date the information economy by many centuries and are not for-profit cultural entities, whose reason of existence (purportedly) is to discover truth, codify it through techniques of scholarship, and then teach it. 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