--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The wise teacher knows that 55 minutes of…" description: "\"The wise teacher knows that 55 minutes of work plus 5 minutes laughter are worth twice as much as 60 minutes of unvaried work.\" — Gilbert Highet" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/27e/gilbert-highet-15158_education_the-wise-teacher-knows-that-55-minutes-o_561928.png" --- # The wise teacher knows that 55 minutes of work plus 5… ![“The wise teacher knows that 55 minutes of work plus 5 minutes laughter are worth twice as much as 60 minutes of unvaried work.” quote by Gilbert Highet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/27e/gilbert-highet-15158_education_the-wise-teacher-knows-that-55-minutes-o_561928.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/27e/gilbert-highet-15158_education_the-wise-teacher-knows-that-55-minutes-o_561928.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/27e/gilbert-highet-15158_education_the-wise-teacher-knows-that-55-minutes-o_561928.png) > “The wise teacher knows that 55 minutes of work plus 5 minutes laughter are worth twice as much as 60 minutes of unvaried work.” [Gilbert Highet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-highet/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Combines short work bursts with humor to double productivity compared to monotony. **In simple terms:** Mix work and laughter for better output. Key Takeaway Add brief humor to tasks. Themes productivity humor work ethic Mood reflective encouraging Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - classroom teaching - office meetings - creative projects - customer service Key Concepts psychology of motivation time management Questions to Reflect On - Can laughter be measured? - What tasks benefit most? A Different Perspective Humor may not suit all professional contexts. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [55 Minutes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/55-minutes-1398365/) [60 Minutes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/60-minutes-460480/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Laughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laughter/) [Laughter Worth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laughter-worth-3600280/) [Minutes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/minutes/) [Plus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plus/) [Teacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teacher/) [Teacher Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teacher-knows-1070110/) [Wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisdom/) [Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wise/) [Wise Teacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wise-teacher-3218659/) ## Related quotes > [Find someone worth your tears, worth your laughter, worth your heart and that loves you as much as you love them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexia/find-someone-worth-your-tears-worth-your-laughter-worth-your-heart/) [Alexia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexia/) > [You've never suffered in your life and you say you're wise... Who is your Teacher?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ve-never-suffered-in-your-life-and-you-say-you-re-wise-who-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“A wise teacher learns in the midst of teaching; a wise student teaches in the midst of learning.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mollie-marti/a-wise-teacher-learns-in-the-midst-of-teaching-a-wise-student-teaches/) [Mollie Marti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mollie-marti/) > [If Jesus is the Son of God, his teachings are more than just good ideas from a wise teacher; they are divine insights on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-strobel/if-jesus-is-the-son-of-god-his-teachings-are-more-than-just-good/) [Lee Strobel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-strobel/) > [“No one knows what path you should follow except yourself. You are your own wise teacher. You are your own Guru.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-g-payge/no-one-knows-what-path-you-should-follow-except-yourself-you-are-your/) [Grace G. Payge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-g-payge/) > [“Breslin gives me his wise-teacher smile, which is kind and crinkly and would make me feel warm all over if I was dumber than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tana-french/breslin-gives-me-his-wise-teacher-smile-which-is-kind-and-crinkly-and/) [Tana French](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tana-french/) > [“The average American burns 55 minutes a day-roughly 12 weeks a year-looking for things they know they own but can't find.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/newsweek/the-average-american-burns-55-minutes-a-day-roughly-12-weeks-a-year/) [Newsweek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/newsweek/) > [If I had an hour to solve a problem I'd spend 55 minutes thinking about the problem and 5 minutes thinking about solutions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/if-i-had-an-hour-to-solve-a-problem-i-d-spend-55-minutes-thinking/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [They have barricades at our gigs - to keep people in. We do most of the songs from 'Scrubs' over 55 minutes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-lloyd/they-have-barricades-at-our-gigs-to-keep-people-in-we-do-most-of-the/) [Sam Lloyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-lloyd/) > [I wasn't so stupid that I didn't realize the implications of what they were saying. In my live work I was going for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iggy-pop/i-wasn-t-so-stupid-that-i-didn-t-realize-the-implications-of-what/) [Iggy Pop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iggy-pop/) > [If I had an hour to solve a problem and my life depended on the solution, I would spend the first 55 minutes determining…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/if-i-had-an-hour-to-solve-a-problem-and-my-life-depended-on-the/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [In 2017, I did the Christmas big shop on 23 December. Six people, eating for four days, done in under 55 minutes, with two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-dent/in-2017-i-did-the-christmas-big-shop-on-23-december-six-people-eating/) [Grace Dent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-dent/) > [We're going through all the checklist, getting in position to make the entry and all that... And I think either Pete, Dick, or I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bean/we-re-going-through-all-the-checklist-getting-in-position-to-make-the/) [Alan Bean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bean/) > [I do think we know that a teacher who knows what he or she is doing, knows their subject matter, and knows how to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-spellings/i-do-think-we-know-that-a-teacher-who-knows-what-he-or-she-is-doing/) [Margaret Spellings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-spellings/) > [A good teacher not only knows the way but shows the way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-good-teacher-not-only-knows-the-way-but-shows-the-way/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Gilbert Highet > [These are not books, lumps of lifeless paper, but minds alive on the shelves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-highet/these-are-not-books-lumps-of-lifeless-paper-but-minds-alive-on-the/) [Gilbert Highet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-highet/) > [The art of invective resembles the art of boxing. Very few fights are won with the straight left. It is too obvious, and it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-highet/the-art-of-invective-resembles-the-art-of-boxing-very-few-fights-are/) [Gilbert Highet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-highet/) > [The real duty of man is not to extend his power or multiply his wealth beyond his needs, but to enrich and enjoy his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-highet/the-real-duty-of-man-is-not-to-extend-his-power-or-multiply-his/) [Gilbert Highet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-highet/) > [Poetry is halfway between prose and music: it is sometimes like an intimate conversation, in words and phrases which need not be fully uttered,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-highet/poetry-is-halfway-between-prose-and-music-it-is-sometimes-like-an/) [Gilbert Highet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-highet/) > [Many of the snarly bad-tempered teachers whom we remember with hatred were really nice people soured by years of anxiety and penny-pinching.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-highet/many-of-the-snarly-bad-tempered-teachers-whom-we-remember-with-hatred/) [Gilbert Highet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-highet/) > [“Books are not lumps of lifeless paper, but minds alive on shelves!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-highet/books-are-not-lumps-of-lifeless-paper-but-minds-alive-on-shelves/) [Gilbert Highet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-highet/) > [What is politics but persuading the public to vote for this and support that and endure these for the promise of those?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-highet/what-is-politics-but-persuading-the-public-to-vote-for-this-and/) [Gilbert Highet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-highet/) > [History is a strange experience. The world is quite small now; but history is large and deep. Sometimes you can go much farther by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-highet/history-is-a-strange-experience-the-world-is-quite-small-now-but/) [Gilbert Highet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-highet/) > [“These are not books, lumps of lifeless paper, but minds alive on shelves.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-highet/these-are-not-books-lumps-of-lifeless-paper-but-minds-alive-on-shelves/) [Gilbert Highet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-highet/) > [Most Americans do not like poetry. We may respect it, but we do not enjoy it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-highet/most-americans-do-not-like-poetry-we-may-respect-it-but-we-do-not/) [Gilbert Highet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-highet/) > [Nobody has ever thought himself to death. The chief danger confronting us is not age. It is laziness, sloth, routine, stupidity, - forcing their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-highet/nobody-has-ever-thought-himself-to-death-the-chief-danger-confronting/) [Gilbert Highet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-highet/) > [The mind never need stop growing. Indeed, one of the few experiences which never pall is the experience of watching one's own mind and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-highet/the-mind-never-need-stop-growing-indeed-one-of-the-few-experiences/) [Gilbert Highet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-highet/) > [Bad teaching wastes a great deal of effort, and spoils many lives which might have been full of energy and happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-highet/bad-teaching-wastes-a-great-deal-of-effort-and-spoils-many-lives/) [Gilbert Highet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-highet/) > [A very wise old teacher once said: I consider a day's teaching wasted if we do not all have one hearty laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-highet/a-very-wise-old-teacher-once-said-i-consider-a-day-s-teaching-wasted/) [Gilbert Highet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-highet/) > [He meant that when people laugh together, they cease to be young and old, master and pupils, jailer and prisoners. They become a single…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-highet/he-meant-that-when-people-laugh-together-they-cease-to-be-young-and/) [Gilbert Highet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-highet/) [Explore all 44 Gilbert Highet quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-highet/) ## 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. 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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. 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