--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Too much of the education system orients…" description: "\"Too much of the education system orients students toward becoming better thinkers, but there is almost no focus on our capacity to pay attention and cu..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/839/jon-kabat-zinn-1327_attention_too-much-of-the-education-system-orients_2854745.png" --- # Too much of the education system orients students toward… ![“Too much of the education system orients students toward becoming better thinkers, but there is almost no focus on our capacity to pay attention and cultivate awareness.” quote by Jon Kabat-Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/839/jon-kabat-zinn-1327_attention_too-much-of-the-education-system-orients_2854745.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/839/jon-kabat-zinn-1327_attention_too-much-of-the-education-system-orients_2854745.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/839/jon-kabat-zinn-1327_attention_too-much-of-the-education-system-orients_2854745.png) > “Too much of the education system orients students toward becoming better thinkers, but there is almost no focus on our capacity to pay attention and cultivate awareness.” [Jon Kabat-Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-kabat-zinn/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Education emphasizes thinking but neglects attention and awareness training. **In simple terms:** Schools teach thinking, not focus. Key Takeaway Cultivate mindfulness. Themes education attention mindfulness Mood thoughtful calm Type educational reflective When to use this quote - classroom practice - corporate training - personal development - policy making Key Concepts psychology neuroscience Questions to Reflect On - How can attention be taught? - What benefits arise from awareness? A Different Perspective Implementation can be resource‑intensive. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Attention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/) [Awareness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/awareness/) [Becoming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/becoming/) [Becoming better](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/becoming-better/) [Capacity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/capacity/) [Cultivate Awareness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cultivate-awareness-866323/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Education Orients](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education-orients-3818476/) [Education system](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education-system/) [Focus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/focus/) [Knowledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knowledge/) [Orients Students](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/orients-students-3818477/) [Pay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pay/) [Pay attention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pay-attention/) [Students](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/students/) [Students Better](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/students-better-486338/) [Thinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinker/) [Thinkers Focus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinkers-focus-3818475/) [Too much](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/too-much/) ## Related quotes > [There are certain ways in which I cultivate awareness, both through mindful yoga and taking care of my body and taking time to actually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-kabat-zinn/there-are-certain-ways-in-which-i-cultivate-awareness-both-through/) [Jon Kabat-Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-kabat-zinn/) > [Where do you need to think for yourself? When we begin to cultivate awareness of our thoughts and emotions, we begin to see just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-keightley/where-do-you-need-to-think-for-yourself-when-we-begin-to-cultivate/) [Alan Keightley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-keightley/) > [“We want to have instant results in life, but we need to cultivate our awareness that leads us to it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-mininni/we-want-to-have-instant-results-in-life-but-we-need-to-cultivate-our/) [Lisa Mininni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-mininni/) > [“Cultivate an awareness that each minute you tick off sitting is doing damage to your body and to your running.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-starrett/cultivate-an-awareness-that-each-minute-you-tick-off-sitting-is-doing/) [Kelly Starrett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-starrett/) > [Learning to cultivate an awareness of the known and unknown within one's being often leads to a healthier and more realistic sense of self.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aberjhani/learning-to-cultivate-an-awareness-of-the-known-and-unknown-within/) [Aberjhani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aberjhani/) > [Generosity helps us cultivate awareness of things that really matter. Opportunities that make a real difference in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-stanley/generosity-helps-us-cultivate-awareness-of-things-that-really-matter/) [Andy Stanley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-stanley/) > [Teachers make a difference, and we would serve our students better by focusing on attracting and retaining the quality teachers by raising teacher pay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeb-bush/teachers-make-a-difference-and-we-would-serve-our-students-better-by/) [Jeb Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeb-bush/) > [Increasing the diversity of what we teach is critical to providing students with a better understanding of who we are as a society and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ned-lamont/increasing-the-diversity-of-what-we-teach-is-critical-to-providing/) [Ned Lamont](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ned-lamont/) > [We, as Yale students, pride ourselves on being bright, curious and engaged citizens. We are part of an institution that aims to educate its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-schlossberg/we-as-yale-students-pride-ourselves-on-being-bright-curious-and/) [Jack Schlossberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-schlossberg/) > [Real education should consist of drawing the goodness and the best out of our own students. What better books can there be than the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesar-chavez/real-education-should-consist-of-drawing-the-goodness-and-the-best/) [Cesar Chavez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesar-chavez/) > [At DonorsChoose.org, we believe that classroom teachers often know their students better than anybody else in the system and that their front-line experience gives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-best/at-donorschoose-org-we-believe-that-classroom-teachers-often-know/) [Charles Best](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-best/) > [I place a lot of emphasis on process and revision because I believe that all of my students can become better writers through hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cate-marvin/i-place-a-lot-of-emphasis-on-process-and-revision-because-i-believe/) [Cate Marvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-marvin/) > [“bright and ambitious young people to discuss concepts such as leadership and success. As students with better-than–4.0 grade point averages and near-perfect SAT scores,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-asghar/bright-and-ambitious-young-people-to-discuss-concepts-such-as/) [Rob Asghar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-asghar/) > [“What if our schools could train students to be better lifelong learners and better adapters to change, by enabling them to be better questioners?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-berger/what-if-our-schools-could-train-students-to-be-better-lifelong/) [Warren Berger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-berger/) > [More students have a better knowledge of pop culture than of the Constitution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bowen/more-students-have-a-better-knowledge-of-pop-culture-than-of-the/) [Charles Bowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bowen/) ## More by Jon Kabat-Zinn > [Karma is often wrongly confused with the notion of a fixed destiny. It is more like an accumulation of tendencies that can lock us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-kabat-zinn/karma-is-often-wrongly-confused-with-the-notion-of-a-fixed-destiny-it/) [Jon Kabat-Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-kabat-zinn/) > [Living in a chronic state of unawareness can cause us to miss much of what is most beautiful and meaningful in our lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-kabat-zinn/living-in-a-chronic-state-of-unawareness-can-cause-us-to-miss-much-of/) [Jon Kabat-Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-kabat-zinn/) > [Mindfulness means moment-to-moment, non-judgmental awareness. It is cultivated by refining our capacity to pay attention, intentionally, in the present moment, and then sustaining that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-kabat-zinn/mindfulness-means-moment-to-moment-non-judgmental-awareness-it-is/) [Jon Kabat-Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-kabat-zinn/) > [Paying attention and awareness are universal capacities of human beings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-kabat-zinn/paying-attention-and-awareness-are-universal-capacities-of-human/) [Jon Kabat-Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-kabat-zinn/) > [“One practical way to do this is to look at other people and ask yourself if you are really seeing them or just your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-kabat-zinn/one-practical-way-to-do-this-is-to-look-at-other-people-and-ask/) [Jon Kabat-Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-kabat-zinn/) > [I thought it was a stroke of genius that Hans Selye used the word stress, because it's true that if you don't know how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-kabat-zinn/i-thought-it-was-a-stroke-of-genius-that-hans-selye-used-the-word/) [Jon Kabat-Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-kabat-zinn/) > [“dwell in stillness and to observe without reacting and without judging.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-kabat-zinn/dwell-in-stillness-and-to-observe-without-reacting-and-without-judging/) [Jon Kabat-Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-kabat-zinn/) > [Generosity is another quality which, like patience, letting go, non-judging, and trust, provides a solid foundation for mindfulness practice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-kabat-zinn/generosity-is-another-quality-which-like-patience-letting-go-non/) [Jon Kabat-Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-kabat-zinn/) > [The little things? The little moments? They aren't little.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-kabat-zinn/the-little-things-the-little-moments-they-aren-t-little/) [Jon Kabat-Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-kabat-zinn/) > [Arriving someplace more desirable at some future time is an illusion. This is it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-kabat-zinn/arriving-someplace-more-desirable-at-some-future-time-is-an-illusion/) [Jon Kabat-Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-kabat-zinn/) > [“Give yourself permission to allow this moment to be exactly as it is, and allow yourself to be exactly as you are.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-kabat-zinn/give-yourself-permission-to-allow-this-moment-to-be-exactly-as-it-is/) [Jon Kabat-Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-kabat-zinn/) > [Generosity is another quality which, like patience, letting go, non-judging, and trust, provides a solid foundation for mindfulness practice. You might experiment with using…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-kabat-zinn/generosity-is-another-quality-which-like-patience-letting-go-non-2/) [Jon Kabat-Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-kabat-zinn/) > [Science gave me a cosmic religious feeling, and I would get the same feeling when I was dragged to the Met and the Museum…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-kabat-zinn/science-gave-me-a-cosmic-religious-feeling-and-i-would-get-the-same/) [Jon Kabat-Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-kabat-zinn/) > [Look at other people and ask yourself if you are really seeing them or just your thoughts about them… Without knowing it, we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-kabat-zinn/look-at-other-people-and-ask-yourself-if-you-are-really-seeing-them/) [Jon Kabat-Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-kabat-zinn/) > [“In fact, even if distraction does alleviate your pain or help to cope with it some of the time, bringing mindfulness to it can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-kabat-zinn/in-fact-even-if-distraction-does-alleviate-your-pain-or-help-to-cope/) [Jon Kabat-Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-kabat-zinn/) [Explore all 252 Jon Kabat-Zinn quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-kabat-zinn/) ## More Attention quotes > [It appears to me that one great cause of our difference in opinion on subjects which we often discuss is that you have always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ricardo/it-appears-to-me-that-one-great-cause-of-our-difference-in-opinion-on/) [David Ricardo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ricardo/) > [People pay far too much attention to the television and they're quite literal in some ways. At the beginning, when I was playing very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ardal-o-hanlon/people-pay-far-too-much-attention-to-the-television-and-they-re-quite/) [Ardal O'Hanlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ardal-o-hanlon/) > [Television, radio, social media. The 24/7 news cycle plows forward mercilessly on our desks, in our cars and in our pockets. Thousands and thousands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-prince/television-radio-social-media-the-24-7-news-cycle-plows-forward/) [Joseph Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-prince/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Our inventions are wont to be pretty toys, which distract our attention from serious things. They are but improved means to an unimproved end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/our-inventions-are-wont-to-be-pretty-toys-which-distract-our/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [What people don't normally know about us is the hustle is very real, and it's sorely driven a lot by how we consider ourselves.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lzzy-hale/what-people-don-t-normally-know-about-us-is-the-hustle-is-very-real/) [Lzzy Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lzzy-hale/) > [For me, the term "psychotherapy" is limiting. It implies that we work with mind and emotions, but excludes the body and pays scant attention…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jed-diamond/for-me-the-term-psychotherapy-is-limiting-it-implies-that-we-work/) [Jed Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jed-diamond/) > [When you approach something to photograph it, first be still with yourself until the object of your attention affirms your presence. Then don't leave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/minor-white/when-you-approach-something-to-photograph-it-first-be-still-with/) [Minor White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/minor-white/) > [I'm writing about real things. Real people. Real characters. You have to believe what I write about is true or you wouldn't pay any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-reed/i-m-writing-about-real-things-real-people-real-characters-you-have-to/) [Lou Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-reed/) > [ I went to a mosque in Philadelphia with \[my wife\] in December 24, 1999. 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Thanksgiving will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-murray/let-us-thank-god-heartily-as-often-as-we-pray-that-we-have-his-spirit/) [Andy Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-murray/) > [Enlightened people live in very charged states of attention, with a tremendous power circuiting through them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/enlightened-people-live-in-very-charged-states-of-attention-with-a/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [We must have a welfare system that we can afford, which will mean giving greater attention to directing the welfare program toward its primary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-portillo/we-must-have-a-welfare-system-that-we-can-afford-which-will-mean/) [Michael Portillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-portillo/) > [The director's job should give you a sense of music without drawing attention to itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hackford/the-director-s-job-should-give-you-a-sense-of-music-without-drawing/) [Taylor Hackford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hackford/) [Browse all 10,153 Attention quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Too much of the education system orients students toward becoming better thinkers, but there is almost no focus on our capacity to pay attention and cultivate awareness.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jon Kabat-Zinn" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-kabat-zinn/too-much-of-the-education-system-orients-students-toward-becoming/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Attention" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-kabat-zinn/too-much-of-the-education-system-orients-students-toward-becoming/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/839/jon-kabat-zinn-1327_attention_too-much-of-the-education-system-orients_2854745.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/839/jon-kabat-zinn-1327_attention_too-much-of-the-education-system-orients_2854745.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/839/jon-kabat-zinn-1327_attention_too-much-of-the-education-system-orients_2854745.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Too much of the education system orients students toward becoming better thinkers, but there is almost no…” — Jon Kabat-Zinn", "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": "Jon Kabat-Zinn", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-kabat-zinn/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Too much of the education system...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-kabat-zinn/too-much-of-the-education-system-orients-students-toward-becoming/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-kabat-zinn/too-much-of-the-education-system-orients-students-toward-becoming/#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 } } ] } ```