---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: True education is to learn how to think…"
description: "\"True education is to learn how to think, not what to think. If you know how to think, if you really have that capacity, then you are a free human being..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e83/jiddu-krishnamurti-249_being-free_true-education-is-to-learn-how-to-think_2732464.jpg"
---

#  True education is to learn how to think, not what to…

![“True education is to learn how to think, not what to think. If you know how to think, if you really have that capacity, then you are a free human being-free of dogmas, superstitions, ceremonies-and therefore you can find out what religion is.” quote by Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e83/jiddu-krishnamurti-249_being-free_true-education-is-to-learn-how-to-think_2732464.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e83/jiddu-krishnamurti-249_being-free_true-education-is-to-learn-how-to-think_2732464.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e83/jiddu-krishnamurti-249_being-free_true-education-is-to-learn-how-to-think_2732464.jpg)

> “True education is to learn how to think, not what to think. If you know how to think, if you really have that capacity, then you are a free human being-free of dogmas, superstitions, ceremonies-and therefore you can find out what religion is.”

[Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

True education teaches the method of thinking, not the content, enabling liberation from imposed beliefs.

**In simple terms:** Education should teach how to think, not what to think.

Key Takeaway

Learn thinking skills for true freedom.

Themes

education critical thinking freedom

Mood

thoughtful inspirational

Type

philosophical motivational

When to use this quote

- school curricula
- self‑study
- public discourse

Key Concepts

philosophy mindfulness

Questions to Reflect On

- What habits limit your thinking?
- How can you practice independent thought?

A Different Perspective

Thinking skills alone may not change entrenched habits.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Being free](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-free/) [Capacity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/capacity/) [Ceremony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ceremony/) [Dogma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dogma/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Education Learn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education-learn-1298825/) [Human beings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-beings/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Know how](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know-how/) [Know Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know-think/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Learn Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learn-think/) [Powerful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/powerful/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Superstitions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/superstitions/) [Think Really](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-really/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [True education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/true-education/)

## Related quotes

> [Learn everything u can about yourself n the world around you.Actually this is true education: to learn about yourself and to learn about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/great-buddha/learn-everything-u-can-about-yourself-n-the-world-around-you-actually/)

[Great Buddha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/great-buddha/)

> [Life must be a constant education; one must learn everything, from speaking to dying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/life-must-be-a-constant-education-one-must-learn-everything-from/)

[Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/)

> [The basis of all education is to learn by doing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-laird/the-basis-of-all-education-is-to-learn-by-doing/)

[Donald Laird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-laird/)

> [Education is what you learn in books, and nobody knows you know it but your teacher.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-cary-hudson/education-is-what-you-learn-in-books-and-nobody-knows-you-know-it-but/)

[Virginia Cary Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-cary-hudson/)

> [School is something that you learn - reading and writing. Education is what you learn from the family, from the environment, from the community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bunker-roy/school-is-something-that-you-learn-reading-and-writing-education-is/)

[Bunker Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bunker-roy/)

> [We all want to be in the classroom so we have the title STUDENT,forgetting that its not all who school pass through them rather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trishmonnie/we-all-want-to-be-in-the-classroom-so-we-have-the-title-student/)

[Trishmonnie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trishmonnie/)

> [Education is education. We should learn everything and then choose which path to follow." Education is neither Eastern nor Western, it is human.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malala-yousafzai/education-is-education-we-should-learn-everything-and-then-choose/)

[Malala Yousafzai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malala-yousafzai/)

> [“The beauty of a Jewish education is that you learn how to argue.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/the-beauty-of-a-jewish-education-is-that-you-learn-how-to-argue/)

[Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/)

> [The most important education you get is your own - the one you learn in solitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/the-most-important-education-you-get-is-your-own-the-one-you-learn-in/)

[Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/)

> [The chief object of education is not to learn things but to unlearn things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/the-chief-object-of-education-is-not-to-learn-things-but-to-unlearn/)

[Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/)

> [Education is what you learn after you leave school.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/education-is-what-you-learn-after-you-leave-school/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [There are two kinds of freedom: one is the freedom from something, which is a reaction; and the other is not a reaction, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/there-are-two-kinds-of-freedom-one-is-the-freedom-from-something/)

[Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/)

> [We should learn to think with our fingers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taisen-deshimaru/we-should-learn-to-think-with-our-fingers/)

[Taisen Deshimaru](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taisen-deshimaru/)

> [We are living in a society that is totally dependent on science and high technology, and yet most of us are effectively alienated and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-druyan/we-are-living-in-a-society-that-is-totally-dependent-on-science-and/)

[Ann Druyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-druyan/)

> [I always thought the idea of education was to learn to think for yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-williams/i-always-thought-the-idea-of-education-was-to-learn-to-think-for/)

[Robin Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-williams/)

## More by Jiddu Krishnamurti

> [A dialogue is very important. It is a form of communication in which question and answer continue till a question is left without an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/a-dialogue-is-very-important-it-is-a-form-of-communication-in-which/)

[Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/)

> [I have only one purpose: to make people free, to urge them towards freedom, to help them to break away from all limitations, for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/i-have-only-one-purpose-to-make-people-free-to-urge-them-towards/)

[Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/)

> [Its beautiful to be alone. To be alone does not mean to be lonely. it means the mind is not influenced and contaminated by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/its-beautiful-to-be-alone-to-be-alone-does-not-mean-to-be-lonely-it/)

[Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/)

> [Knowing the cause of something is not going to help you to be free of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/knowing-the-cause-of-something-is-not-going-to-help-you-to-be-free-of/)

[Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/)

> [Whatever discipline you exercise should be based on the goal your child is eventually to reach, namely, freedom and happiness. I would show him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/whatever-discipline-you-exercise-should-be-based-on-the-goal-your/)

[Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/)

> [Begin where you are. Read every word, every phrase, every paragraph of the mind, as it operates through thought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/begin-where-you-are-read-every-word-every-phrase-every-paragraph-of/)

[Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/)

> [Without discontentment, without revolt, you can never attain harmony. It is a necessary stage, which must be gone through by everyone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/without-discontentment-without-revolt-you-can-never-attain-harmony-it/)

[Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/)

> [Meditation is a state of mind which looks at everything with complete attention, totally, not just parts of it. And no one can teach…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/meditation-is-a-state-of-mind-which-looks-at-everything-with-complete/)

[Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/)

> [Learning is the very essence of humility . . .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/learning-is-the-very-essence-of-humility/)

[Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/)

> [We need tremendous energy to bring about a psychological change in ourselves as human beings, because we have lived far too long in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/we-need-tremendous-energy-to-bring-about-a-psychological-change-in/)

[Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/)

> [“Life is a movement, a constant movement in relationship; and thought, trying to capture that movement in terms of the past, as memory, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/life-is-a-movement-a-constant-movement-in-relationship-and-thought/)

[Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/)

> [“Meditation is like going to a well, the waters of which are inexhaustible, with a pitcher that is always empty. The pitcher can never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/meditation-is-like-going-to-a-well-the-waters-of-which-are/)

[Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/)

> [The observer is the observed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/the-observer-is-the-observed/)

[Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/)

> [When we stop fighting with ourselves, we aren't creating anymore conflict in our mind. Then our mind can for the first time relax and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/when-we-stop-fighting-with-ourselves-we-aren-t-creating-anymore/)

[Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/)

> [A lily or a rose never pretends, and its beauty is that it is what it is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/a-lily-or-a-rose-never-pretends-and-its-beauty-is-that-it-is-what-it/)

[Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/)

[Explore all 807 Jiddu Krishnamurti quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/)

## More Being free quotes

> [Life is too short to be lived in pain and sorrow. Be a free soul; follow your heart's desire and fill the space in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/life-is-too-short-to-be-lived-in-pain-and-sorrow-be-a-free-soul/)

[Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/)

> [Yes, I'm alone, but I'm alone and free!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elsa/yes-i-m-alone-but-i-m-alone-and-free/)

[Elsa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elsa/)

> [One of the greatest mental freedoms is truly not caring what anyone else thinks of you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/one-of-the-greatest-mental-freedoms-is-truly-not-caring-what-anyone/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [There is value in being free and spontaneous but the greatest power comes from seeing and using what results from that freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carole-katchen/there-is-value-in-being-free-and-spontaneous-but-the-greatest-power/)

[Carole Katchen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carole-katchen/)

> [Faith keeps you strong. Love keeps you whole. And Happiness keeps you alive. So don't be a downer! Be happy, be strong, be free,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/faith-keeps-you-strong-love-keeps-you-whole-and-happiness-keeps-you/)

[Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/)

> [Collective judgment of new ideas is so often wrong that it is arguable that progress depends on individuals being free to back their own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-arthur-lewis/collective-judgment-of-new-ideas-is-so-often-wrong-that-it-is/)

[W. Arthur Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-arthur-lewis/)

> [You can only be free when even the desire of seeking freedom becomes a harness to you, and when you cease to speak of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-can-only-be-free-when-even-the-desire-of-seeking-freedom-becomes/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Christianity persecuted, tortured, and burned. Like a hound it tracked the very scent of heresy. It kindled wars, and nursed furious hatreds and ambitions...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-santayana/christianity-persecuted-tortured-and-burned-like-a-hound-it-tracked/)

[George Santayana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-santayana/)

> [The moment you stop caring about what other people think of you is when you'll know what true freedom is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisette-alfaro/the-moment-you-stop-caring-about-what-other-people-think-of-you-is/)

[Lisette Alfaro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisette-alfaro/)

> [True independence means being free from the domination of your own internal automatic behaviors, not doing what you feel like when the urge strikes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-lore/true-independence-means-being-free-from-the-domination-of-your-own/)

[Nicholas Lore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-lore/)

> [I try when I'm writing to fill my head and my ears with all sorts of stuff and then let it settle and filter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-gabriel/i-try-when-i-m-writing-to-fill-my-head-and-my-ears-with-all-sorts-of/)

[Peter Gabriel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-gabriel/)

> [Feeling free inside oneself is being free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rei-kawakubo/feeling-free-inside-oneself-is-being-free/)

[Rei Kawakubo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rei-kawakubo/)

> [Turn all the lights down](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pob-bismark/turn-all-the-lights-down/)

[POB Bismark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pob-bismark/)

> [It’s about reaching that moment of pure ecstasy when a drawing just happens. Where every move you make with your hand and every thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-hewlett/it-s-about-reaching-that-moment-of-pure-ecstasy-when-a-drawing-just/)

[Jamie Hewlett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-hewlett/)

> [If you want to find happiness that will last, set yourself free from the ghosts of the past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/if-you-want-to-find-happiness-that-will-last-set-yourself-free-from/)

[Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/)

[Browse all 329 Being free quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-free/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "True education is to learn how to think, not what to think. If you know how to think, if you really have that capacity, then you are a free human being-free of dogmas, superstitions, ceremonies-and therefore you can find out what religion is.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Jiddu Krishnamurti"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/true-education-is-to-learn-how-to-think-not-what-to-think-if-you-know/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Being free"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/true-education-is-to-learn-how-to-think-not-what-to-think-if-you-know/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e83/jiddu-krishnamurti-249_being-free_true-education-is-to-learn-how-to-think_2732464.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e83/jiddu-krishnamurti-249_being-free_true-education-is-to-learn-how-to-think_2732464.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e83/jiddu-krishnamurti-249_being-free_true-education-is-to-learn-how-to-think_2732464.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“True education is to learn how to think, not what to think. If you know how to think, if you really have…” — Jiddu Krishnamurti",
                "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": "Jiddu Krishnamurti",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "True education is to learn how...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/true-education-is-to-learn-how-to-think-not-what-to-think-if-you-know/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/true-education-is-to-learn-how-to-think-not-what-to-think-if-you-know/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
