--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He says, you have to study and learn so…" description: "\"He says, you have to study and learn so that you can make up your own mind about history and everything else but you can’t make up an empty mind. Stock..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/371/frank-mccourt-2576_bits-and-pieces_he-says-you-have-to-study-and-learn-so-t_1271658.jpg" --- # He says, you have to study and learn so that you can make… ![“He says, you have to study and learn so that you can make up your own mind about history and everything else but you can’t make up an empty mind. Stock your mind, stock your mind. It is your house of treasure and no one in the world can interfere with it. If you won the Irish Sweepstakes and…” quote by Frank McCourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/371/frank-mccourt-2576_bits-and-pieces_he-says-you-have-to-study-and-learn-so-t_1271658.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/371/frank-mccourt-2576_bits-and-pieces_he-says-you-have-to-study-and-learn-so-t_1271658.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/371/frank-mccourt-2576_bits-and-pieces_he-says-you-have-to-study-and-learn-so-t_1271658.jpg) > “He says, you have to study and learn so that you can make up your own mind about history and everything else but you can’t make up an empty mind. Stock your mind, stock your mind. It is your house of treasure and no one in the world can interfere with it. If you won the Irish Sweepstakes and bought a house that needed furniture would you fill it with bits and pieces of rubbish? Your mind is your house and if you fill it with rubbish from the cinemas it will rot in your head. You might be poor, your shoes might be broken, but your mind is a palace.” [Frank McCourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-mccourt/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Cultivate a mind rich with knowledge and values; a well‑filled mind is a treasure house, while a mind filled with trivialities decays. **In simple terms:** Fill your mind with valuable ideas, not junk. Key Takeaway Seek knowledge, protect your mental space. Themes education mindset growth values Mood thoughtful inspirational Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - studying - reading - critical thinking - media consumption - personal development Key Concepts philosophy psychology self-development Questions to Reflect On - What "junk" do you let into your mind? - How can you curate mental content? A Different Perspective Information overload can still overwhelm a disciplined mind. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bits and pieces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bits-and-pieces/) [Broken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/broken/) [Cinema](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cinema/) [Empty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/empty/) [Empty mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/empty-mind/) [Furniture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/furniture/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [House](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/house/) [Interfere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interfere/) [Make Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/make-mind/) [Might](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/might/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Mind Stock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind-stock-373381/) [Needed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needed/) [Palaces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/palaces/) [Pieces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pieces/) [Poor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poor/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Rubbish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rubbish/) [Rubbish Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rubbish-mind-2415940/) [Shoes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shoes/) [Stock Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stock-mind-373382/) [Study](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/study/) [Treasure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/treasure/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [“You have to study and learn so that you can make up your own mind. Stock your mind, stock your mind. It is your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-mccourt/you-have-to-study-and-learn-so-that-you-can-make-up-your-own-mind/) [Frank McCourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-mccourt/) > [He says, you have to study and learn so that you can make up your own mind about history and everything else but you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-mccourt/he-says-you-have-to-study-and-learn-so-that-you-can-make-up-your-own/) [Frank McCourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-mccourt/) > [Stock your mind, stock your mind. You might be poor, your shoes might be broken, but your mind is a palace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/stock-your-mind-stock-your-mind-you-might-be-poor-your-shoes-might-be/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Stock your mind. It is your house of treasure and no one in the world can interfere with it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-mccourt/stock-your-mind-it-is-your-house-of-treasure-and-no-one-in-the-world/) [Frank McCourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-mccourt/) > [I love gameshows! I'm rubbish at them, mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-hammond/i-love-gameshows-i-m-rubbish-at-them-mind/) [Alison Hammond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-hammond/) > [“I am an empty mind with an empty body and with an empty soul. I am neither haunting for anything nor something.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santosh-kalwar/i-am-an-empty-mind-with-an-empty-body-and-with-an-empty-soul-i-am/) [Santosh Kalwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santosh-kalwar/) > [In Japan we have the phrase, "Shoshin," which means "beginner's mind." Our "original mind" includes everything within itself. It is always rich and sufficient…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shunryu-suzuki/in-japan-we-have-the-phrase-shoshin-which-means-beginner-s-mind-our/) [Shunryu Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shunryu-suzuki/) > [The undisturbed mind is like the calm body water reflecting the brilliance of the moon. Empty the mind and you will realize the undisturbed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yagyu-jubei-mitsuyoshi/the-undisturbed-mind-is-like-the-calm-body-water-reflecting-the/) [Yagyu Jubei Mitsuyoshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yagyu-jubei-mitsuyoshi/) > [Envy, the attendant of the empty mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pindar/envy-the-attendant-of-the-empty-mind/) [Pindar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pindar/) > [“The empty mind is a dominant mind. It can draw other minds into its rhythm, the way a vacuum sucks up dirt or the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-jurek/the-empty-mind-is-a-dominant-mind-it-can-draw-other-minds-into-its/) [Scott Jurek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-jurek/) > [“An empty mind is easy to feed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-richards/an-empty-mind-is-easy-to-feed/) [Stephen Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-richards/) > [When you have an empty mind, you are prepared for the next thing that happens. It's like to be part of a spiritual practice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-ogilvie/when-you-have-an-empty-mind-you-are-prepared-for-the-next-thing-that/) [George Ogilvie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-ogilvie/) > [To be prejudiced is the privilege of the thinking human being. ... The open mind is the empty mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-macaulay/to-be-prejudiced-is-the-privilege-of-the-thinking-human-being-the/) [Rose Macaulay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-macaulay/) > [In order to taste my cup of water you must first empty your cup.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/in-order-to-taste-my-cup-of-water-you-must-first-empty-your-cup/) [Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/) > [Education turns an empty mind into an open mind. It turns information into behavioural transformation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shiv-khera/education-turns-an-empty-mind-into-an-open-mind-it-turns-information/) [Shiv Khera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shiv-khera/) ## More by Frank McCourt > [I'm not one of those James Joyce intellectuals who can stand back and look at the whole edifice... It was a slow process for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-mccourt/i-m-not-one-of-those-james-joyce-intellectuals-who-can-stand-back-and/) [Frank McCourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-mccourt/) > [I admire certain priests and nuns who go off on their own and do God's work on their own, who help in the ghettos,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-mccourt/i-admire-certain-priests-and-nuns-who-go-off-on-their-own-and-do-god/) [Frank McCourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-mccourt/) > [When I act tough they listen politely till the spasm passes. They know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-mccourt/when-i-act-tough-they-listen-politely-till-the-spasm-passes-they-know/) [Frank McCourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-mccourt/) > [Just luxuriate in a certain memory, and the details will come. It's like a magnet attracting steel filings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-mccourt/just-luxuriate-in-a-certain-memory-and-the-details-will-come-it-s/) [Frank McCourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-mccourt/) > [Sing your song. Dance your dance. Tell your tale.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-mccourt/sing-your-song-dance-your-dance-tell-your-tale/) [Frank McCourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-mccourt/) > [They all went into the bar business. Which was a mistake, because they began to sip at the merchandise and it set them back,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-mccourt/they-all-went-into-the-bar-business-which-was-a-mistake-because-they/) [Frank McCourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-mccourt/) > [My childhood here... was very limited. So it was a long, long time before I actually went out to Brooklyn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-mccourt/my-childhood-here-was-very-limited-so-it-was-a-long-long-time-before/) [Frank McCourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-mccourt/) > [We never really had any kind of a Christmas. This is one part where my memory fails me completely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-mccourt/we-never-really-had-any-kind-of-a-christmas-this-is-one-part-where-my/) [Frank McCourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-mccourt/) > [A lot of people say writers start losing their powers after 60 or 65. But I look at the best-seller list and see a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-mccourt/a-lot-of-people-say-writers-start-losing-their-powers-after-60-or-65/) [Frank McCourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-mccourt/) > [“When the dark clouds flutter like bats in my head I wish I could open a window and release them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-mccourt/when-the-dark-clouds-flutter-like-bats-in-my-head-i-wish-i-could-open/) [Frank McCourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-mccourt/) > [Shakespeare is like mashed potatoes, you can never get enough of him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-mccourt/shakespeare-is-like-mashed-potatoes-you-can-never-get-enough-of-him/) [Frank McCourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-mccourt/) > [I just have to proceed as usual. No matter what happens, nothing helps with the writing of the next book.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-mccourt/i-just-have-to-proceed-as-usual-no-matter-what-happens-nothing-helps/) [Frank McCourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-mccourt/) > [Worse than the ordinary, miserable childhood is the miserable Irish childhood, and worse yet is the miserable Irish Catholic childhood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-mccourt/worse-than-the-ordinary-miserable-childhood-is-the-miserable-irish/) [Frank McCourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-mccourt/) > [It's not enough to be American. You always have to be something else, Irish-American, German-American, and you'd wonder how they'd get along if someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-mccourt/it-s-not-enough-to-be-american-you-always-have-to-be-something-else/) [Frank McCourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-mccourt/) > [I had to get rid of any idea of hell or any idea of the afterlife. That's what held me, kept me down. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-mccourt/i-had-to-get-rid-of-any-idea-of-hell-or-any-idea-of-the-afterlife/) [Frank McCourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-mccourt/) [Explore all 159 Frank McCourt quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-mccourt/) ## More Bits and pieces quotes > [“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/) > [You can't fool an audience with lots of bits and pieces. You have to lead them somewhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-rampling/you-can-t-fool-an-audience-with-lots-of-bits-and-pieces-you-have-to/) [Charlotte Rampling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-rampling/) > [ Our revolution is like Wikipedia, okay? Everyone is contributing content, \[but\] you don't know the names of the people contributing the content. This is… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wael-ghonim/our-revolution-is-like-wikipedia-okay-everyone-is-contributing/) [Wael Ghonim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wael-ghonim/) > [“I sat at her desk and turned one page after another, staring at what looked like bits and pieces of black lace laid cross…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/i-sat-at-her-desk-and-turned-one-page-after-another-staring-at-what/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) > [“Someone who is reinventing always has spare time. Part of reinvention is collecting little bits and pieces of time and carving them the way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-altucher/someone-who-is-reinventing-always-has-spare-time-part-of-reinvention/) [James Altucher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-altucher/) > [“A clearing of a gravelly throat pulled him from his thoughts. He turned and looked at Thomas, the boat captain, who was seventy if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-kauffman/a-clearing-of-a-gravelly-throat-pulled-him-from-his-thoughts-he/) [Donna Kauffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-kauffman/) > [At this point we've answered about every question you could possibly imagine about Deep Space Nine, so we do this thing called Theatrical Jazz,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rene-auberjonois/at-this-point-we-ve-answered-about-every-question-you-could-possibly/) [Rene Auberjonois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rene-auberjonois/) > [ I missed the whole thing \[X-files series\]. And I know it went for nine seasons, and I think I saw bits and pieces of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhys-darby/i-missed-the-whole-thing-x-files-series-and-i-know-it-went-for-nine/) [Rhys Darby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhys-darby/) > [“Novelist Sinclair Lewis was supposed to deliver an hour-long lecture to a group of college students who planned to be writers. Lewis opened his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-prichard/novelist-sinclair-lewis-was-supposed-to-deliver-an-hour-long-lecture/) [Peter Prichard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-prichard/) > [If you can't imagine it, think clumsy silence. Think bits and pieces of floating despair. And drowning in a train.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/if-you-can-t-imagine-it-think-clumsy-silence-think-bits-and-pieces-of/) [Markus Zusak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-zusak/) > [“I knew that in the last few minutes everything had changed. I'd tried to hold myself apart, showing only what I wanted, doling out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/i-knew-that-in-the-last-few-minutes-everything-had-changed-i-d-tried/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [“But everyone remembered; what she loved was this, here, now, in front of her; the fat lady in the cab. Did it matter then,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/but-everyone-remembered-what-she-loved-was-this-here-now-in-front-of/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [Growing up, for years and years I had no idea what the plots of operas were, and that's part of what fascinated me -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rufus-wainwright/growing-up-for-years-and-years-i-had-no-idea-what-the-plots-of-operas/) [Rufus Wainwright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rufus-wainwright/) > [“I have to admit that most of the time I read in the same way that I smoke and chew gum and jiggle my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chaon/i-have-to-admit-that-most-of-the-time-i-read-in-the-same-way-that-i/) [Dan Chaon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/) > [I take little bits and pieces of ideas that I may or may not believe in but I give them to this character and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jhonen-vasquez/i-take-little-bits-and-pieces-of-ideas-that-i-may-or-may-not-believe/) [Jhonen Vasquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jhonen-vasquez/) [Browse all 259 Bits and pieces quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bits-and-pieces/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "He says, you have to study and learn so that you can make up your own mind about history and everything else but you can’t make up an empty mind. Stock your mind, stock your mind. It is your house of treasure and no one in the world can interfere with it. If you won the Irish Sweepstakes and bought a house that needed furniture would you fill it with bits and pieces of rubbish? Your mind is your house and if you fill it with rubbish from the cinemas it will rot in your head. You might be poor, your shoes might be broken, but your mind is a palace.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Frank McCourt" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-mccourt/he-says-you-have-to-study-and-learn-so-that-you-can-make-up-your-own-2/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bits and pieces" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-mccourt/he-says-you-have-to-study-and-learn-so-that-you-can-make-up-your-own-2/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/371/frank-mccourt-2576_bits-and-pieces_he-says-you-have-to-study-and-learn-so-t_1271658.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/371/frank-mccourt-2576_bits-and-pieces_he-says-you-have-to-study-and-learn-so-t_1271658.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/371/frank-mccourt-2576_bits-and-pieces_he-says-you-have-to-study-and-learn-so-t_1271658.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“He says, you have to study and learn so that you can make up your own mind about history and everything else…” — Frank McCourt", "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": "Frank McCourt", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-mccourt/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "He says, you have to study...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-mccourt/he-says-you-have-to-study-and-learn-so-that-you-can-make-up-your-own-2/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-mccourt/he-says-you-have-to-study-and-learn-so-that-you-can-make-up-your-own-2/#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 } } ] } ```