---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Education is what most receive, many pass…"
description: "\"Education is what most receive, many pass on, and few possess.\" — Karl Kraus"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/817/karl-kraus-1128_education_education-is-what-most-receive-many-pass_3027180.png"
---

#  Education is what most receive, many pass on, and few…

![“Education is what most receive, many pass on, and few possess.” quote by Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/817/karl-kraus-1128_education_education-is-what-most-receive-many-pass_3027180.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/817/karl-kraus-1128_education_education-is-what-most-receive-many-pass_3027180.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/817/karl-kraus-1128_education_education-is-what-most-receive-many-pass_3027180.png)

> “Education is what most receive, many pass on, and few possess.”

[Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/)

## About This Quote

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

Education is widely given, often taught, yet truly understood by few.

**In simple terms:** Few truly understand education.

Key Takeaway

Seek deeper learning, not just receipt.

Themes

education knowledge inequality

Mood

reflective critical

Type

philosophical observational

When to use this quote

- schools
- parenting
- self‑study
- policy debates

Key Concepts

Pedagogy critical thinking access

Questions to Reflect On

- How can we make education more than mere transmission?
- What does it mean to truly possess knowledge?

A Different Perspective

Many lack resources to truly possess knowledge.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Education Receive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education-receive-4928162/) [Pass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pass/) [Pass Possess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pass-possess-4928163/) [Possess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/possess/) [Receive Pass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/receive-pass-3049173/)

## Related quotes

> [No child's dream should be limited by the quality, or lack thereof, of the education they receive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-devos/no-child-s-dream-should-be-limited-by-the-quality-or-lack-thereof-of/)

[Betsy DeVos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-devos/)

> [You have to be able to analyse things well. Before I receive a pass, I always look to see what options I have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joao-moutinho/you-have-to-be-able-to-analyse-things-well-before-i-receive-a-pass-i/)

[Joao Moutinho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joao-moutinho/)

> [“the ball, and where your safe space will be. Finally, before you receive the ball, you should know what you are going to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-latham/the-ball-and-where-your-safe-space-will-be-finally-before-you-receive/)

[Andrew Latham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-latham/)

> [“In future they must place themselves more cleverly to receive the pass, and to start pressuring their opponents more quickly.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guillem-balague/in-future-they-must-place-themselves-more-cleverly-to-receive-the/)

[Guillem Balague](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guillem-balague/)

> [When we consider the fact that nearly three-quarters of the surface of the globe is covered by oceanic water, we begin to realise that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-v-raman/when-we-consider-the-fact-that-nearly-three-quarters-of-the-surface/)

[C. V. Raman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-v-raman/)

> [To possess another language is to possess another soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-le-carre/to-possess-another-language-is-to-possess-another-soul/)

[John le Carre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-le-carre/)

> [There is absolutely no man in the whole world who can possess one among you unless he first die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-of-assisi/there-is-absolutely-no-man-in-the-whole-world-who-can-possess-one/)

[Francis of Assisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-of-assisi/)

> [There is one quality which one must possess to win, and that is definiteness of purpose, the knowledge of what one wants, and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/there-is-one-quality-which-one-must-possess-to-win-and-that-is/)

[Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/)

> [“to possess one single thing (it is Louis now) must waver, like the light in and out of the beech leaves; and then words,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/to-possess-one-single-thing-it-is-louis-now-must-waver-like-the-light/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

> [How could this world be so unlike the world that I believed I was living in? I can't describe it. Do I not want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/how-could-this-world-be-so-unlike-the-world-that-i-believed-i-was/)

[Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/)

> [You cannot impart what you do not possess.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-g-hendricks/you-cannot-impart-what-you-do-not-possess/)

[Howard G. Hendricks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-g-hendricks/)

> [Nothing will ever please me, no matter how excellent or beneficial, if I must retain the knowledge of it to myself. . . .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/nothing-will-ever-please-me-no-matter-how-excellent-or-beneficial-if/)

[Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/)

> [“We all possess, like it or not, the people we know, and are possessed by them in turn.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-boyd/we-all-possess-like-it-or-not-the-people-we-know-and-are-possessed-by/)

[William Boyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-boyd/)

> [“All the knowledge I possess every one else can acquire, but my heart is exclusively my own.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/all-the-knowledge-i-possess-every-one-else-can-acquire-but-my-heart/)

[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

> [You can only possess beauty through understanding it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-can-only-possess-beauty-through-understanding-it/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

## More by Karl Kraus

> [You'd be surprised how hard it can often be to translate an action into an idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/you-d-be-surprised-how-hard-it-can-often-be-to-translate-an-action/)

[Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/)

> [I don't like to meddle in my private affairs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/i-don-t-like-to-meddle-in-my-private-affairs/)

[Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/)

> [A historian is not always a prophet facing backwards, but a journalist is always someone who afterwards knew everything beforehand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/a-historian-is-not-always-a-prophet-facing-backwards-but-a-journalist/)

[Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/)

> [When a man is treated like a beast, he says, 'After all, I'm human.' When he behaves like a beast, he says 'After all,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/when-a-man-is-treated-like-a-beast-he-says-after-all-i-m-human-when/)

[Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/)

> [They judge lest they be judged.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/they-judge-lest-they-be-judged/)

[Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/)

> [I and my public understand each other very well: it does not hear what I say, and I don't say what it wants to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/i-and-my-public-understand-each-other-very-well-it-does-not-hear-what/)

[Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/)

> [Satire that the censor understands is rightly censored.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/satire-that-the-censor-understands-is-rightly-censored/)

[Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/)

> [Hate must make a man productive. Otherwise one might as well love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/hate-must-make-a-man-productive-otherwise-one-might-as-well-love/)

[Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/)

> [One must read all writers twice--the good as well as the bad. The one kind will be recognized; the other, unmasked.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/one-must-read-all-writers-twice-the-good-as-well-as-the-bad-the-one/)

[Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/)

> [Children today laugh at fathers who tell them about dragons. It is necessary to make fear a required subject; otherwise children will never learn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/children-today-laugh-at-fathers-who-tell-them-about-dragons-it-is/)

[Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/)

> [The little stations are very proud because the expresses have to pass them by.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/the-little-stations-are-very-proud-because-the-expresses-have-to-pass/)

[Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/)

> [The unattractive thing about chauvinism is not so much the aversion to other nations as the love of one's own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/the-unattractive-thing-about-chauvinism-is-not-so-much-the-aversion/)

[Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/)

> [I have often been asked to be fair and view a matter from all sides. I did so, hoping that something might improve if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/i-have-often-been-asked-to-be-fair-and-view-a-matter-from-all-sides-i/)

[Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/)

> [In the theater one must sit in such a way that one sees the audience as a dark mass. Then it cannot bother one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/in-the-theater-one-must-sit-in-such-a-way-that-one-sees-the-audience/)

[Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/)

> [Many desire to kill me, and many wish to spend an hour chatting with me. The law protects me from the former.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/many-desire-to-kill-me-and-many-wish-to-spend-an-hour-chatting-with/)

[Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/)

[Explore all 275 Karl Kraus quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/)

## More Education quotes

> [I put myself in the student's place and remember the frustrations, doubts, determination, and desires I felt when I was going through the initial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-martinez/i-put-myself-in-the-student-s-place-and-remember-the-frustrations/)

[Ted Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-martinez/)

> [“In school you are taught to obey and not to think straight for your own good. Otherwise the world would be full of millionaires…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mwanandeke-kindembo/in-school-you-are-taught-to-obey-and-not-to-think-straight-for-your/)

[Mwanandeke Kindembo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mwanandeke-kindembo/)

> [For successful education there must always be a certain freshness in the knowledge dealt with. It must be either new in itself or invested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/for-successful-education-there-must-always-be-a-certain-freshness-in/)

[Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/)

> [Where I grew up, learning was a collective activity. But when I got to school and tried to share learning with other students that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/where-i-grew-up-learning-was-a-collective-activity-but-when-i-got-to/)

[Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/)

> [There's no authoritarian structure at Reed College, but the education is conservative. So what you have is a lot of students who are very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-miller/there-s-no-authoritarian-structure-at-reed-college-but-the-education/)

[Donald Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-miller/)

> [“What's the best thing about being in college? Good teachers. They inspire you, they entertain you, and you end up learning a ton even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/what-s-the-best-thing-about-being-in-college-good-teachers-they/)

[Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/)

> [“If one has not a head of steel it will burst; if he has not within it a brain of liquid quicksilver, he will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ioannes-amos-commenius/if-one-has-not-a-head-of-steel-it-will-burst-if-he-has-not-within-it/)

[Ioannes Amos Commenius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ioannes-amos-commenius/)

> [“let us not teach / what we have learned badly / and not profited by”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-d-hilda-doolittle/let-us-not-teach-what-we-have-learned-badly-and-not-profited-by/)

[H.D. (Hilda Doolittle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-d-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": "Education is what most receive, many pass on, and few possess.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Karl Kraus"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/education-is-what-most-receive-many-pass-on-and-few-possess/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Education"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/education-is-what-most-receive-many-pass-on-and-few-possess/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/817/karl-kraus-1128_education_education-is-what-most-receive-many-pass_3027180.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/817/karl-kraus-1128_education_education-is-what-most-receive-many-pass_3027180.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/817/karl-kraus-1128_education_education-is-what-most-receive-many-pass_3027180.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Education is what most receive, many pass on, and few possess.” — Karl Kraus",
                "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": "Karl Kraus",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Education is what most receive, many...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/education-is-what-most-receive-many-pass-on-and-few-possess/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/education-is-what-most-receive-many-pass-on-and-few-possess/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
