--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The chief object of education is not to…" description: "\"The chief object of education is not to learn things but to unlearn things.\" — Gilbert K. Chesterton" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/391/gilbert-k-chesterton-223_chiefs_the-chief-object-of-education-is-not-to_532955.png" --- # The chief object of education is not to learn things but… ![“The chief object of education is not to learn things but to unlearn things.” quote by Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/391/gilbert-k-chesterton-223_chiefs_the-chief-object-of-education-is-not-to_532955.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/391/gilbert-k-chesterton-223_chiefs_the-chief-object-of-education-is-not-to_532955.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/391/gilbert-k-chesterton-223_chiefs_the-chief-object-of-education-is-not-to_532955.png) > “The chief object of education is not to learn things but to unlearn things.” [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) ## 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 focus on discarding false assumptions and habits, not merely acquiring facts. **In simple terms:** Learning how to unlearn is essential. Key Takeaway Question what you truly need to let go. Themes education critical thinking self-awareness Mood reflective thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal growth - teaching methods - curriculum design Key Concepts epistemology cognitive flexibility Questions to Reflect On - What beliefs are holding you back? - How can you create space to unlearn? A Different Perspective Unlearning can be painful and may clash with entrenched beliefs. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Chiefs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chiefs/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Education for all](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education-for-all/) [Education Learn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education-learn-1298825/) [Justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justice/) [Learn Things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learn-things/) [Learning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learning/) [Objects](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/objects/) [Social justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social-justice/) [Things Unlearn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-unlearn-2535430/) [Unlearn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unlearn/) [Unlearn Things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unlearn-things-3219619/) ## Related quotes > [For my part, I should be inclined to suggest that the chief object of education should be to restore simplicity. If you like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/for-my-part-i-should-be-inclined-to-suggest-that-the-chief-object-of/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [“Perhaps when I am grown I will not know anything. Perhaps that is the way it works, the way it is with growing. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-paulsen/perhaps-when-i-am-grown-i-will-not-know-anything-perhaps-that-is-the/) [Gary Paulsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-paulsen/) > [I learnt that an actor should be willing to take risks, try new things and unlearn stuff.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shraddha-srinath/i-learnt-that-an-actor-should-be-willing-to-take-risks-try-new-things/) [Shraddha Srinath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shraddha-srinath/) > [“With women poets we look at or into, but not up at, sacred things; we unlearn submission.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alicia-ostriker/with-women-poets-we-look-at-or-into-but-not-up-at-sacred-things-we/) [Alicia Ostriker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alicia-ostriker/) > [Life must be a constant education; one must learn everything, from speaking to dying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/life-must-be-a-constant-education-one-must-learn-everything-from/) [Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/) > [True education is to learn how to think, not what to think. If you know how to think, if you really have that capacity,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/true-education-is-to-learn-how-to-think-not-what-to-think-if-you-know/) [Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/) > [The basis of all education is to learn by doing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-laird/the-basis-of-all-education-is-to-learn-by-doing/) [Donald Laird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-laird/) > [Education is what you learn in books, and nobody knows you know it but your teacher.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-cary-hudson/education-is-what-you-learn-in-books-and-nobody-knows-you-know-it-but/) [Virginia Cary Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-cary-hudson/) > [School is something that you learn - reading and writing. 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Education is neither Eastern nor Western, it is human.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malala-yousafzai/education-is-education-we-should-learn-everything-and-then-choose/) [Malala Yousafzai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malala-yousafzai/) > [“The beauty of a Jewish education is that you learn how to argue.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/the-beauty-of-a-jewish-education-is-that-you-learn-how-to-argue/) [Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/) > [The most important education you get is your own - the one you learn in solitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/the-most-important-education-you-get-is-your-own-the-one-you-learn-in/) [Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/) > [Education is what you learn after you leave school.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/education-is-what-you-learn-after-you-leave-school/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Gilbert K. Chesterton > [The aim of good prose words is to mean what they say. The aim of good poetical words is to mean what they do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/the-aim-of-good-prose-words-is-to-mean-what-they-say-the-aim-of-good/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [Youth is always too serious, and just now it is too serious about frivolity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/youth-is-always-too-serious-and-just-now-it-is-too-serious-about/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [Tradition does not mean a dead town; it does not mean that the living are dead but that the dead are alive. It means…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/tradition-does-not-mean-a-dead-town-it-does-not-mean-that-the-living/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [It is shorter to state the things forbidden than the things permitted; precisely because most things are permitted and only a few things forbidden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/it-is-shorter-to-state-the-things-forbidden-than-the-things-permitted/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [Everyone seems to assume that the unscrupulous parts of journalism will be the frivolous or jocular parts. This is against all ethical experience. Jokes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/everyone-seems-to-assume-that-the-unscrupulous-parts-of-journalism/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [For Scotland has a double dose of the poison called heredity; the sense of blood in the aristocrat, the sense of doom in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/for-scotland-has-a-double-dose-of-the-poison-called-heredity-the/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [Faith is always at a disadvantage; it is a perpetually defeated thing which survives all conquerors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/faith-is-always-at-a-disadvantage-it-is-a-perpetually-defeated-thing/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [A building is akin to dogma; it is insolent, like dogma. Whether or no it is permanent, it claims permanence, like a dogma. People…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/a-building-is-akin-to-dogma-it-is-insolent-like-dogma-whether-or-no/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [The triangle of truisms, of father, mother and child, cannot be destroyed; it can only destroy those civilizations which disregard it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/the-triangle-of-truisms-of-father-mother-and-child-cannot-be/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [Criticism is only words about words, and of what use are words about such words as these?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/criticism-is-only-words-about-words-and-of-what-use-are-words-about/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [What we suffer from today is humility in the wrong place...The old humility was a spur that prevented a man from stopping; not a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/what-we-suffer-from-today-is-humility-in-the-wrong-place-the-old/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [Plato was only a Bernard Shaw who unfortunately made his jokes in Greek.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/plato-was-only-a-bernard-shaw-who-unfortunately-made-his-jokes-in/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [The word good has many meanings...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/the-word-good-has-many-meanings/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [Music with dinner is an insult both to the cook and the violinist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/music-with-dinner-is-an-insult-both-to-the-cook-and-the-violinist/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [Eugenics asserts that all men must be so stupid that they cannot manage their own affairs; and also so clever that they can manage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/eugenics-asserts-that-all-men-must-be-so-stupid-that-they-cannot/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) [Explore all 868 Gilbert K. Chesterton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) ## More Chiefs quotes > [In every province, the chief occupations, in order of importance, are lovemaking, malicious gossip, and talking nonsense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/in-every-province-the-chief-occupations-in-order-of-importance-are/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [I have no hesitation in saying that although the American woman never leaves her domestic sphere and is in some respects very dependent within…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/i-have-no-hesitation-in-saying-that-although-the-american-woman-never/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [I always wanted to be a fireman, a cop, an Indian chief, a doctor, a lawyer. I always wanted to be all these things,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morgan-freeman/i-always-wanted-to-be-a-fireman-a-cop-an-indian-chief-a-doctor-a/) [Morgan Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morgan-freeman/) > [The chief wonder of education is that it does not ruin everybody concerned in it, teachers and taught.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-adams/the-chief-wonder-of-education-is-that-it-does-not-ruin-everybody/) [Henry Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-adams/) > [Las Vegas is a resort whose two chief sources of income are seven and eleven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-esar/las-vegas-is-a-resort-whose-two-chief-sources-of-income-are-seven-and/) [Evan Esar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-esar/) > [There is no one force, no group, and no class that is the preserver of liberty. Liberty is preserved by those who are against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-burnham/there-is-no-one-force-no-group-and-no-class-that-is-the-preserver-of/) [James Burnham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-burnham/) > [Remember chief of staff Rahm Emanuel's callous enjoinder 'you never want a serious crisis to go to waste'? This White House is a serious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-tyrrell/remember-chief-of-staff-rahm-emanuel-s-callous-enjoinder-you-never/) [Bob Tyrrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-tyrrell/) > [There is a wealth of unexpressed love in the world. It is one of the chief causes of sorrow evoked by death: what might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-hopkins/there-is-a-wealth-of-unexpressed-love-in-the-world-it-is-one-of-the/) [Arthur Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-hopkins/) > [Pure love is the chief manifestation of education.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sai-baba/pure-love-is-the-chief-manifestation-of-education/) [Sai Baba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sai-baba/) > [The chief beneficiary of life insurance policies for young, single people is the life insurance agent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wes-smith/the-chief-beneficiary-of-life-insurance-policies-for-young-single/) [Wes Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wes-smith/) > [Most of my writer friends are women, and they're all extremely talented, so of course I think the state of contemporary fiction for women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jami-attenberg/most-of-my-writer-friends-are-women-and-they-re-all-extremely/) [Jami Attenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jami-attenberg/) > [No commander in chief would ever say, 'I'm not going to listen to the guys on the ground.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-mccaskill/no-commander-in-chief-would-ever-say-i-m-not-going-to-listen-to-the/) [Claire McCaskill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-mccaskill/) > [I'm going to be specific so you can render your verdict. 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