--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: School was a strange place where they…" description: "\"School was a strange place where they tried to make you into something.\" — Frederick Lenz" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9cf/frederick-lenz-8_education_school-was-a-strange-place-where-they-tr_707475.jpg" --- # School was a strange place where they tried to make you… ![“School was a strange place where they tried to make you into something.” quote by Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9cf/frederick-lenz-8_education_school-was-a-strange-place-where-they-tr_707475.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9cf/frederick-lenz-8_education_school-was-a-strange-place-where-they-tr_707475.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9cf/frederick-lenz-8_education_school-was-a-strange-place-where-they-tr_707475.jpg) > “School was a strange place where they tried to make you into something.” [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. Education often molds individuals into predefined roles, limiting true self‑discovery. **In simple terms:** School tries to shape you into a set pattern. Key Takeaway Question and expand beyond imposed expectations. Themes education conformity self‑discovery individuality Mood analytical reflective Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - career choices - personal development - alternative learning - creative pursuits Key Concepts social conditioning personal growth critical thinking Questions to Reflect On - What aspects of schooling helped you grow? - How can you reclaim agency within structured systems? A Different Perspective Institutional pressures can also provide valuable structure and resources. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Rama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rama/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [Strange places](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strange-places/) ## Related quotes > [Once upon a time, I awoke in a strange place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-ramsay/once-upon-a-time-i-awoke-in-a-strange-place/) [Josh Ramsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-ramsay/) > [The world is a strange place for a playhouse to stand within it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/the-world-is-a-strange-place-for-a-playhouse-to-stand-within-it/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [The Internet is a really strange place to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-timberlake/the-internet-is-a-really-strange-place-to-be/) [Justin Timberlake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-timberlake/) > [I'm at a strange place I suppose in my life. I think that what happens when you lose a parent, where you lose-you drop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angelina-jolie/i-m-at-a-strange-place-i-suppose-in-my-life-i-think-that-what-happens/) [Angelina Jolie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angelina-jolie/) > [“It's important for nerds to realize, too, that school is not life. School is a strange, artificial thing, half sterile and half feral. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-graham/it-s-important-for-nerds-to-realize-too-that-school-is-not-life/) [Paul Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-graham/) > [I don't agree with boarding school. It's not something that I would do with my children, but I think it's something that kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriella-wilde/i-don-t-agree-with-boarding-school-it-s-not-something-that-i-would-do/) [Gabriella Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriella-wilde/) > [Not that I had any special reason for hating school. Strange as it may seem to my readers, I was not unpopular there. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-beerbohm/not-that-i-had-any-special-reason-for-hating-school-strange-as-it-may/) [Max Beerbohm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-beerbohm/) > [“For careers you say you went to be remembered for your art Your obsessions get you known throughout the school for being strange Making…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/belle-sebastian/for-careers-you-say-you-went-to-be-remembered-for-your-art-your/) Belle & Sebastian > [Interestingly enough, Aurthur C. Clarke once autographed a copy of his book "Rendezvous with Rama" for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/interestingly-enough-aurthur-c-clarke-once-autographed-a-copy-of-his/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [My seminars are for you. They are moments, hours and evenings outside of time. A chance, in a highly charged environment, to meditate, find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/my-seminars-are-for-you-they-are-moments-hours-and-evenings-outside/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [From the Far Eastern perspective, 29 is considered a very special age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/from-the-far-eastern-perspective-29-is-considered-a-very-special-age/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Tonight I have inundated you with the mystical kundalini. Now, of course, I'm moving into the supra-conscious; it's kind of a doubleheader this evening.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/tonight-i-have-inundated-you-with-the-mystical-kundalini-now-of/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [I was very immersed in the world. I'm very worldly. I love world. I was immersed in my career, in school, in teaching.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/i-was-very-immersed-in-the-world-i-m-very-worldly-i-love-world-i-was/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [It's very funny. People do not want to achieve liberation or be happy. This is the basic guideline they teach you in Spiritual Training…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/it-s-very-funny-people-do-not-want-to-achieve-liberation-or-be-happy/) [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/) ## 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 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": "School was a strange place where they tried to make you into something.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Frederick Lenz" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/school-was-a-strange-place-where-they-tried-to-make-you-into-something/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Education" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/school-was-a-strange-place-where-they-tried-to-make-you-into-something/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9cf/frederick-lenz-8_education_school-was-a-strange-place-where-they-tr_707475.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9cf/frederick-lenz-8_education_school-was-a-strange-place-where-they-tr_707475.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9cf/frederick-lenz-8_education_school-was-a-strange-place-where-they-tr_707475.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“School was a strange place where they tried to make you into something.” — 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": "School was a strange place where...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/school-was-a-strange-place-where-they-tried-to-make-you-into-something/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/school-was-a-strange-place-where-they-tried-to-make-you-into-something/#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 } } ] } ```