--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If, by deferring or maybe even skipping…" description: "\"If, by deferring or maybe even skipping college entirely, students were foregoing their one hope for immersion in Western civilization, there would ind..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a99/heather-mac-donald-6566_civilization_if-by-deferring-or-maybe-even-skipping-c_15770.jpg" --- # If, by deferring or maybe even skipping college entirely… ![“If, by deferring or maybe even skipping college entirely, students were foregoing their one hope for immersion in Western civilization, there would indeed be grounds for regret.” quote by Heather Mac Donald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a99/heather-mac-donald-6566_civilization_if-by-deferring-or-maybe-even-skipping-c_15770.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a99/heather-mac-donald-6566_civilization_if-by-deferring-or-maybe-even-skipping-c_15770.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a99/heather-mac-donald-6566_civilization_if-by-deferring-or-maybe-even-skipping-c_15770.jpg) > “If, by deferring or maybe even skipping college entirely, students were foregoing their one hope for immersion in Western civilization, there would indeed be grounds for regret.” [Heather Mac Donald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-mac-donald/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote suggests that bypassing higher education could mean missing out on deep exposure to Western cultural and intellectual traditions, potentially leading to later regret. **In simple terms:** Skipping college may for immersion in Westerns. Key Takeaway College offers essential cultural immersion. Themes Education Western Civilization Regret Cultural Immersion Opportunity Cost Mood Reflective Cautious Thoughtful Type Philosophical Cautionary Cultural When to use this quote - Choosing a career path without a degree - Students considering gap years - Parents advising on college Key Concepts Higher Education Cultural Literacy Personal Development Practical Applications - Curriculum design emphasizing cultural studies - Advising students on long-term benefits of college Questions to Reflect On - What aspects of Western civilization are most vital to learn in college? - How might alternative learning paths compensate for missed immersion? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Civilization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilization/) [College](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/college/) [Deferring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deferring-381450/) [Deferring Maybe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deferring-maybe-381448/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Foregoing Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/foregoing-hope-381449/) [Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hope/) [Regret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/regret/) [Skipping College](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/skipping-college-381446/) [Students Foregoing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/students-foregoing-381447/) [Western civilization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/western-civilization/) ## Related quotes > [I don't recommend skipping college, but things have worked out for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-stokes-mitchell/i-don-t-recommend-skipping-college-but-things-have-worked-out-for-me/) [Brian Stokes Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-stokes-mitchell/) > [“Deferring judgement to a later date resolves nothing and all you are left with is a box of jumbled slides and a collection of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-ferguson/deferring-judgement-to-a-later-date-resolves-nothing-and-all-you-are/) [Will Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-ferguson/) > [The reason of idleness and of crime is the deferring of our hopes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-reason-of-idleness-and-of-crime-is-the-deferring-of-our-hopes-2/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [“The goal of using our voice is not just to be noticed, but with humility to gracefully be fully present in relationships. Deferring to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosalie-de-rosset/the-goal-of-using-our-voice-is-not-just-to-be-noticed-but-with/) [Rosalie De Rosset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosalie-de-rosset/) > [One of the greatest accomplishments of Western civilization is the development of the scientific method and the scientific disposition, which entail the development of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-mac-donald/one-of-the-greatest-accomplishments-of-western-civilization-is-the/) [Heather Mac Donald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-mac-donald/) > [For decades, universities have nurtured the most lunatic forms of feminism, denying the biological differences between males and females, promoting the idea that Western…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-mac-donald/for-decades-universities-have-nurtured-the-most-lunatic-forms-of/) [Heather Mac Donald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-mac-donald/) > [“A scientific colleague tells me about a recent trip to the New Guinea highlands where she visited a stone age culture hardly contacted by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/a-scientific-colleague-tells-me-about-a-recent-trip-to-the-new-guinea/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [So long as Muslims continue looking towards Western civilization as the only force that could regenerate their own stagnant society, they destroy their self-confidence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-asad/so-long-as-muslims-continue-looking-towards-western-civilization-as/) [Muhammad Asad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-asad/) > [“Overall, it seems that we have to accept that Western civilization will decline. It is, essentially, inevitable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-charlton/overall-it-seems-that-we-have-to-accept-that-western-civilization/) [Bruce Charlton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-charlton/) > [The contract between the author and the reader is a game. And the game . . . is one of the greatest invetions of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-fuentes/the-contract-between-the-author-and-the-reader-is-a-game-and-the-game/) [Carlos Fuentes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-fuentes/) > [When I was young I used to read about the decline of Western civilization, and I decided it was something I would like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/when-i-was-young-i-used-to-read-about-the-decline-of-western/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) > [As the publisher of the 'Tory,' I strive to defend the pillars of Western civilization against the distractions of diversity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-hegseth/as-the-publisher-of-the-tory-i-strive-to-defend-the-pillars-of/) [Pete Hegseth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-hegseth/) > [Is Islam a religion of peace? I'm sure for some of the practitioners, but it's been hijacked by people who have an ideology that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeb-bush/is-islam-a-religion-of-peace-i-m-sure-for-some-of-the-practitioners/) [Jeb Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeb-bush/) > [In all of Western civilization, there have been societies that celebrating the homosexuality, the ancient Greeks. But they, in fact, protected the institution of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-blackwell/in-all-of-western-civilization-there-have-been-societies-that/) [Ken Blackwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-blackwell/) > [So-called Western Civilization, as practised in half of Europe, some of Asia and a few parts of North America, is better than anything else…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/so-called-western-civilization-as-practised-in-half-of-europe-some-of/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) ## More by Heather Mac Donald > [Race and gender quotas, whether in publishing, the media, or scientific research labs, are becoming more extreme and more ineluctable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-mac-donald/race-and-gender-quotas-whether-in-publishing-the-media-or-scientific/) [Heather Mac Donald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-mac-donald/) > [Opponents of New York City's proactive style of policing struggle mightily to downplay its most obvious benefit: the largest crime drop on record, concentrated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-mac-donald/opponents-of-new-york-city-s-proactive-style-of-policing-struggle/) [Heather Mac Donald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-mac-donald/) > [Without question, women can act with bravery, foresight, and tactical intelligence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-mac-donald/without-question-women-can-act-with-bravery-foresight-and-tactical/) [Heather Mac Donald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-mac-donald/) > [Police departments are under enormous political pressure to hire based on race, despite existing efforts to recruit minorities, on the theory that doing so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-mac-donald/police-departments-are-under-enormous-political-pressure-to-hire/) [Heather Mac Donald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-mac-donald/) > [It is not the case that I can predict your views knowing that you are a white male. I cannot predict your views if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-mac-donald/it-is-not-the-case-that-i-can-predict-your-views-knowing-that-you-are/) [Heather Mac Donald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-mac-donald/) > [Received left-wing wisdom holds that the police cannot lower crime, only massive welfare spending and the redistribution of wealth can.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-mac-donald/received-left-wing-wisdom-holds-that-the-police-cannot-lower-crime/) [Heather Mac Donald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-mac-donald/) > [Hispanics' welfare consumption - and their affinity for the Democratic message - will decline over time as they climb the economic ladder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-mac-donald/hispanics-welfare-consumption-and-their-affinity-for-the-democratic/) [Heather Mac Donald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-mac-donald/) > [Mandatory stints in the private economy before college enrollment could do wonders for study skills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-mac-donald/mandatory-stints-in-the-private-economy-before-college-enrollment/) [Heather Mac Donald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-mac-donald/) > [A core plank of left-wing academic thought is that gender and race are 'socially constructed.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-mac-donald/a-core-plank-of-left-wing-academic-thought-is-that-gender-and-race/) [Heather Mac Donald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-mac-donald/) > [For decades, liberal criminologists have tried to corroborate the Left's cherished belief that the criminal-justice system responds to similarly situated whites and blacks unequally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-mac-donald/for-decades-liberal-criminologists-have-tried-to-corroborate-the-left/) [Heather Mac Donald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-mac-donald/) > [The more frequently officers encounter violent suspects from any given racial group, the greater the chance that members of that racial group will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-mac-donald/the-more-frequently-officers-encounter-violent-suspects-from-any/) [Heather Mac Donald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-mac-donald/) > [A strong police presence keeps individuals involved in 'street life' from triggering the most severe penalties of the law by providing a surrogate for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-mac-donald/a-strong-police-presence-keeps-individuals-involved-in-street-life/) [Heather Mac Donald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-mac-donald/) > [A federal government with enough money to buy iPads for local gym teachers is not a federal government that has been cut to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-mac-donald/a-federal-government-with-enough-money-to-buy-ipads-for-local-gym/) [Heather Mac Donald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-mac-donald/) > [I don't understand how people of intelligence can reconcile what I see as constant proof of divine indifference to human outcomes with a reverence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-mac-donald/i-don-t-understand-how-people-of-intelligence-can-reconcile-what-i/) [Heather Mac Donald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-mac-donald/) > [I think a lot of people are clueless about the degree of hatred of whites.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-mac-donald/i-think-a-lot-of-people-are-clueless-about-the-degree-of-hatred-of/) [Heather Mac Donald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-mac-donald/) [Explore all 98 Heather Mac Donald quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-mac-donald/) ## More Civilization quotes > [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/) [Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/) > [Sentiment is the mightiest force in civilization; not sentimentality, but sentiment. Women will bring this into politics. Home, sweet home, is as powerful on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-ellen-foster/sentiment-is-the-mightiest-force-in-civilization-not-sentimentality/) [Judith Ellen Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-ellen-foster/) > [Violence is not necessary to destroy a civilization. Each civilization dies from indifference toward the unique values which created it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-gomez-davila/violence-is-not-necessary-to-destroy-a-civilization-each-civilization/) [Nicolas Gomez Davila](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-gomez-davila/) > [“The voice in the head that never stops speaking becomes a civilization that is obsessed with form and therefore knows nothing of the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/the-voice-in-the-head-that-never-stops-speaking-becomes-a/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [We released 400,000 classified documents, the most extraordinary history of a war to ever have been released in our civilization. Those documents cover 109,000…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-assange/we-released-400-000-classified-documents-the-most-extraordinary/) [Julian Assange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-assange/) > [Wine is one of the most civilized things in the world and one of the most natural things of the world that has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/wine-is-one-of-the-most-civilized-things-in-the-world-and-one-of-the/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [Whenever we touch nature we get clean. People who have got dirty through too much civilization take a walk in the woods, or a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/whenever-we-touch-nature-we-get-clean-people-who-have-got-dirty/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [The invention of gunpowder and the constant improvement of firearms are enough in themselves to show that the advance of civilization has done nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-von-clausewitz/the-invention-of-gunpowder-and-the-constant-improvement-of-firearms/) [Carl von Clausewitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-von-clausewitz/) > [Another success is the post-office, with its educating energy augmented by cheapness and guarded by a certain religious sentimentin mankind; so that the power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/another-success-is-the-post-office-with-its-educating-energy/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [“The mission is, not to replace old world mindlessness with new world mindlessness, but to put an end to all forms of brainless authoritarianism.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/the-mission-is-not-to-replace-old-world-mindlessness-with-new-world/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [We are somehow the children of the planet, we are somehow its finest hour; we bind time, we bind the past, we anticipate the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/we-are-somehow-the-children-of-the-planet-we-are-somehow-its-finest/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [Our civilization, bequeathed to us by fierce adventurers, eaters of meat and hunters, is so full of hurry and combat, so busy about many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-joyce/our-civilization-bequeathed-to-us-by-fierce-adventurers-eaters-of/) [James Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-joyce/) > [Coal lay in ledges under the ground since the Flood, until a laborer with pick and windlass brings it to the surface. We may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/coal-lay-in-ledges-under-the-ground-since-the-flood-until-a-laborer/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Once we allow ourselves to be disobedient to the test of an accountant's profit, we have begun to change our civilization.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-maynard-keynes/once-we-allow-ourselves-to-be-disobedient-to-the-test-of-an/) [John Maynard Keynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-maynard-keynes/) > [Our laws and our institutions must necessarily be based upon and embody the teachings of the Redeemer of mankind. It is impossible that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-josiah-brewer/our-laws-and-our-institutions-must-necessarily-be-based-upon-and/) [David Josiah Brewer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-josiah-brewer/) [Browse all 4,084 Civilization quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilization/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If, by deferring or maybe even skipping college entirely, students were foregoing their one hope for immersion in Western civilization, there would indeed be grounds for regret.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Heather Mac Donald" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-mac-donald/if-by-deferring-or-maybe-even-skipping-college-entirely-students-were/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Civilization" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-mac-donald/if-by-deferring-or-maybe-even-skipping-college-entirely-students-were/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a99/heather-mac-donald-6566_civilization_if-by-deferring-or-maybe-even-skipping-c_15770.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a99/heather-mac-donald-6566_civilization_if-by-deferring-or-maybe-even-skipping-c_15770.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a99/heather-mac-donald-6566_civilization_if-by-deferring-or-maybe-even-skipping-c_15770.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If, by deferring or maybe even skipping college entirely, students were foregoing their one hope for…” — Heather Mac Donald", "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": "Heather Mac Donald", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-mac-donald/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If, by deferring or maybe even...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-mac-donald/if-by-deferring-or-maybe-even-skipping-college-entirely-students-were/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-mac-donald/if-by-deferring-or-maybe-even-skipping-college-entirely-students-were/#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 } } ] } ```