--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Who better to teach than the most capable…" description: "\"“Who better to teach than the most capable among us? And I’m not just talking about seminars or formal settings. Our actions and behaviors, for better ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/254/ed-catmull-1553_education_who-better-to-teach-than-the-most-capabl_2535577.jpg" --- # Who better to teach than the most capable among us? And… ![“Who better to teach than the most capable among us? And I’m not just talking about seminars or formal settings. Our actions and behaviors, for better or worse, teach those who admire and look up to us how to govern their own lives. Are we thoughtful about how people learn and grow? As leaders, we…” quote by Ed Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/254/ed-catmull-1553_education_who-better-to-teach-than-the-most-capabl_2535577.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/254/ed-catmull-1553_education_who-better-to-teach-than-the-most-capabl_2535577.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/254/ed-catmull-1553_education_who-better-to-teach-than-the-most-capabl_2535577.jpg) > ““Who better to teach than the most capable among us? And I’m not just talking about seminars or formal settings. Our actions and behaviors, for better or worse, teach those who admire and look up to us how to govern their own lives. Are we thoughtful about how people learn and grow? As leaders, we should think of ourselves as teachers and try to create companies in which teaching is seen as a valued way to contribute to the success of the whole. Do we think of most activities as teaching opportunities and experiences as ways of learning? One of the most crucial responsibilities of leadership is creating a culture that rewards those who lift not just our stock prices but our aspirations as well.”” [Ed Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-catmull/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Leaders should act as teachers, turning everyday actions into learning moments that inspire and elevate others. **In simple terms:** Leaders teach through actions, not just lessons. Key Takeaway Cultivate a culture where every act is a teaching opportunity. Themes leadership learning culture Mood encouraging reflective Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - team meetings - project reviews - onboarding processes Key Concepts organizational behavior mentorship Questions to Reflect On - How can you make your daily actions more instructional? - What systems encourage teaching behavior in a company? A Different Perspective Not all actions are perceived as teaching; intent matters. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Habits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/habits/) [Learn And Grow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learn-and-grow/) [Mentorship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mentorship/) ## Related quotes > [It Is Better To Teach People How To be Independent By teaching Them how To Do Things For Themselves Than To Do Everything For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pacifiersucker/it-is-better-to-teach-people-how-to-be-independent-by-teaching-them/) Pacifiersucker > [“We understand why it is better to teach a starving man to fish, but a repertoire course is worse than handing a a fish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-a-bowen/we-understand-why-it-is-better-to-teach-a-starving-man-to-fish-but-a/) Jose A. Bowen > [It is better to teach a few things perfectly than many things indifferently.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-maurois/it-is-better-to-teach-a-few-things-perfectly-than-many-things/) [Andre Maurois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-maurois/) > [“It’s better to teach people than to scare them, Lauren. If you scare them and nothing happens, they lose their fear, and you lose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-e-butler/it-s-better-to-teach-people-than-to-scare-them-lauren-if-you-scare/) [Octavia E. Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-e-butler/) > [My parents would say to me, 'You can teach yourself anything better than someone else can teach it to you.' That was the whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tara-westover/my-parents-would-say-to-me-you-can-teach-yourself-anything-better/) [Tara Westover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tara-westover/) > [Better to teach someone who knows nothing than someone who knows everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-d-dangoor/better-to-teach-someone-who-knows-nothing-than-someone-who-knows/) [Robert D Dangoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-d-dangoor/) > [I don't think most teachers realize how much impact they have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-hamilton/i-don-t-think-most-teachers-realize-how-much-impact-they-have/) [Scott Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-hamilton/) > [There's definitely a tension between the way teaching is talked about and understood at the political level and how everyday average Americans think about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-goldstein/there-s-definitely-a-tension-between-the-way-teaching-is-talked-about/) [Dana Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-goldstein/) > [There are a lot of polls that show that actually Americans have a pretty high opinion of teachers, that Americans think teachers are just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-goldstein/there-are-a-lot-of-polls-that-show-that-actually-americans-have-a/) [Dana Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-goldstein/) > [The most important thing I think teachers can do for young people is to make them inquiring, is to ensure that they know how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-puttnam/the-most-important-thing-i-think-teachers-can-do-for-young-people-is/) [David Puttnam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-puttnam/) > [“I used to think that teachers who gave homework on weekends should be forced to grade papers for an eternity in hell.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-mullin/i-used-to-think-that-teachers-who-gave-homework-on-weekends-should-be/) [Mike Mullin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-mullin/) > [I've had teachers that inspired me, yes. I think teachers play a really important role in people's lives. I had one teacher in particular…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaun-sipos/i-ve-had-teachers-that-inspired-me-yes-i-think-teachers-play-a-really/) [Shaun Sipos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaun-sipos/) > [I might be a teacher or something like that. I really like young people. I always think about the teachers I had that did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-plaskett/i-might-be-a-teacher-or-something-like-that-i-really-like-young/) [Joel Plaskett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-plaskett/) > [I mean, I think all teachers are basically modern-day heroes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-bailey/i-mean-i-think-all-teachers-are-basically-modern-day-heroes/) [Jonathan Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-bailey/) > [When I think of growing up, I see dance, I hear music and I think of teachers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ariana-debose/when-i-think-of-growing-up-i-see-dance-i-hear-music-and-i-think-of/) [Ariana DeBose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ariana-debose/) ## More by Ed Catmull > [“So I tell myself that I have time, even when I don’t. As in, ‘Okay, I’m going to proceed as if I have time—I’m…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-catmull/so-i-tell-myself-that-i-have-time-even-when-i-don-t-as-in-okay-i-m/) [Ed Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-catmull/) > [“How, then, do you make failure into something people can face without fear? Part of the answer is simple: If we as leaders can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-catmull/how-then-do-you-make-failure-into-something-people-can-face-without/) [Ed Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-catmull/) > [“Andrew Stanton says, adding that on each of his own films, he has made a point of doing this on a smaller scale, separate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-catmull/andrew-stanton-says-adding-that-on-each-of-his-own-films-he-has-made/) [Ed Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-catmull/) > [“This was a success in itself, but it came with an added and unexpected benefit: The act of thinking about the problem and responding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-catmull/this-was-a-success-in-itself-but-it-came-with-an-added-and-unexpected/) [Ed Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-catmull/) > [“This principle eludes most people, but it is critical: You are not your idea, and if you identify too closely with your ideas, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-catmull/this-principle-eludes-most-people-but-it-is-critical-you-are-not-your/) [Ed Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-catmull/) > [“You might say I’m an advocate for humility in leaders. 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But it wasn’t just the numbers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-catmull/toy-story-went-on-to-become-the-top-grossing-film-of-the-year-and/) [Ed Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-catmull/) > [“THERE IS NOTHING quite like ignorance combined with a driving need to succeed to force rapid learning.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-catmull/there-is-nothing-quite-like-ignorance-combined-with-a-driving-need-to/) [Ed Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-catmull/) > [“What makes Pixar special is that we acknowledge we will always have problems, many of them hidden from our view; that we work hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-catmull/what-makes-pixar-special-is-that-we-acknowledge-we-will-always-have/) [Ed Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-catmull/) > [“Every morning, as I walk into Pixar Animation Studios—past the twenty-foot-high sculpture of Luxo Jr., our friendly desk lamp mascot, through the double doors…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-catmull/every-morning-as-i-walk-into-pixar-animation-studios-past-the-twenty/) [Ed Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-catmull/) > [“What makes Pixar special is that we acknowledge we will always have problems, many of them hidden from our view; that we work hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-catmull/what-makes-pixar-special-is-that-we-acknowledge-we-will-always-have-2/) [Ed Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-catmull/) > [“I believe that managers must loosen the controls, not tighten them. They must accept risk; they must trust the people they work with and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-catmull/i-believe-that-managers-must-loosen-the-controls-not-tighten-them/) [Ed Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-catmull/) [Explore all 226 Ed Catmull quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-catmull/) ## 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": "“Who better to teach than the most capable among us? 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