Aim Quote by John Mortimer
““The main aim of education should be to send children out into the world with a reasonably sized anthology in their heads so that, while seated on the lavatory, waiting in doctor's surgeries, on stationary trains or watching interviews with politicians, they have something interesting to think about.””
About This Quote
Source Book: Rumpole of the Bailey, 1978
Education should equip people with a broad base of knowledge to draw upon in everyday moments.
In simple terms: Teach broad knowledge for everyday conversation.
Key Takeaway
Cultivate a wide, mental anthology.
Themes
education
knowledge
conversation
curiosity
Mood
thoughtful
inquisitive
Type
advice
philosophical
When to use this quote
- waiting rooms
- travel
- political interviews
- casual chats
Key Concepts
humanities
generalist thinking
cultural literacy
Questions to Reflect On
- What topics would you include in your mental anthology?
- How can you balance depth and breadth?
A Different Perspective
May overload with irrelevant facts.
![“The main aim of the [political] dialogue should be to resolve the problems of the nation, not to find who is the winner and who is the loser. That's not what it's all about. It's to try and find an answer that is acceptable to all parties concerned, which would of course require some give and take.” quote by Aung San Suu Kyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/d18/aung-san-suu-kyi-922_acceptable_the-main-aim-of-the-political-dialogue-s_809566.jpg)
![“Take sex, for instance.' 'What do you want me to do with it?' 'Try to be serious for a moment. Take the sex life of our father.' [...] Even after a couple of brandies he felt extremely reluctant to discuss sex and his father. 'It's something I'd rather not think about,' he said. 'We all come into…” quote by John Mortimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/280/john-mortimer-7362_conception_take-sex-for-instance-what-do-you-want-m_4946.jpg)
![“He [an earnest young reporter] seemed to share the view of many intelligent, well-educated, well-meaning people that, while adult literature may aim to be art, the object of children's books is to whip the little rascals into shape.” quote by Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/2cf/katherine-paterson-2365_adults_he-an-earnest-young-reporter-seemed-to-s_6101.jpg)
![“I really enjoyed it - being involved in watching rushes and playback [in "The Invisible Woman"]. Ralph [Fiennes] was very open to my input, I think knowing that he couldn't always be there 100 percent, that he had dual aims with directing and acting.” quote by Felicity Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/56e/felicity-jones-2070_acting_i-really-enjoyed-it-being-involved-in-wa_11933.jpg)
