--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I am of the order whose purpose is not to…" description: "\"I am of the order whose purpose is not to teach the world a lesson but to explain that school is over.\" — Henry Miller" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/859/henry-miller-179_education_i-am-of-the-order-whose-purpose-is-not-t_1876983.jpg" --- # I am of the order whose purpose is not to teach the world… ![“I am of the order whose purpose is not to teach the world a lesson but to explain that school is over.” quote by Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/859/henry-miller-179_education_i-am-of-the-order-whose-purpose-is-not-t_1876983.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/859/henry-miller-179_education_i-am-of-the-order-whose-purpose-is-not-t_1876983.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/859/henry-miller-179_education_i-am-of-the-order-whose-purpose-is-not-t_1876983.jpg) > “I am of the order whose purpose is not to teach the world a lesson but to explain that school is over.” [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Suggests that the purpose is to signal the end of formal education, not to teach lessons. **In simple terms:** School is over, move beyond it. Key Takeaway Embrace learning beyond formal structures. Themes education freedom growth Mood reflective optimistic Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - career transition - personal development - creative pursuits - entrepreneurship Key Concepts Self-directed learning life after school Questions to Reflect On - How do you continue learning after formal school? - What does “school is over” mean to you? A Different Perspective May overlook the value of structured knowledge. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Lessons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lessons/) [Order](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/order/) [Purpose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/purpose/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [God has given each of us our "marching order." Our purpose here on Earth is to find those orders and carry them out. Those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soren-kierkegaard/god-has-given-each-of-us-our-marching-order-our-purpose-here-on-earth/) [Soren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soren-kierkegaard/) > [AS for all those mistakes I make - they are on purpose - to teach you how to deal with them](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-for-all-those-mistakes-i-make-they-are-on-purpose-to-teach-you-how/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Well, I feel that we're kind of fortunate that this book gives the whole world a lesson in economics and how to get out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-bruckheimer/well-i-feel-that-we-re-kind-of-fortunate-that-this-book-gives-the/) [Jerry Bruckheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-bruckheimer/) > [“The mean things of this world had only one lesson-we are meaner than you'd ever imagine.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/the-mean-things-of-this-world-had-only-one-lesson-we-are-meaner-than/) [Dennis Lehane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/) > [“I like to remind my students that upon completing nursing school you know a little about everything, but not a lot about anything. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-porter-thomas/i-like-to-remind-my-students-that-upon-completing-nursing-school-you/) [Caroline Porter Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-porter-thomas/) > [Youth is but a moment in life. Embrace it and carry it in your heart forever. For it is the time that shapes your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-duffy/youth-is-but-a-moment-in-life-embrace-it-and-carry-it-in-your-heart/) John Duffy > [My only purpose is to teach children to rebel against authority figures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherman-alexie/my-only-purpose-is-to-teach-children-to-rebel-against-authority/) [Sherman Alexie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherman-alexie/) > [“The bottom line: the very best sexuality education at home and in schools is not about prevention, but about creation . Its purpose is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-roffman/the-bottom-line-the-very-best-sexuality-education-at-home-and-in/) Deborah Roffman > [My purpose is to teach and demonstrate what is possible. To demonstrate love of God and good. Remember what my role is as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iyanla-vanzant/my-purpose-is-to-teach-and-demonstrate-what-is-possible-to/) [Iyanla Vanzant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iyanla-vanzant/) > [I teach my children that in life, there is no control of what tomorrow is going to bring. There really isn't. But in whatever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bebe-winans/i-teach-my-children-that-in-life-there-is-no-control-of-what-tomorrow/) [BeBe Winans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bebe-winans/) > [Metaphysicians have been learning their lessons for the last four thousand years, and it is high time that they should now begin to teach…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/metaphysicians-have-been-learning-their-lessons-for-the-last-four/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) > [Unhappy parents teach you a lesson that lasts a lifetime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/unhappy-parents-teach-you-a-lesson-that-lasts-a-lifetime/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I used to fight the pain, but recently this became clear to me: pain is not my enemy; it is my call to greatness.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/i-used-to-fight-the-pain-but-recently-this-became-clear-to-me-pain-is/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [With every failure, every crisis, every difficult time, I say - What is this here to teach me? And as soon as you get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/with-every-failure-every-crisis-every-difficult-time-i-say-what-is/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) > [God's Word does provide life lessons to teach us how to live. And it gives us beautiful poetry that gives voice to our human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-rothschild/god-s-word-does-provide-life-lessons-to-teach-us-how-to-live-and-it/) [Jennifer Rothschild](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-rothschild/) ## More by Henry Miller > [“I reached out for something to attach myself to—and I found nothing. But in reaching out, in the effort to grasp, to attach myself,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/i-reached-out-for-something-to-attach-myself-to-and-i-found-nothing/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“I saw the errors I had made and assumed full responsibility for everything.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/i-saw-the-errors-i-had-made-and-assumed-full-responsibility-for/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [The monstrous thing is not that men have created roses out of this dung heap, but that, for some reason or other, they should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/the-monstrous-thing-is-not-that-men-have-created-roses-out-of-this/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [They never opened the door which leads to the soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/they-never-opened-the-door-which-leads-to-the-soul/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“(...)I decided to let myself drift with the tide, to make not the least resistance to fate, no matter in what form it presented…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/i-decided-to-let-myself-drift-with-the-tide-to-make-not-the-least/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“If it be knowledge or wisdom one is seeking, then one had better go direct to the source. And the source is not the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/if-it-be-knowledge-or-wisdom-one-is-seeking-then-one-had-better-go/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“In the egocentric prism the helpless victim is walled in by the very light which he refracts. The ego dies in its own glass…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/in-the-egocentric-prism-the-helpless-victim-is-walled-in-by-the-very/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“When one spends what he has on himself, when one has a thoroughly good time with his own money, people are apt to say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/when-one-spends-what-he-has-on-himself-when-one-has-a-thoroughly-good/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [Paint what you like and die happy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/paint-what-you-like-and-die-happy/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [She may be lying in bed reading a book, she may be making love with a prize fighter, or she may be running like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/she-may-be-lying-in-bed-reading-a-book-she-may-be-making-love-with-a/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“And no one sets about saving the world unless he has first experienced the miracle of personal salvation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/and-no-one-sets-about-saving-the-world-unless-he-has-first/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“He looks about the room at the few sticks of furniture, at the dirty bed sheets and the wash basin with the dirty water…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/he-looks-about-the-room-at-the-few-sticks-of-furniture-at-the-dirty/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“Since then, of course, I have discovered what every madman in Paris discovers sooner of later; that there are no ready made infernos for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/since-then-of-course-i-have-discovered-what-every-madman-in-paris/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“Looking back upon my career, I see myself as a person capable of undertaking almost any task, any vocation. It was the monotony and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/looking-back-upon-my-career-i-see-myself-as-a-person-capable-of/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“The word in your mouth is anarchy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/the-word-in-your-mouth-is-anarchy/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) [Explore all 894 Henry Miller quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) ## 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": "I am of the order whose purpose is not to teach the world a lesson but to explain that school is over.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Henry Miller" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/i-am-of-the-order-whose-purpose-is-not-to-teach-the-world-a-lesson/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Education" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/i-am-of-the-order-whose-purpose-is-not-to-teach-the-world-a-lesson/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/859/henry-miller-179_education_i-am-of-the-order-whose-purpose-is-not-t_1876983.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/859/henry-miller-179_education_i-am-of-the-order-whose-purpose-is-not-t_1876983.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/859/henry-miller-179_education_i-am-of-the-order-whose-purpose-is-not-t_1876983.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I am of the order whose purpose is not to teach the world a lesson but to explain that school is over.” — Henry Miller", "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": "Henry Miller", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I am of the order whose...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/i-am-of-the-order-whose-purpose-is-not-to-teach-the-world-a-lesson/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/i-am-of-the-order-whose-purpose-is-not-to-teach-the-world-a-lesson/#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 } } ] } ```