--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Public education does not exist for the…" description: "\"“Public education does not exist for the benefit of students or the benefit of their parents. It exists for the benefit of the social order. We have di..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ea/john-green-12_education_public-education-does-not-exist-for-the_1870861.jpg" --- # Public education does not exist for the benefit of… ![“Public education does not exist for the benefit of students or the benefit of their parents. It exists for the benefit of the social order. We have discovered as a species that it is useful to have an educated population. You do not need to be a student or have a child who is a student to benefit…” quote by John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ea/john-green-12_education_public-education-does-not-exist-for-the_1870861.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ea/john-green-12_education_public-education-does-not-exist-for-the_1870861.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ea/john-green-12_education_public-education-does-not-exist-for-the_1870861.jpg) > ““Public education does not exist for the benefit of students or the benefit of their parents. It exists for the benefit of the social order. We have discovered as a species that it is useful to have an educated population. You do not need to be a student or have a child who is a student to benefit from public education. Every second of every day of your life, you benefit from public education. So let me explain why I like to pay taxes for schools, even though I don't personally have a kid in school: It's because I don't like living in a country with a bunch of stupid people.”” [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Education benefits society as a whole, not just individual families; taxes fund collective knowledge. **In simple terms:** Public schools serve everyone, not just parents or students. Key Takeaway Support public education for societal health. Themes education taxes societal benefit collective good Mood inspirational concerned Type political motivational When to use this quote - voting - advocacy - community involvement Key Concepts public policy social cohesion Questions to Reflect On - What personal actions can improve public education? - How does education shape civic life? A Different Perspective May ignore individual school quality variations. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Day Of Your Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/day-of-your-life/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Public education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/public-education/) [Social justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social-justice/) [Social order](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social-order/) [Stupid people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stupid-people/) ## Related quotes > [“From the day they were born, my children entered a rich, thriving environment with various outlooks to color the way they see and appreciate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janelle-brown/from-the-day-they-were-born-my-children-entered-a-rich-thriving/) [Janelle Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janelle-brown/) > [I had the benefit of parents who believed deeply in my ability. And they were teenagers when they had me - they were teenagers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunny-hostin/i-had-the-benefit-of-parents-who-believed-deeply-in-my-ability-and/) [Sunny Hostin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunny-hostin/) > [People think I have the benefit of a public school education. 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This moment represents eternity. It is the moment when you return to love by deciding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-angel-ruiz/today-is-the-most-wonderful-day-of-your-life-this-moment-represents/) [Miguel Angel Ruiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-angel-ruiz/) > [“Today is the last day of your life up to this point.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-fink/today-is-the-last-day-of-your-life-up-to-this-point/) [Joseph Fink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-fink/) > [May you live every day of your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/may-you-live-every-day-of-your-life/) [Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/) > [“When you have a relationship with Jesus, you learn to expect something different everyday of your life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mlungisi-simelane/when-you-have-a-relationship-with-jesus-you-learn-to-expect-something/) [Mlungisi Simelane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mlungisi-simelane/) ## More by John Green > [Issac:"I dislike living in a world without Augustus Waters." Computer: "I don't understand-" Issac: "Me neither. Pause](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/issac-i-dislike-living-in-a-world-without-augustus-waters-computer-i/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“I just want to stay away from people and read books and think”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-just-want-to-stay-away-from-people-and-read-books-and-think/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [She smiled with all the delight of a kid on Christmas morning and said, "Y'all smoke to enjoy it. I smoke to die." -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/she-smiled-with-all-the-delight-of-a-kid-on-christmas-morning-and/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [A Margo for each of us--and each more mirror than window.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/a-margo-for-each-of-us-and-each-more-mirror-than-window/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“No one ever says good-bye unless they want to see you again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/no-one-ever-says-good-bye-unless-they-want-to-see-you-again/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Neither novels or their readers benefit from any attempts to divine whether any facts hide inside a story. 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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": "“Public education does not exist for the benefit of students or the benefit of their parents. 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