--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What makes you imagine ... that anything…" description: "\"What makes you imagine ... that anything of importance can be taught in a school?\" — Iris Murdoch" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b6d/iris-murdoch-993_education_what-makes-you-imagine-that-anything-of_2340930.png" --- # What makes you imagine ... that anything of importance can… ![“What makes you imagine ... that anything of importance can be taught in a school?” quote by Iris Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b6d/iris-murdoch-993_education_what-makes-you-imagine-that-anything-of_2340930.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b6d/iris-murdoch-993_education_what-makes-you-imagine-that-anything-of_2340930.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b6d/iris-murdoch-993_education_what-makes-you-imagine-that-anything-of_2340930.png) > “What makes you imagine ... that anything of importance can be taught in a school?” [Iris Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iris-murdoch/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Questioning whether true importance can be taught formally, suggesting deeper learning beyond institutions. **In simple terms:** True importance may lie outside formal schooling. Key Takeaway Cultivate learning beyond classrooms. Themes education philosophy importance Mood inquisitive thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - self‑study - mentorship - community learning Key Concepts epistemology critical thinking Questions to Reflect On - What can schools teach that they currently don’t? - How can individuals seek deeper meaning? A Different Perspective Formal education still shapes many minds. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Imagine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagine/) [Imagine Importance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagine-importance-5664697/) [Imagine that](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagine-that/) [Importance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/importance/) [Importance Taught](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/importance-taught-5374749/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [Taught](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taught/) [Taught School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taught-school-241183/) ## Related quotes > [“We are all told from the very beginning that we are important. From the moment we can first understand words and perhaps even before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-ewell/we-are-all-told-from-the-very-beginning-that-we-are-important-from/) [Katherine Ewell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-ewell/) > [Nothing of any importance can be taught. It can only be learned, and with blood and sweat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-anton-wilson/nothing-of-any-importance-can-be-taught-it-can-only-be-learned-and/) [Robert Anton Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-anton-wilson/) > [When I was in Taiwan, I was taught in school that Taiwan is part of China.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-chiu/when-i-was-in-taiwan-i-was-taught-in-school-that-taiwan-is-part-of/) [Alex Chiu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-chiu/) > [So the ethic I was taught in school resulted in the path I chose in my life following school.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-mitnick/so-the-ethic-i-was-taught-in-school-resulted-in-the-path-i-chose-in/) [Kevin Mitnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-mitnick/) > [I was taught in school that I have to look out for number one. That was against everything that I intuitively felt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-shadyac/i-was-taught-in-school-that-i-have-to-look-out-for-number-one-that/) [Tom Shadyac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-shadyac/) > [We were taught in school, and I was taught at home and in church, that blacks and whites were equal and we should not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-deyoung/we-were-taught-in-school-and-i-was-taught-at-home-and-in-church-that/) [Kevin DeYoung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-deyoung/) > [I have always respected education, which is why I actually went back secretly and taught school for eight years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-wozniak/i-have-always-respected-education-which-is-why-i-actually-went-back/) [Steve Wozniak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-wozniak/) > [To be honest, I don't think we were taught much of anything in school.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-zukerman/to-be-honest-i-don-t-think-we-were-taught-much-of-anything-in-school/) [Ashley Zukerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-zukerman/) > [What is taught in the school is not important, how much learned is helpful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yssubramanyam/what-is-taught-in-the-school-is-not-important-how-much-learned-is/) [Yssubramanyam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yssubramanyam/) > [We were taught in school that there was a fundamental difference between black people and white people - that we were superior.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-grobbelaar/we-were-taught-in-school-that-there-was-a-fundamental-difference/) [Bruce Grobbelaar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-grobbelaar/) > [Of course, we cannot expect everything to be taught at school. So much of what makes a child - their hunger and ambition, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulrika-jonsson/of-course-we-cannot-expect-everything-to-be-taught-at-school-so-much/) [Ulrika Jonsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulrika-jonsson/) > [I'm going to teach high school. History and economics. I may even coach wrestling. Hey, Indiana Jones taught school, too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-prince/i-m-going-to-teach-high-school-history-and-economics-i-may-even-coach/) [Erik Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-prince/) > [As you can see, there are quite a number of things taught in school that one has to unlearn or at least correct.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-you-can-see-there-are-quite-a-number-of-things-taught-in-school/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The art of drawing which is of more real importance to the human race than that of writing...should be taught to every child just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ruskin/the-art-of-drawing-which-is-of-more-real-importance-to-the-human-race/) [John Ruskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ruskin/) > [Over the years, I learned so much from mom. She taught me about the importance of home and history and family and tradition. She…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-stewart/over-the-years-i-learned-so-much-from-mom-she-taught-me-about-the/) [Martha Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-stewart/) ## More by Iris Murdoch > [Falling out of love is chiefly a matter of forgetting how charming someone is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-murdoch/falling-out-of-love-is-chiefly-a-matter-of-forgetting-how-charming/) [Iris Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iris-murdoch/) > [One doesn't have to get anywhere in a marriage. It's not a public conveyance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-murdoch/one-doesn-t-have-to-get-anywhere-in-a-marriage-it-s-not-a-public/) [Iris Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iris-murdoch/) > [“I think being a woman is like being Irish... Everyone says you're important and nice, but you take second place all the time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-murdoch/i-think-being-a-woman-is-like-being-irish-everyone-says-you-re/) [Iris Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iris-murdoch/) > [Art is the final cunning of the human soul which would rather do anything than face the gods.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-murdoch/art-is-the-final-cunning-of-the-human-soul-which-would-rather-do/) [Iris Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iris-murdoch/) > [The sending of a letter constitutes a magical grasp upon the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-murdoch/the-sending-of-a-letter-constitutes-a-magical-grasp-upon-the-future/) [Iris Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iris-murdoch/) > [emotions really exist at the bottom of the personality or at the top. in the middle they are acted. this is why all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-murdoch/emotions-really-exist-at-the-bottom-of-the-personality-or-at-the-top/) [Iris Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iris-murdoch/) > [I have used the word "attention," which I borrow from Simone Weil, to express the idea of a just and loving gaze directed upon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-murdoch/i-have-used-the-word-attention-which-i-borrow-from-simone-weil-to/) [Iris Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iris-murdoch/) > [Starting a novel is opening a door on a misty landscape; you can still see very little but you can smell the earth and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-murdoch/starting-a-novel-is-opening-a-door-on-a-misty-landscape-you-can-still/) [Iris Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iris-murdoch/) > [Art and morality are, with certain provisos…one. Their essence is the same. The essence of both of them is love. Love is the perception…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-murdoch/art-and-morality-are-with-certain-provisos-one-their-essence-is-the/) [Iris Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iris-murdoch/) > [being homosexual doesn't determine a man's whole character any more than being heterosexual does.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-murdoch/being-homosexual-doesn-t-determine-a-man-s-whole-character-any-more/) [Iris Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iris-murdoch/) > [All artists dream of a silence which they must enter, as some creatures return to the sea to spawn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-murdoch/all-artists-dream-of-a-silence-which-they-must-enter-as-some/) [Iris Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iris-murdoch/) > [“Oh if only I could take my mother away and never know of these things again. But it was impossible, the machine would go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-murdoch/oh-if-only-i-could-take-my-mother-away-and-never-know-of-these-things/) [Iris Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iris-murdoch/) > [We defend ourselves by descriptions and tame the world by generalizing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-murdoch/we-defend-ourselves-by-descriptions-and-tame-the-world-by-generalizing/) [Iris Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iris-murdoch/) > [“I'm sorry I was awful. I'm so full of terrors.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-murdoch/i-m-sorry-i-was-awful-i-m-so-full-of-terrors/) [Iris Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iris-murdoch/) > [I live, I live, with an absolutely continuous sense of failure. I am always defeated, always. Every book is the wreck of a perfect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-murdoch/i-live-i-live-with-an-absolutely-continuous-sense-of-failure-i-am/) [Iris Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iris-murdoch/) [Explore all 306 Iris Murdoch quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iris-murdoch/) ## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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": "What makes you imagine ... that anything of importance can be taught in a school?", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Iris Murdoch" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-murdoch/what-makes-you-imagine-that-anything-of-importance-can-be-taught-in-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Education" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-murdoch/what-makes-you-imagine-that-anything-of-importance-can-be-taught-in-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b6d/iris-murdoch-993_education_what-makes-you-imagine-that-anything-of_2340930.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b6d/iris-murdoch-993_education_what-makes-you-imagine-that-anything-of_2340930.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b6d/iris-murdoch-993_education_what-makes-you-imagine-that-anything-of_2340930.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“What makes you imagine ... that anything of importance can be taught in a school?” — Iris Murdoch", "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": "Iris Murdoch", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iris-murdoch/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "What makes you imagine ... that...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-murdoch/what-makes-you-imagine-that-anything-of-importance-can-be-taught-in-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-murdoch/what-makes-you-imagine-that-anything-of-importance-can-be-taught-in-a/#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 } } ] } ```