--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The university is one of various funding…" description: "\"The university is one of various funding structures by which people who want to do theoretical work stay alive, the same way that people go to grad sch..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/644/joshua-clover-34063_change-the-world_the-university-is-one-of-various-funding_2579530.jpg" --- # The university is one of various funding structures by… ![“The university is one of various funding structures by which people who want to do theoretical work stay alive, the same way that people go to grad school, not because they think it's going to change the world but because there's no patron system anymore, and they need some scaffolding of support…” quote by Joshua Clover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/644/joshua-clover-34063_change-the-world_the-university-is-one-of-various-funding_2579530.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/644/joshua-clover-34063_change-the-world_the-university-is-one-of-various-funding_2579530.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/644/joshua-clover-34063_change-the-world_the-university-is-one-of-various-funding_2579530.jpg) > “The university is one of various funding structures by which people who want to do theoretical work stay alive, the same way that people go to grad school, not because they think it's going to change the world but because there's no patron system anymore, and they need some scaffolding of support while they're trying to figure out how they can proceed in their lives. I think that's utterly legit. A lot of our better theorists and thinkers, that's what the university is for them.” [Joshua Clover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-clover/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Universities provide financial scaffolding for theoretical work, acting as a modern patronage system for scholars. **In simple terms:** Universities support scholars financially. Key Takeaway Recognize the role of institutional support. Themes education scholarship patronage Mood reflective critical Type analytical philosophical When to use this quote - research projects - graduate studies - intellectual growth Key Concepts academic funding career development Questions to Reflect On - Is this support sustainable? - How does it shape research agendas? A Different Perspective Funding may create dependence on institutions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Change the world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change-the-world/) [Changing the world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/changing-the-world/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Patron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patron/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Scaffolding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scaffolding/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [Stay Alive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stay-alive/) [Staying alive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/staying-alive/) [Support](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/support/) [Theoretical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theoretical/) [Theorists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theorists/) [Thinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinker/) [Thinkers University](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinkers-university-1765342/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying/) [University](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/university/) [University Various](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/university-various-1765341/) [Various](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/various/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [Just saw an orthodox Jewish kid do 3 pull-ups on the scaffolding. 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You give me a drawing, you give me a prop to replicate, you give me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-savage/i-m-not-a-sculptor-i-m-a-hard-edged-model-maker-you-give-me-a-drawing/) [Adam Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-savage/) > [We have all kinds of limitations as human beings. I mean we can't see the whole electromagnetic spectrum, we can't see the very small,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-silva/we-have-all-kinds-of-limitations-as-human-beings-i-mean-we-can-t-see/) [Jason Silva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-silva/) > [The architecture of our future is not only unfinished; the scaffolding has hardly gone up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-lamming/the-architecture-of-our-future-is-not-only-unfinished-the-scaffolding/) [George Lamming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-lamming/) > [The story is everything, so it always begins with a story.And research is a kind of scaffolding built underneath the story as I go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/the-story-is-everything-so-it-always-begins-with-a-story-and-research/) [Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/) > [To write music is to raise a ladder without a wall to lean it against. There is no scaffolding: the building under construction is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-honegger/to-write-music-is-to-raise-a-ladder-without-a-wall-to-lean-it-against/) [Arthur Honegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-honegger/) > [All the scholastic scaffolding falls, as a ruined edifice, before a single word: faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/all-the-scholastic-scaffolding-falls-as-a-ruined-edifice-before-a/) [Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/) > [The reason for the scaffolding on the tower of Saint Germain-des-Près is that a rich American has purchased it and is having it crated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-otis-skinner/the-reason-for-the-scaffolding-on-the-tower-of-saint-germain-des-pr-s/) [Cornelia Otis Skinner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-otis-skinner/) > [Your thoughts construct patterns like scaffolding in your mind. You are really etching chemical patterns. In most cases, people get stuck in those patterns,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/your-thoughts-construct-patterns-like-scaffolding-in-your-mind-you/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [I don't really like the gym. I like to fool my body. I run around the beach and then there's scaffolding so I can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kellan-lutz/i-don-t-really-like-the-gym-i-like-to-fool-my-body-i-run-around-the/) [Kellan Lutz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kellan-lutz/) > [Hypotheses are the scaffolds which are erected in front of a building and removedd when the building is completed. They are indispensable to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/hypotheses-are-the-scaffolds-which-are-erected-in-front-of-a-building/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [A simile is just a metaphor with the scaffolding still up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-geary/a-simile-is-just-a-metaphor-with-the-scaffolding-still-up/) [James Geary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-geary/) > [I was 18 and making 150 quid a week, which was a lot of money to me. Then there was a bad winter and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-sives/i-was-18-and-making-150-quid-a-week-which-was-a-lot-of-money-to-me/) [Jamie Sives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-sives/) ## More by Joshua Clover > [I don't want to overvalue Donald Trump as some historical rupture, and to admit that I do think Trump is an indication of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-clover/i-don-t-want-to-overvalue-donald-trump-as-some-historical-rupture-and/) [Joshua Clover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-clover/) > [Over the last few decades, I've grown more skeptical about a few things in which I used to have more faith. I believe as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-clover/over-the-last-few-decades-i-ve-grown-more-skeptical-about-a-few/) [Joshua Clover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-clover/) > [People who oppose violence often defend strikes, forgetting that strikes are historically every bit as violent as riots. They recast history so that strikes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-clover/people-who-oppose-violence-often-defend-strikes-forgetting-that/) [Joshua Clover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-clover/) > [There are places in the world where it's easier than in the US to be a person who produces theory and not require the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-clover/there-are-places-in-the-world-where-it-s-easier-than-in-the-us-to-be/) [Joshua Clover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-clover/) > [For a long time, early industrializing countries were absorptive. They were endlessly able to absorb new labor inputs to keep expanding. This was both…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-clover/for-a-long-time-early-industrializing-countries-were-absorptive-they/) [Joshua Clover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-clover/) > [My point is that the alienation of theory and practice, intellectual and manual labor, is a real issue, but it's the outcome of social…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-clover/my-point-is-that-the-alienation-of-theory-and-practice-intellectual/) [Joshua Clover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-clover/) > [When people are in a workplace where it's possible to organize and engage in labor actions, that's how they fight, and it can be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-clover/when-people-are-in-a-workplace-where-it-s-possible-to-organize-and/) [Joshua Clover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-clover/) > [I don't want to be hubristic about art's possibilities. I don't think that art has a causal relationship to revolution. I do think it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-clover/i-don-t-want-to-be-hubristic-about-art-s-possibilities-i-don-t-think/) [Joshua Clover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-clover/) > [The most important quote about poetry and politics that I know is from a different situationist, Guy Debord. He was locked in a debate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-clover/the-most-important-quote-about-poetry-and-politics-that-i-know-is/) [Joshua Clover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-clover/) > [People often say, "Riots aren't revolutions." That's true. The vast majority of riots never become revolutionary. On the other hand, show me the revolution…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-clover/people-often-say-riots-aren-t-revolutions-that-s-true-the-vast/) [Joshua Clover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-clover/) > [Even as I've become more reticent about the political possibilities of the academic space, I want to note that students have played significant roles…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-clover/even-as-i-ve-become-more-reticent-about-the-political-possibilities/) [Joshua Clover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-clover/) > [People do make considered choices about whether they want to fight, and how, and they do so from disparate circumstances. But I think there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-clover/people-do-make-considered-choices-about-whether-they-want-to-fight/) [Joshua Clover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-clover/) > [I'm trying to mediate between individual agency and structural determination. I accept that people make individual choices, quite thoughtful, quite careful, quite difficult choices,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-clover/i-m-trying-to-mediate-between-individual-agency-and-structural/) [Joshua Clover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-clover/) [Explore all 14 Joshua Clover quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-clover/) ## More Change the world quotes > [If you learn something that changes you, you've made progress. If you learn something that changes others, you've helped change the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lanie-lane/if-you-learn-something-that-changes-you-you-ve-made-progress-if-you/) [Lanie Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lanie-lane/) > [If you wanted to put the world to rights, who should you begin with: yourself or others?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/if-you-wanted-to-put-the-world-to-rights-who-should-you-begin-with/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [Paul Gray - he believed in my art, and I believed in his music. Together, we decided to change the world, and that's what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-crahan/paul-gray-he-believed-in-my-art-and-i-believed-in-his-music-together/) [Shawn Crahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-crahan/) > [If I wanted to change the world, the last thing I would do is write a play.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/if-i-wanted-to-change-the-world-the-last-thing-i-would-do-is-write-a/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [Some women are meant to change the world, while others are meant to hold it together. And then there are those of us who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/some-women-are-meant-to-change-the-world-while-others-are-meant-to/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [Curiously, the righteous Pharisees had little historical impact, save for a brief time in a remote corner of the Roman Empire. But Jesus' disciples…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/curiously-the-righteous-pharisees-had-little-historical-impact-save/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [“if i am not in the world simply to adapt to it, but rather transform it, and if it is not possible to change…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-freire/if-i-am-not-in-the-world-simply-to-adapt-to-it-but-rather-transform/) [Paulo Freire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-freire/) > [I don't like lyrics to be overbearing. I like them to say something. But I'm not trying to change the world overnight. Something simple…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-rodgers/i-don-t-like-lyrics-to-be-overbearing-i-like-them-to-say-something/) [Paul Rodgers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-rodgers/) > [Larry Kramer wisely realized so early on that to change the world, people have to know you. If they know you and see that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-murphy/larry-kramer-wisely-realized-so-early-on-that-to-change-the-world/) [Ryan Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-murphy/) > [“It takes a female to have a baby, It takes a woman to raise a child, It takes a mother to raise them correctly,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/it-takes-a-female-to-have-a-baby-it-takes-a-woman-to-raise-a-child-it/) [Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) > [Don't underestimate the power of your vision to change the world. Whether that world is your office, your community, an industry or a global…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leroy-hood/don-t-underestimate-the-power-of-your-vision-to-change-the-world/) [Leroy Hood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leroy-hood/) > [“I've been waiting for you a long time, Alina" He said. 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What if it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/live-each-day-as-if-it-s-our-last-that-was-the-conventional-advice/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) [Browse all 2,043 Change the world quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change-the-world/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The university is one of various funding structures by which people who want to do theoretical work stay alive, the same way that people go to grad school, not because they think it's going to change the world but because there's no patron system anymore, and they need some scaffolding of support while they're trying to figure out how they can proceed in their lives. I think that's utterly legit. 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