--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Why, then,' answered the squire, 'I am…" description: "\"“Why, then,' answered the squire, 'I am very sorry you have given him so much learning; for, if he cannot get his living by that, it will rather spoil ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b38/henry-fielding-1358_addiction_why-then-answered-the-squire-i-am-very-s_3131846.png" --- # Why, then,' answered the squire, 'I am very sorry you have… ![“Why, then,' answered the squire, 'I am very sorry you have given him so much learning; for, if he cannot get his living by that, it will rather spoil him for anything else; and your other son, who can hardly write his name, will do more at ploughing and sowing, and is in a better condition, than…” quote by Henry Fielding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b38/henry-fielding-1358_addiction_why-then-answered-the-squire-i-am-very-s_3131846.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b38/henry-fielding-1358_addiction_why-then-answered-the-squire-i-am-very-s_3131846.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b38/henry-fielding-1358_addiction_why-then-answered-the-squire-i-am-very-s_3131846.png) > ““Why, then,' answered the squire, 'I am very sorry you have given him so much learning; for, if he cannot get his living by that, it will rather spoil him for anything else; and your other son, who can hardly write his name, will do more at ploughing and sowing, and is in a better condition, than he.' And indeed so it proved; for the poor lad, not finding friends to maintain him in his learning, as he had expected, and being unwilling to work, fell to drinking, though he was a very sober lad before; and in a short time, partly with grief, and partly with good liquor, fell into a consumption, and died.”” [Henry Fielding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-fielding/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Overeducation without practical skills leads to idleness and ruin; balance learning with work. **In simple terms:** Too much study, no work, leads to downfall. Key Takeaway Balance theory and practice. Themes education work ethic social class Mood cautionary serious Type literary historical When to use this quote - apprenticeship - career planning - social mobility Key Concepts economics human nature Questions to Reflect On - Can knowledge be harmful without application? - How to integrate learning with livelihood? A Different Perspective Practical experience is essential for survival. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Addiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/addiction/) [Career](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/career/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Learning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learning/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [It's really scary, when you're on the verge of becoming a teenager, and you don't know if people like you for you or if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-blanchard/it-s-really-scary-when-you-re-on-the-verge-of-becoming-a-teenager-and/) [Rowan Blanchard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-blanchard/) > [Finding friends is difficult makeing ture friendship is hard and on going is immppossible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ajit/finding-friends-is-difficult-makeing-ture-friendship-is-hard-and-on/) Ajit > [“Consider the case of two young men—Jeremy Strohmeyer and David Cash Jr.—who walked into a Nevada casino in 1988. 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