--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The older we become, the more important…" description: "\"The older we become, the more important it is to use what we know rather than learn more.\" — I. J. Good" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d45/i-j-good-63883_education_the-older-we-become-the-more-important-i_1487806.jpg" --- # The older we become, the more important it is to use what… ![“The older we become, the more important it is to use what we know rather than learn more.” quote by I. J. Good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d45/i-j-good-63883_education_the-older-we-become-the-more-important-i_1487806.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d45/i-j-good-63883_education_the-older-we-become-the-more-important-i_1487806.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d45/i-j-good-63883_education_the-older-we-become-the-more-important-i_1487806.jpg) > “The older we become, the more important it is to use what we know rather than learn more.” [I. J. Good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/i-j-good/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Experience should guide action more than continual learning; apply what you know. **In simple terms:** Use what you know, don’t just learn. Key Takeaway Apply knowledge wisely. Themes experience knowledge action learning Mood pragmatic reflective Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - career - teaching - leadership - personal growth Key Concepts education pragmatism wisdom Questions to Reflect On - What knowledge have you not yet applied? - How do you balance learning with doing? A Different Perspective New knowledge can still be valuable. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) ## Related quotes > [The older I get, the more important the eternal becomes to me personally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/the-older-i-get-the-more-important-the-eternal-becomes-to-me/) [Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/) > [As we get older, it's important for us to help hand back some of what we've gained as we've grown older. It should be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ciara/as-we-get-older-it-s-important-for-us-to-help-hand-back-some-of-what/) [Ciara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ciara/) > [The older I get, the more important my view of the family is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-fogel/the-older-i-get-the-more-important-my-view-of-the-family-is/) [Robert Fogel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-fogel/) > [The older you get, the more important it is to act your age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-older-you-get-the-more-important-it-is-to-act-your-age/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The older you get, the more important it is to not act your age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashleigh-brilliant/the-older-you-get-the-more-important-it-is-to-not-act-your-age/) [Ashleigh Brilliant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashleigh-brilliant/) > [For all of us, as we grow older, perhaps the most important thing is to keep alive our love of others and to believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-roosevelt/for-all-of-us-as-we-grow-older-perhaps-the-most-important-thing-is-to/) [Eleanor Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-roosevelt/) > [When you're young, you want to convince everyone that you're right and they're wrong. As you get older, it's not important if you are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gino-vannelli/when-you-re-young-you-want-to-convince-everyone-that-you-re-right-and/) [Gino Vannelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gino-vannelli/) > [No matter how much you know, you can always learn more and be a good listener.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-jonas/no-matter-how-much-you-know-you-can-always-learn-more-and-be-a-good/) [Kevin Jonas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-jonas/) > [You know, you can learn a lot from your past, but for me, the past is the past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-zimmerman/you-know-you-can-learn-a-lot-from-your-past-but-for-me-the-past-is/) [Ryan Zimmerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-zimmerman/) > [People should not say that this or that is not worth learning, giving as their reason that it will not be put to use.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clara-barton/people-should-not-say-that-this-or-that-is-not-worth-learning-giving/) [Clara Barton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clara-barton/) > [You use to be my everything know your nothing to me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia/you-use-to-be-my-everything-know-your-nothing-to-me/) [Virginia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia/) > [We know lots of things we didn't use to know but we don't know any way to prevent 'em from happening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/we-know-lots-of-things-we-didn-t-use-to-know-but-we-don-t-know-any/) [Will Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/) > [What matters is how I use what I know, every minute of every day; how I use it to remember, in the midst of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/what-matters-is-how-i-use-what-i-know-every-minute-of-every-day-how-i/) [Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/) > [Our ignorance is not so vast as our failure to use what we know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-king-hubbert/our-ignorance-is-not-so-vast-as-our-failure-to-use-what-we-know/) [M. King Hubbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-king-hubbert/) > [Freedom is not of use to those who do not know how to employ it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-plath/freedom-is-not-of-use-to-those-who-do-not-know-how-to-employ-it/) [Sylvia Plath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-plath/) ## More by I. J. Good > [When discussing complex systems like brains and other societies, it is easy to oversimplify: I call this Occam's lobotomy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i-j-good/when-discussing-complex-systems-like-brains-and-other-societies-it-is/) [I. J. Good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/i-j-good/) > [There may be occasions when it is best to behave irrationally, but whether there are should be decided rationally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i-j-good/there-may-be-occasions-when-it-is-best-to-behave-irrationally-but/) [I. J. Good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/i-j-good/) > [Let an ultraintelligent machine be defined as a machine that can far surpass all the intellectual activities of any man however clever. Since the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i-j-good/let-an-ultraintelligent-machine-be-defined-as-a-machine-that-can-far/) [I. J. Good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/i-j-good/) > [The subjectivist states his judgements, whereas the objectivist sweeps them under the carpet by calling assumptions knowledge, and he basks in the glorious objectivity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i-j-good/the-subjectivist-states-his-judgements-whereas-the-objectivist-sweeps/) [I. J. Good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/i-j-good/) [Explore all 5 I. J. Good quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/i-j-good/) ## 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. 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(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": "The older we become, the more important it is to use what we know rather than learn more.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "I. 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