---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Every student who enters upon a…"
description: "\"Every student who enters upon a scientific pursuit, especially if at a somewhat advanced period of life, will find not only that he has much to learn, ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/101/john-herschel-18983_education_every-student-who-enters-upon-a-scientif_2704821.png"
---

#  Every student who enters upon a scientific pursuit…

![“Every student who enters upon a scientific pursuit, especially if at a somewhat advanced period of life, will find not only that he has much to learn, but much also to unlearn.” quote by John Herschel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/101/john-herschel-18983_education_every-student-who-enters-upon-a-scientif_2704821.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/101/john-herschel-18983_education_every-student-who-enters-upon-a-scientif_2704821.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/101/john-herschel-18983_education_every-student-who-enters-upon-a-scientif_2704821.png)

> “Every student who enters upon a scientific pursuit, especially if at a somewhat advanced period of life, will find not only that he has much to learn, but much also to unlearn.”

[John Herschel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-herschel/)

## About This Quote

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

Scientific learning requires both acquiring new knowledge and discarding outdated concepts.

**In simple terms:** Science needs learning and unlearning.

Key Takeaway

Be open to unlearning.

Themes

science education growth

Mood

curious motivated

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- research projects
- academic coursework
- career transitions

Key Concepts

epistemology cognitive flexibility

Questions to Reflect On

- What beliefs might you need to unlearn?
- How does unlearning foster innovation?

A Different Perspective

Clinging to old ideas can impede progress.

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[Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Knowledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knowledge/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Pursuit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pursuit/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Students](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/students/)

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