--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Yet in our enthusiasm for the idea that…" description: "\"Yet in our enthusiasm for the idea that everyone should be able to read and write fluently, we may be missing a crucial point: in today's culture, fine..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d6/hugh-mackay-16277_able_yet-in-our-enthusiasm-for-the-idea-that_1828254.png" --- # Yet in our enthusiasm for the idea that everyone should be… ![“Yet in our enthusiasm for the idea that everyone should be able to read and write fluently, we may be missing a crucial point: in today's culture, finely honed literacy skills are simply not as important as they once were.” quote by Hugh Mackay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d6/hugh-mackay-16277_able_yet-in-our-enthusiasm-for-the-idea-that_1828254.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d6/hugh-mackay-16277_able_yet-in-our-enthusiasm-for-the-idea-that_1828254.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d6/hugh-mackay-16277_able_yet-in-our-enthusiasm-for-the-idea-that_1828254.png) > “Yet in our enthusiasm for the idea that everyone should be able to read and write fluently, we may be missing a crucial point: in today's culture, finely honed literacy skills are simply not as important as they once were.” [Hugh Mackay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-mackay/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author warns that emphasizing basic literacy may overlook modern skills that have become more vital. **In simple terms:** Traditional reading and writing may be less critical today. Key Takeaway Balance literacy with digital and critical thinking skills. Themes education literacy modernity Mood thoughtful concerned Type analytical prescriptive When to use this quote - school curricula - workplace training - personal development - policy making Key Concepts cognitive development media literacy Questions to Reflect On - How can education adapt to new skill demands? - What skills complement reading and writing now? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on literacy can ignore evolving communication forms. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Able](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/able/) [Able Read](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/able-read-306065/) [Crucial](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crucial/) [Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) [Enthusiasm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enthusiasm/) [Honed Literacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honed-literacy-2252363/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Important](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/important/) [Literacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/literacy/) [Literacy Skills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/literacy-skills-1304835/) [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [Missing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/missing/) [Read And Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/read-and-write/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Skills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/skills/) [Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/today/) [Write Fluently](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write-fluently-2252364/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [Is it possible that literacy standards are falling because young Australians are growing up in a culture in which they can be entertained and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-mackay/is-it-possible-that-literacy-standards-are-falling-because-young/) [Hugh Mackay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-mackay/) > [Obviously, every child should be given the best possible opportunity to acquire literacy skills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-mackay/obviously-every-child-should-be-given-the-best-possible-opportunity/) [Hugh Mackay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-mackay/) > [“With the advent of literacy and other skills for acquiring, retaining, and sharing information, knowledge is now far more evenly distributed and widely available.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vishen-lakhiani/with-the-advent-of-literacy-and-other-skills-for-acquiring-retaining/) [Vishen Lakhiani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vishen-lakhiani/) > [I can't imagine not being able to read and write, or make these connections from literature and philosophy that have helped inform my understanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-arnold/i-can-t-imagine-not-being-able-to-read-and-write-or-make-these/) [Frances Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-arnold/) > [Not being able to read and write music is not the same as being illiterate in speech and writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanni/not-being-able-to-read-and-write-music-is-not-the-same-as-being/) [Yanni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanni/) > [Creativity is very much like literacy. 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So ran the democratic doctrine. But instead of a mind,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bernays/once-he-could-read-and-write-he-would-have-a-mind-fit-to-rule-so-ran/) [Edward Bernays](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bernays/) > [The ratio of literacy to illiteracy is constant, but nowadays the illiterates can read and write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-moravia/the-ratio-of-literacy-to-illiteracy-is-constant-but-nowadays-the/) [Alberto Moravia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-moravia/) > [In our schools, they're supposed to be taught to read and write and do mathematics. We are supposed to be teaching them about civics…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-robinson/in-our-schools-they-re-supposed-to-be-taught-to-read-and-write-and-do/) [Mark Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-robinson/) > [Educators, long disturbed by schoolchildren's lagging scores in math and reading, are realizing there is a different and more alarming deficiency: emotional literacy. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/educators-long-disturbed-by-schoolchildren-s-lagging-scores-in-math/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [The question is, will we continue to fight what may be a rearguard action to defend universal literacy as a central goal of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-mackay/the-question-is-will-we-continue-to-fight-what-may-be-a-rearguard/) [Hugh Mackay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-mackay/) > [Universal literacy was a 20th-century goal. Before then, reading and writing were skills largely confined to a small, highly educated class of professional people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-mackay/universal-literacy-was-a-20th-century-goal-before-then-reading-and/) [Hugh Mackay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-mackay/) > [“it is very well worth-while to be tormented for two or three years of one's life, for the sake of being able to read…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/it-is-very-well-worth-while-to-be-tormented-for-two-or-three-years-of/) [Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/) ## More by Hugh Mackay > [“Only those who have been on the receiving end of poverty, unemployment, homelessess, mental illness, domestic violence, racism, sexism or ageism can fully identify…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-mackay/only-those-who-have-been-on-the-receiving-end-of-poverty-unemployment/) [Hugh Mackay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-mackay/) > [Universal literacy was a 20th-century goal. Before then, reading and writing were skills largely confined to a small, highly educated class of professional people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-mackay/universal-literacy-was-a-20th-century-goal-before-then-reading-and/) [Hugh Mackay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-mackay/) > [Actually, I can't imagine anything more tedious than a perfect person, especially if it was someone who also demanded perfection from me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-mackay/actually-i-can-t-imagine-anything-more-tedious-than-a-perfect-person/) [Hugh Mackay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-mackay/) > [Obviously, every child should be given the best possible opportunity to acquire literacy skills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-mackay/obviously-every-child-should-be-given-the-best-possible-opportunity/) [Hugh Mackay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-mackay/) > [“I actually attack the concept of happiness. 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That simply means you've redefined 'friend' to make it something like 'a contact I exchange data with'.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-mackay/you-have-five-hundred-facebook-friends-that-simply-means-you-ve/) [Hugh Mackay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-mackay/) > [It seems inevitable that the magic of the written word will fade.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-mackay/it-seems-inevitable-that-the-magic-of-the-written-word-will-fade/) [Hugh Mackay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-mackay/) > [Still, most of those effects occur in the context of harmless play and it is patently obvious that children are not normally turned into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-mackay/still-most-of-those-effects-occur-in-the-context-of-harmless-play-and/) [Hugh Mackay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-mackay/) [Explore all 40 Hugh Mackay quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-mackay/) ## More Able quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. 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