---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Examine everything that you've been…"
description: "\"Examine everything that you've been taught, not simply what you've been taught in school, but the images that have been held up to you since the time o..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52c/frederick-lenz-8_birth_examine-everything-that-you-ve-been-taug_806591.jpg"
---

#  Examine everything that you've been taught, not simply…

![“Examine everything that you've been taught, not simply what you've been taught in school, but the images that have been held up to you since the time of your birth.” quote by Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52c/frederick-lenz-8_birth_examine-everything-that-you-ve-been-taug_806591.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52c/frederick-lenz-8_birth_examine-everything-that-you-ve-been-taug_806591.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52c/frederick-lenz-8_birth_examine-everything-that-you-ve-been-taug_806591.jpg)

> “Examine everything that you've been taught, not simply what you've been taught in school, but the images that have been held up to you since the time of your birth.”

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Question all teachings and the visual narratives that shape you from birth, not just formal education.

**In simple terms:** Think beyond school lessons to the images that shape you.

Key Takeaway

Challenge assumptions and seek deeper understanding.

Themes

critical thinking self‑awareness education

Mood

reflective inquisitive

Type

philosophical motivational

When to use this quote

- personal development
- media analysis
- educational reform
- self‑reflection

Key Concepts

philosophy psychology media literacy

Questions to Reflect On

- What unseen images influence your beliefs?
- How can you test the validity of those images?

A Different Perspective

Some may argue that formal education already covers critical analysis.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Birth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/birth/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [Taoism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taoism/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/)

## Related quotes

> [“Each loved one went silently down; bubbles bursting leaving behind images they held to stick on the glass of memory.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-prathap-kamath-elegy/each-loved-one-went-silently-down-bubbles-bursting-leaving-behind/)

Dr. Prathap Kamath Elegy

> [Examine what you do and examine what other women do. Examine the dreams that men hold of you and how they force you in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/examine-what-you-do-and-examine-what-other-women-do-examine-the/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [It's up to you to avail yourself to knowledge. Knowledge doesn't need you. The idea of a compassionate God was formulated, obviously, by someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/it-s-up-to-you-to-avail-yourself-to-knowledge-knowledge-doesn-t-need/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [You know, these non-physical beings, it's very hard to tell what they're up to. You can't see them. How can you rely on them?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/you-know-these-non-physical-beings-it-s-very-hard-to-tell-what-they/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [Once you are enlightened, you can do whatever you want without fear or sorrow. You can go snowboarding, get married, stay single, be rich…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/once-you-are-enlightened-you-can-do-whatever-you-want-without-fear-or/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [There's a sense of productivity which cripples us terribly. We either have to be doing something worthwile or not. We are back to our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/there-s-a-sense-of-productivity-which-cripples-us-terribly-we-either/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [Lao Tsu says the way of life is ancient, timeless. It is existence which he calls the Tao - a mysterious source, beyond understanding,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/lao-tsu-says-the-way-of-life-is-ancient-timeless-it-is-existence/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [The essence of Taoism is really expressed by these few words. Taoism is the way of the child, the way of the fool, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/the-essence-of-taoism-is-really-expressed-by-these-few-words-taoism/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [If you are interested in Taoism, I would suggest that you read the Way of Life by Lao Tsu, the founder of Taoism. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/if-you-are-interested-in-taoism-i-would-suggest-that-you-read-the-way/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [When it reaches a blockage, water find the easiest path around the blockage, or it continues to assemble, and flows over the blockage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/when-it-reaches-a-blockage-water-find-the-easiest-path-around-the/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [Many sections are taken up with political discussions and how the way of the ruler, the merchant, the householder, and the army interact with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/many-sections-are-taken-up-with-political-discussions-and-how-the-way/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [The Chinese used the symbol of tai chi, the undifferentiated reality - no separation, no left and right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/the-chinese-used-the-symbol-of-tai-chi-the-undifferentiated-reality/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [For a person who lives in time, differences are the most important thing because they represent your existence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/for-a-person-who-lives-in-time-differences-are-the-most-important/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [The Grand Canyon is living evidence of the power of water over a period of time. The power may not manifest immediately. Water can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/the-grand-canyon-is-living-evidence-of-the-power-of-water-over-a/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [The sound man, immune as to a sacrifice of straw dogs, faces the passing human generations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/the-sound-man-immune-as-to-a-sacrifice-of-straw-dogs-faces-the/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

## More by Frederick Lenz

> [There are places that are very draining. There are places where there is another dimensional crossover but to a dimension that is not powerful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/there-are-places-that-are-very-draining-there-are-places-where-there/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [You can draw power from everything in your life. In order to do that, everything has to be set up in a proper way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/you-can-draw-power-from-everything-in-your-life-in-order-to-do-that/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [Everyone will admire you when you do well. What a horrible thing to do to someone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/everyone-will-admire-you-when-you-do-well-what-a-horrible-thing-to-do/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [Nirvana is a word that means enlightenment, being beyond the illusion of birth and death, the illusion of pain, the illusion of love, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/nirvana-is-a-word-that-means-enlightenment-being-beyond-the-illusion/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [I think the most miraculous thing is learning. I get out of the way and let the students learn. Then you get to watch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/i-think-the-most-miraculous-thing-is-learning-i-get-out-of-the-way/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [If you choose to draw from the inner well of free will, then you can make choices that are outside your current karmic patterns.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/if-you-choose-to-draw-from-the-inner-well-of-free-will-then-you-can/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [A human being can only absorb a small amount of the mystical kundalini, you can be exposed again and again to it, but it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/a-human-being-can-only-absorb-a-small-amount-of-the-mystical/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [Enlightened people live in very charged states of attention, with a tremendous power circuiting through them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/enlightened-people-live-in-very-charged-states-of-attention-with-a/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [Only alone can you go into eternity. Only alone can you feel the transcendental light. It is not a shared experience because if it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/only-alone-can-you-go-into-eternity-only-alone-can-you-feel-the/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [Balance is the ability to be happy in the midst of the most chaotic or even boring or transient circumstance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/balance-is-the-ability-to-be-happy-in-the-midst-of-the-most-chaotic/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [The sound man, immune as to a sacrifice of straw dogs, faces the passing human generations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/the-sound-man-immune-as-to-a-sacrifice-of-straw-dogs-faces-the/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [Karma means changing planes of reality or changing fields of attention. There will be perhaps a resulting physical action stemming from the change of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/karma-means-changing-planes-of-reality-or-changing-fields-of/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [You and I are both life. There's just the experience of every moment. We like to call them moments. There isn't really such a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/you-and-i-are-both-life-there-s-just-the-experience-of-every-moment/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [Why waste your time being around people who drag you down? You don't live forever, at least in this life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/why-waste-your-time-being-around-people-who-drag-you-down-you-don-t/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [Everybody here is so caught up in the game of life they don't see death. They don't see beyond their deaths. They are on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/everybody-here-is-so-caught-up-in-the-game-of-life-they-don-t-see/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

[Explore all 4,399 Frederick Lenz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

## More Birth quotes

> [“Conception is the beginning of human life. From the time that an ovum is fertilized a new life begins that is neither that of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/declaration-on-procured-abortion-congregation-for-the-doctrine-of-the-faith-1974/conception-is-the-beginning-of-human-life-from-the-time-that-an-ovum/)

Declaration on Procured Abortion Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith 1974

> [In the entire history of the universe, let alone in your own history, there has never been another day just like today, and there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/in-the-entire-history-of-the-universe-let-alone-in-your-own-history/)

[Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/)

> [The greatest mystery in life is not life itself, but death. Death is the culmination of life, the ultimate blossoming of life. In death…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/the-greatest-mystery-in-life-is-not-life-itself-but-death-death-is/)

[Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/)

> [Guns have little or nothing to do with juvenile violence. The causes of youth violence are working parents who put their kids into daycare,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-delay/guns-have-little-or-nothing-to-do-with-juvenile-violence-the-causes/)

[Tom DeLay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-delay/)

> [“Every child is born as angel.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/every-child-is-born-as-angel/)

[Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/)

> [Nirvana is a word that means enlightenment, being beyond the illusion of birth and death, the illusion of pain, the illusion of love, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/nirvana-is-a-word-that-means-enlightenment-being-beyond-the-illusion/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [It was no accident, no coincidence, that the seasons came round and round year after year. It was the Lord speaking to us all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-rivers/it-was-no-accident-no-coincidence-that-the-seasons-came-round-and/)

[Francine Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-rivers/)

> [We do not want to be reminded that it is we, the indigenous people, who are poor and exploited in the land of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-biko/we-do-not-want-to-be-reminded-that-it-is-we-the-indigenous-people-who/)

[Steven Biko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-biko/)

> [There are two kinds of beauty; there is a beauty which God gives at birth, and which withers as a flower. And there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-kuyper/there-are-two-kinds-of-beauty-there-is-a-beauty-which-god-gives-at/)

[Abraham Kuyper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-kuyper/)

> [Always keep the smile, because the smile is the beginning of love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-imad/always-keep-the-smile-because-the-smile-is-the-beginning-of-love/)

Adam Imad

> [The wailing of the newborn infant is mingled with the dirge for the dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucretius/the-wailing-of-the-newborn-infant-is-mingled-with-the-dirge-for-the/)

[Lucretius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucretius/)

> [I gave birth to most of them MC's... So when it comes around to the month of May, Send me your royalty check for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxanne-shante/i-gave-birth-to-most-of-them-mc-s-so-when-it-comes-around-to-the/)

Roxanne Shante

> [“A Beautiful verse takes birth when "U"n"I" VERSE.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajesh-walecha/a-beautiful-verse-takes-birth-when-u-n-i-verse/)

[Rajesh Walecha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajesh-walecha/)

> [“There is no born evil, only a corruptible canvas darkened by a formidable perpetrator.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yefon-isabelle/there-is-no-born-evil-only-a-corruptible-canvas-darkened-by-a/)

[Yefon Isabelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yefon-isabelle/)

> [I've always thought that the most extraordinary special effect you could do is to buy a child at the moment of its birth, sit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-barker/i-ve-always-thought-that-the-most-extraordinary-special-effect-you/)

[Clive Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-barker/)

[Browse all 6,183 Birth quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/birth/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Examine everything that you've been taught, not simply what you've been taught in school, but the images that have been held up to you since the time of your birth.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Frederick Lenz"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/examine-everything-that-you-ve-been-taught-not-simply-what-you-ve/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Birth"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/examine-everything-that-you-ve-been-taught-not-simply-what-you-ve/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52c/frederick-lenz-8_birth_examine-everything-that-you-ve-been-taug_806591.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52c/frederick-lenz-8_birth_examine-everything-that-you-ve-been-taug_806591.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52c/frederick-lenz-8_birth_examine-everything-that-you-ve-been-taug_806591.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Examine everything that you've been taught, not simply what you've been taught in school, but the images…” — Frederick Lenz",
                "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": "Frederick Lenz",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Examine everything that you've been taught,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/examine-everything-that-you-ve-been-taught-not-simply-what-you-ve/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/examine-everything-that-you-ve-been-taught-not-simply-what-you-ve/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
