--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Any nation that expects to be ignorant…" description: "\"Any nation that expects to be ignorant and free,\" Jefferson said, \"expects what never was and never will be.\" And if the gap between the educated and t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a2c/david-mccullough-1091_america_any-nation-that-expects-to-be-ignorant-a_270353.png" --- # Any nation that expects to be ignorant and free,"… ![“Any nation that expects to be ignorant and free," Jefferson said, "expects what never was and never will be." And if the gap between the educated and the uneducated in America continues to grow as it is in our time, as fast as or faster than the gap between the rich and the poor, the gap between…” quote by David McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a2c/david-mccullough-1091_america_any-nation-that-expects-to-be-ignorant-a_270353.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a2c/david-mccullough-1091_america_any-nation-that-expects-to-be-ignorant-a_270353.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a2c/david-mccullough-1091_america_any-nation-that-expects-to-be-ignorant-a_270353.png) > “Any nation that expects to be ignorant and free," Jefferson said, "expects what never was and never will be." And if the gap between the educated and the uneducated in America continues to grow as it is in our time, as fast as or faster than the gap between the rich and the poor, the gap between the educated and the uneducated is going to be of greater consequence and the more serious threat to our way of life. We must not, by any means, misunderstand that.” [David McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mccullough/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Being uninformed while claiming liberty is impossible; education is essential for a functional democracy. **In simple terms:** Freedom needs education. Key Takeaway Invest in education for all. Themes democracy education freedom inequality Mood concerned urgent Type political educational When to use this quote - public policy - community programs - school reform - media literacy Key Concepts civic responsibility social cohesion knowledge gap Questions to Reflect On - How does education affect civic participation? - What policies can reduce the education gap? A Different Perspective Education alone cannot solve all societal problems. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [Consequence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consequence/) [Rich And The Poor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rich-and-the-poor/) [Threat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/threat/) [Way of life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way-of-life/) ## Related quotes > [We are specifically keeping the best and brightest out. It is the dumb and dumbest that we are letting in. Let me rephrase that:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/we-are-specifically-keeping-the-best-and-brightest-out-it-is-the-dumb/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [The great trouble with most men is that those who have been educated become uneducated just as soon as they stop inquiring and investigating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-great-trouble-with-most-men-is-that-those-who-have-been-educated/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The ignorant are to be found as much among the educated as among the uneducated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-henri/the-ignorant-are-to-be-found-as-much-among-the-educated-as-among-the/) [Robert Henri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-henri/) > [“In the first place, there is no point whatever in being able to spell anything. Shakespeare and Milton could not spell; Marie Corelli and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/in-the-first-place-there-is-no-point-whatever-in-being-able-to-spell/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [“It is the modern literature of the educated, not of the uneducated, which is avowedly and aggressively criminal..The vast mass of humanity, with their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-the-modern-literature-of-the-educated-not-of-the-uneducated/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“If a nation expects to be ignorant & free, in a state of civilisation, it expects what never was & never will be. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/if-a-nation-expects-to-be-ignorant-free-in-a-state-of-civilisation-it/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, it expects what never was and never will be ... The People cannot be safe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/if-a-nation-expects-to-be-ignorant-and-free-it-expects-what-never-was-2/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and will never be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/if-a-nation-expects-to-be-ignorant-and-free-in-a-state-of-3/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [“If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be. —THOMAS…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-a-nation-expects-to-be-ignorant-and-free-in-a-state-of-2/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If a nation expects to be ignorant and free it expects what never was and never will be!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/if-a-nation-expects-to-be-ignorant-and-free-it-expects-what-never-was/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [“A nation which expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, expects that which never was and never will be.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/a-nation-which-expects-to-be-ignorant-and-free-in-a-state-of/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/if-a-nation-expects-to-be-ignorant-and-free-in-a-state-of/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [I hadn't found out yet that mankind consists of two very different races, the rich and the poor. It took me ... and plenty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-ferdinand-celine/i-hadn-t-found-out-yet-that-mankind-consists-of-two-very-different/) [Louis-Ferdinand Celine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-ferdinand-celine/) > [...As the disparity between the rich and the poor grows, the fight to corner resources is intensifying. To push through their "sweetheart deals," to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/as-the-disparity-between-the-rich-and-the-poor-grows-the-fight-to/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [In relations between the rich and the strong, between the rich and the poor, between the master and the servant, it's liberty that grinds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-relations-between-the-rich-and-the-strong-between-the-rich-and-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by David McCullough > [With the Truman book, I wrote the entire account of his experiences in World War I before going over to Europe to follow his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mccullough/with-the-truman-book-i-wrote-the-entire-account-of-his-experiences-in/) [David McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mccullough/) > [“Steamboats by this time were becoming a familiar presence on the rivers and coastal waters of America, but not until 1838 did steam-powered ships…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mccullough/steamboats-by-this-time-were-becoming-a-familiar-presence-on-the/) [David McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mccullough/) > [I feel that history is in many ways the most important of all subjects because it is about everything and because it's about who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mccullough/i-feel-that-history-is-in-many-ways-the-most-important-of-all/) [David McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mccullough/) > [“Even mighty states and kingdoms are not exempted. 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