--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Education must prepare students to be…" description: "\"Education must prepare students to be independent, self-reliant human beings. But education, at its best, also must help students go beyond their priva..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/648/ernest-l-boyer-24978_education_education-must-prepare-students-to-be-in_260535.png" --- # Education must prepare students to be independent… ![“Education must prepare students to be independent, self-reliant human beings. But education, at its best, also must help students go beyond their private interests, gain a more integrative view of knowledge, and relate their learning to the realities of life.” quote by Ernest L. Boyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/648/ernest-l-boyer-24978_education_education-must-prepare-students-to-be-in_260535.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/648/ernest-l-boyer-24978_education_education-must-prepare-students-to-be-in_260535.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/648/ernest-l-boyer-24978_education_education-must-prepare-students-to-be-in_260535.png) > “Education must prepare students to be independent, self-reliant human beings. But education, at its best, also must help students go beyond their private interests, gain a more integrative view of knowledge, and relate their learning to the realities of life.” [Ernest L. Boyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-l-boyer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Education should foster independence, broaden perspectives, and connect learning to real life. **In simple terms:** Schools must teach self‑reliance and broader understanding. Key Takeaway Teach students to think beyond themselves. Themes education independence integrative thinking Mood thoughtful analytical Type educational philosophical When to use this quote - education reform - community projects - interdisciplinary studies Key Concepts critical thinking social responsibility lifelong learning Questions to Reflect On - How can curricula balance independence and standards? - What role should community play in schooling? A Different Perspective Implementation can be hindered by standardized testing pressures. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Beings Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beings-education-1910437/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Education Prepare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education-prepare-281498/) [Gains](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gains/) [Help Students](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/help-students-1701025/) [Helping](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/helping/) [Human beings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-beings/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Independent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/independent/) [Interest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interest/) [Knowledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knowledge/) [Learning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learning/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Prepare Students](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prepare-students-2570003/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) [Reality of life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality-of-life/) [Relate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relate/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Self reliant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-reliant/) [Students](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/students/) [Students Independent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/students-independent-2570004/) [Views](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/views/) ## Related quotes > [The most important outcome of education is to help students become independent of formal education.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-most-important-outcome-of-education-is-to-help-students-become/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The new education must prepare our students to thrive in a world of flux, to be ready no matter what comes next. It must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-n-davidson/the-new-education-must-prepare-our-students-to-thrive-in-a-world-of/) [Cathy N. Davidson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-n-davidson/) > [The process of schooling does not give birth to human beings - as education should but never will so long as it springs from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derrick-jensen/the-process-of-schooling-does-not-give-birth-to-human-beings-as/) [Derrick Jensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derrick-jensen/) > [“A primary purpose of school - and this is true for our culture's science and religion as well - is to lead us away…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derrick-jensen/a-primary-purpose-of-school-and-this-is-true-for-our-culture-s/) [Derrick Jensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derrick-jensen/) > [In my mind, the purpose of education is to enable human beings to develop to their full potential, intellectually and spiritually. That means that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-n-nagler/in-my-mind-the-purpose-of-education-is-to-enable-human-beings-to/) [Michael N. Nagler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-n-nagler/) > [The challenge of education is not to prepare a person for success, but to prepare him for failure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-stockdale/the-challenge-of-education-is-not-to-prepare-a-person-for-success-but/) [James Stockdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-stockdale/) > [“Throughout history, the role of education has been to prepare children for adulthood. Today our world is changing so rapidly that it’s difficult to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-a-jennings/throughout-history-the-role-of-education-has-been-to-prepare-children/) [Patricia A. Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-a-jennings/) > [Since we live in an age of innovation, a practical education must prepare a man for work that does not yet exist and cannot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-drucker/since-we-live-in-an-age-of-innovation-a-practical-education-must/) [Peter Drucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-drucker/) > [To give students the best possible chance to succeed, education must prepare them to handle issues that transcend national boundaries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-angel-gurria/to-give-students-the-best-possible-chance-to-succeed-education-must/) [Jose Angel Gurria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-angel-gurria/) > [Education should prepare our minds to use its own powers of reason and conception rather than filling it with the accumulated misconceptions of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-h-mcgill/education-should-prepare-our-minds-to-use-its-own-powers-of-reason/) [Bryant H. McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-h-mcgill/) > [Education is not something to prepare you for life; it is a continuous part of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ford/education-is-not-something-to-prepare-you-for-life-it-is-a-continuous/) [Henry Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ford/) > [The true purpose of education is to prepare young men and women for effective citizenship in a free form of government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/the-true-purpose-of-education-is-to-prepare-young-men-and-women-for/) [Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/) > [The object of education is to prepare the young to educate themselves throughout their lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-hutchins/the-object-of-education-is-to-prepare-the-young-to-educate-themselves/) [Robert M. Hutchins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-hutchins/) > [You cannot teach today the same way you did yesterday to prepare students for tomorrow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/you-cannot-teach-today-the-same-way-you-did-yesterday-to-prepare/) [John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/) > [The purpose of schools should not be to prepare students for more school. We should be seeking to have fully engaged students now](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donalyn-miller/the-purpose-of-schools-should-not-be-to-prepare-students-for-more/) [Donalyn Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donalyn-miller/) ## More by Ernest L. Boyer > [Education is a seamless web: one level of learning relates to every other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-l-boyer/education-is-a-seamless-web-one-level-of-learning-relates-to-every/) [Ernest L. Boyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-l-boyer/) > [The assumption of all education is that learning will be directed toward constructive ends and I'm convinced that colleges should support students in their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-l-boyer/the-assumption-of-all-education-is-that-learning-will-be-directed/) [Ernest L. Boyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-l-boyer/) > [Book CoverTo have people who are well informed but not constrained by conscience is conceivably, the most dangerous outcome of education possible. Indeed it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-l-boyer/book-coverto-have-people-who-are-well-informed-but-not-constrained-by/) [Ernest L. Boyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-l-boyer/) > [In the end, excellence in education means excellence in teaching, and if this country would give the status to first grade teachers that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-l-boyer/in-the-end-excellence-in-education-means-excellence-in-teaching-and/) [Ernest L. Boyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-l-boyer/) > [To put it simply, school readiness means creating in this country a public love of children.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-l-boyer/to-put-it-simply-school-readiness-means-creating-in-this-country-a/) [Ernest L. Boyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-l-boyer/) > [An incompetent teacher is even worse than an incompetent surgeon because a surgeon can only cut up one person at a time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-l-boyer/an-incompetent-teacher-is-even-worse-than-an-incompetent-surgeon/) [Ernest L. Boyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-l-boyer/) > [A poor surgeon hurts one person at a time. A poor teacher hurts 130.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-l-boyer/a-poor-surgeon-hurts-one-person-at-a-time-a-poor-teacher-hurts-130/) [Ernest L. Boyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-l-boyer/) > [Based upon the pictures, I concluded that about 60 percent of all college classes in the United States are held outside, underneath a tree,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-l-boyer/based-upon-the-pictures-i-concluded-that-about-60-percent-of-all/) [Ernest L. Boyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-l-boyer/) > [I am suggesting that quality in undergraduate education means giving students a perspective that is global.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-l-boyer/i-am-suggesting-that-quality-in-undergraduate-education-means-giving/) [Ernest L. Boyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-l-boyer/) > [Music gives us a language that cuts across the disciplines, helps us to see connections and brings a more coherent meaning to our world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-l-boyer/music-gives-us-a-language-that-cuts-across-the-disciplines-helps-us/) [Ernest L. Boyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-l-boyer/) > [Wouldn't it be wonderful if every home had good books instead of knick-knacks and plastic flowers on the bookshelves? And wouldn't it be great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-l-boyer/wouldn-t-it-be-wonderful-if-every-home-had-good-books-instead-of/) [Ernest L. Boyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-l-boyer/) > [To push for excellence today without continuing to push for access for less privileged students is to undermine the crucial but incomplete gains that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-l-boyer/to-push-for-excellence-today-without-continuing-to-push-for-access/) [Ernest L. Boyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-l-boyer/) > [Our most consequential human problems will be resolved, not through competition, but collaboration... what we need in education is a learning climate in which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-l-boyer/our-most-consequential-human-problems-will-be-resolved-not-through/) [Ernest L. Boyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-l-boyer/) > [The connectedness of things is what the great university is all about, and I believe the great university in the coming century will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-l-boyer/the-connectedness-of-things-is-what-the-great-university-is-all-about/) [Ernest L. Boyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-l-boyer/) > [It is no longer enough to simply read and write. Students must also become literate in the understanding of visual images. Our children must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-l-boyer/it-is-no-longer-enough-to-simply-read-and-write-students-must-also/) [Ernest L. Boyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-l-boyer/) [Explore all 23 Ernest L. Boyer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-l-boyer/) ## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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": "Education must prepare students to be independent, self-reliant human beings. But education, at its best, also must help students go beyond their private interests, gain a more integrative view of knowledge, and relate their learning to the realities of life.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ernest L. Boyer" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-l-boyer/education-must-prepare-students-to-be-independent-self-reliant-human/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Education" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-l-boyer/education-must-prepare-students-to-be-independent-self-reliant-human/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/648/ernest-l-boyer-24978_education_education-must-prepare-students-to-be-in_260535.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/648/ernest-l-boyer-24978_education_education-must-prepare-students-to-be-in_260535.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/648/ernest-l-boyer-24978_education_education-must-prepare-students-to-be-in_260535.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Education must prepare students to be independent, self-reliant human beings. But education, at its best…” — Ernest L. Boyer", "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": "Ernest L. Boyer", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-l-boyer/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Education must prepare students to be...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-l-boyer/education-must-prepare-students-to-be-independent-self-reliant-human/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-l-boyer/education-must-prepare-students-to-be-independent-self-reliant-human/#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 } } ] } ```