--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The point is to wake up, not to earn a…" description: "\"“The point is to wake up, not to earn a Ph.D. In waking up.”\" — Jed McKenna" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b5/jed-mckenna-15841_awaken_the-point-is-to-wake-up-not-to-earn-a-ph_568961.jpg" --- # The point is to wake up, not to earn a Ph.D. In waking up. ![“The point is to wake up, not to earn a Ph.D. In waking up.” quote by Jed McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b5/jed-mckenna-15841_awaken_the-point-is-to-wake-up-not-to-earn-a-ph_568961.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b5/jed-mckenna-15841_awaken_the-point-is-to-wake-up-not-to-earn-a-ph_568961.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b5/jed-mckenna-15841_awaken_the-point-is-to-wake-up-not-to-earn-a-ph_568961.jpg) > ““The point is to wake up, not to earn a Ph.D. In waking up.”” [Jed McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jed-mckenna/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. True awakening is about consciousness, not academic achievement; it’s a shift in perception. **In simple terms:** Awakening is consciousness, not a degree. Key Takeaway Focus on inner awareness. Themes awakening consciousness self‑realization Mood thoughtful philosophical Type spiritual reflective When to use this quote - meditation - learning - career change - personal growth Key Concepts Non‑dual awareness spiritual insight Questions to Reflect On - What does “wake up” mean for you? - How do you balance learning and awakening? A Different Perspective Intellectual pursuits can still be valuable. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [“When I awaken in the morning, I Thank God, not for my life, but for yours, because without you, I could not exsist”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-ferreira/when-i-awaken-in-the-morning-i-thank-god-not-for-my-life-but-for/) [Rick Ferreira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-ferreira/) > [“Do you want to awaken? To stop being a false, artificial, self-benighted being? Then developing and sharpening this sense—the ability to detect fear and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jed-mckenna/do-you-want-to-awaken-to-stop-being-a-false-artificial-self-benighted/) [Jed McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jed-mckenna/) > [“Wake up first. 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This moment is the exact place to practice compassion and loving awareness. 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Enlightenment means getting out of the dream altogether.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jed-mckenna/suffering-just-means-you-re-having-a-bad-dream-happiness-means-you-re/) [Jed McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jed-mckenna/) > [“There’s nothing left to contend against and nothing left that must be done, and there will never be anything that must be done ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jed-mckenna/there-s-nothing-left-to-contend-against-and-nothing-left-that-must-be/) [Jed McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jed-mckenna/) > [“How many years have I spent lighting incense and candles? Meditating? Chasing after gurus and teachers, reading all that crap, following every stupid new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jed-mckenna/how-many-years-have-i-spent-lighting-incense-and-candles-meditating/) [Jed McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jed-mckenna/) > [“Once you start seeing this place for the madhouse it is, you can’t stop seeing it that way. 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Those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jed-mckenna/your-natural-state-has-no-relationship-whatsoever-with-the-religious/) [Jed McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jed-mckenna/) [Explore all 41 Jed McKenna quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jed-mckenna/) ## More Awaken quotes > [“It is not so much about fighting against the ego; it is more about harmonizing with it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-sara/it-is-not-so-much-about-fighting-against-the-ego-it-is-more-about/) [Grace Sara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-sara/) > [When we dead awaken ... we see that we have never lived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henrik-ibsen/when-we-dead-awaken-we-see-that-we-have-never-lived/) [Henrik Ibsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henrik-ibsen/) > [Wherever you are is the perfect place to awaken. This moment is the exact place to practice compassion and loving awareness. You have all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kornfield/wherever-you-are-is-the-perfect-place-to-awaken-this-moment-is-the/) [Jack Kornfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kornfield/) > [“You have to learn where your weaknesses end and your strengths starts or you will spend your life focusing on all that falls apart.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-rowe/you-have-to-learn-where-your-weaknesses-end-and-your-strengths-starts/) [Nikki rowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-rowe/) > [“Some days I like to wander to old and warn our places, forests ripped apart by man and streams that carry stagnant water where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-rowe/some-days-i-like-to-wander-to-old-and-warn-our-places-forests-ripped/) [Nikki Rowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-rowe/) > [“I write to awaken.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becca-menon/i-write-to-awaken/) Becca Menon > [“Once you have woken up from your slumber, help lots more others to be awaken, that is the duty you are here to play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anikor-daniel/once-you-have-woken-up-from-your-slumber-help-lots-more-others-to-be/) [ANIKOR Daniel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anikor-daniel/) > [“Death is the final sleep that you never awaken from.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/death-is-the-final-sleep-that-you-never-awaken-from/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [Many spiritual seekers who say their wish is to awaken don't actually want what they believe they do. This becomes clear sometimes at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-frazier/many-spiritual-seekers-who-say-their-wish-is-to-awaken-don-t-actually/) [Jan Frazier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-frazier/) > [Unless you awaken to your own truth, You will continue to live a lie, A life led by the thoughts and demands of others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/unless-you-awaken-to-your-own-truth-you-will-continue-to-live-a-lie-a/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [How do we awaken to this true Self? By going within and putting our attention on the silent presence in our heart - the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/how-do-we-awaken-to-this-true-self-by-going-within-and-putting-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [When all the Self was conquered and dead, when all passions and desires were silent, then the last must awaken, the innermost of Being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/when-all-the-self-was-conquered-and-dead-when-all-passions-and/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [“If you take society’s definition of knowing oneself, you will become lost in the many translations.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-sara/if-you-take-society-s-definition-of-knowing-oneself-you-will-become/) [Grace Sara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-sara/) > [“Everything is simplicity there is nothing to do. There is no place to go. There is no thing to become. You are that, just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-adams/everything-is-simplicity-there-is-nothing-to-do-there-is-no-place-to/) [Robert Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-adams/) > [Trust your Heart. Value its intuition. Choose to let go of fear, and to open to the true and you will awaken to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mooji/trust-your-heart-value-its-intuition-choose-to-let-go-of-fear-and-to/) [Mooji](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mooji/) Browse all 334 Awaken quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The point is to wake up, not to earn a Ph.D. In waking up.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jed McKenna" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jed-mckenna/the-point-is-to-wake-up-not-to-earn-a-ph-d-in-waking-up/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Awaken" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jed-mckenna/the-point-is-to-wake-up-not-to-earn-a-ph-d-in-waking-up/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b5/jed-mckenna-15841_awaken_the-point-is-to-wake-up-not-to-earn-a-ph_568961.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b5/jed-mckenna-15841_awaken_the-point-is-to-wake-up-not-to-earn-a-ph_568961.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b5/jed-mckenna-15841_awaken_the-point-is-to-wake-up-not-to-earn-a-ph_568961.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The point is to wake up, not to earn a Ph.D. In waking up.” — Jed McKenna", "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": "Jed McKenna", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jed-mckenna/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The point is to wake up,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jed-mckenna/the-point-is-to-wake-up-not-to-earn-a-ph-d-in-waking-up/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jed-mckenna/the-point-is-to-wake-up-not-to-earn-a-ph-d-in-waking-up/#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 } } ] } ```