--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In a normal education everything is…" description: "\"In a normal education everything is designed to suppress spontaneity, but I wanted to develop it.\" — Keith Johnstone" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb3/keith-johnstone-13430_education_in-a-normal-education-everything-is-desi_1717904.png" --- # In a normal education everything is designed to suppress… ![“In a normal education everything is designed to suppress spontaneity, but I wanted to develop it.” quote by Keith Johnstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb3/keith-johnstone-13430_education_in-a-normal-education-everything-is-desi_1717904.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb3/keith-johnstone-13430_education_in-a-normal-education-everything-is-desi_1717904.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb3/keith-johnstone-13430_education_in-a-normal-education-everything-is-desi_1717904.png) > “In a normal education everything is designed to suppress spontaneity, but I wanted to develop it.” [Keith Johnstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-johnstone/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Education often stifles natural creativity, yet one can nurture spontaneity despite systemic constraints. **In simple terms:** Schools can kill creativity, but you can still foster it. Key Takeaway Cultivate environments that value and develop spontaneous expression. Themes education creativity spontaneity development Mood reflective inspired Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - classroom teaching - arts workshops - team building - innovation labs Key Concepts constructivism improvisation creative pedagogy Questions to Reflect On - How can you embed spontaneity in formal curricula? - What practices best protect creative impulses? A Different Perspective Institutional structures may resist change, limiting impact. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Spontaneity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spontaneity/) ## Related quotes > [“I loved the idea of a subversive world where mental illness was defined as just another version of normal, and education was how you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-sellers/i-loved-the-idea-of-a-subversive-world-where-mental-illness-was/) [Heather Sellers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-sellers/) > [If only you can suppress their feelings, you will only force the problems to fester in the dark and develop into even more problems.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-only-you-can-suppress-their-feelings-you-will-only-force-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Do not suppress any thoughts inside you: instead, just let them run their course while you watch them and plan to deal with them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/senoraroy/do-not-suppress-any-thoughts-inside-you-instead-just-let-them-run/) Senoraroy > [Radicals are only to be feared when you try to suppress them. You must demonstrate that you will use the best of what they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/radicals-are-only-to-be-feared-when-you-try-to-suppress-them-you-must/) [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) > [“Many obese people spend a significant amount of their energy on suppressing the urge to tell some of the people who are staring at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/many-obese-people-spend-a-significant-amount-of-their-energy-on/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [Do not use power to suppress opinions you think pernicious, for if you do the opinions will suppress you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/do-not-use-power-to-suppress-opinions-you-think-pernicious-for-if-you/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [All leaders, male or female, innately possess feminine qualities like empathy, candor and vulnerability - the difference lies in which leaders choose to suppress…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gerzema/all-leaders-male-or-female-innately-possess-feminine-qualities-like/) [John Gerzema](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gerzema/) > [Those who suppress freedom always do so in the name of law and order.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lindsay/those-who-suppress-freedom-always-do-so-in-the-name-of-law-and-order/) [John Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lindsay/) > [The more you try to suppress us, the larger we get.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ice-t/the-more-you-try-to-suppress-us-the-larger-we-get/) [Ice T](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ice-t/) > [As a musician I tell you that if you were to suppress adultery, fanaticism, crime, evil, the supernatural, there would no longer be the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-bizet/as-a-musician-i-tell-you-that-if-you-were-to-suppress-adultery/) [Georges Bizet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-bizet/) > [One of the main secrets to staying young is staying healthy. 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Hitchcock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-a-hitchcock/) > [“Church leaders raised on rationalism lead ministries where the supernatural, the Vertical, is suppressed and where God Himself is at best an observer and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-macdonald/church-leaders-raised-on-rationalism-lead-ministries-where-the/) [James MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-macdonald/) > [In some units it may suppress the motor discharge altogether, in some it may merely slow the motor discharge thus lessening the wave frequency…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-scott-sherrington/in-some-units-it-may-suppress-the-motor-discharge-altogether-in-some/) [Charles Scott Sherrington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-scott-sherrington/) ## More by Keith Johnstone > [Suppose Mozart had tried to be original? 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He’s accepting his first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-johnstone/an-artist-who-is-inspired-is-being-obvious-he-s-not-making-any/) [Keith Johnstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-johnstone/) > [I was crazy about silent comedy - in the old days, and crazy about Japanese movies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-johnstone/i-was-crazy-about-silent-comedy-in-the-old-days-and-crazy-about/) [Keith Johnstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-johnstone/) > [The problem's always been to deal with the fear.Cos the fear is pretty . . . it ruins everybody really.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-johnstone/the-problem-s-always-been-to-deal-with-the-fear-cos-the-fear-is/) [Keith Johnstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-johnstone/) > [None of us really grow up. All we ever do is learn how to behave in public.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-johnstone/none-of-us-really-grow-up-all-we-ever-do-is-learn-how-to-behave-in/) [Keith Johnstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-johnstone/) > [Wherever you go it's the same fear. And the same protective devices. There is one big error I think and partly my fault which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-johnstone/wherever-you-go-it-s-the-same-fear-and-the-same-protective-devices/) [Keith Johnstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-johnstone/) > [Good improvisers seem telepathic; everything looks pre-arranged, This is because they accept all offers made—which is something no ‘normal’ person would do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-johnstone/good-improvisers-seem-telepathic-everything-looks-pre-arranged-this/) [Keith Johnstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-johnstone/) > [I left my theatre the Loose Moose almost twenty years ago, and I hardly ever go back. 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Even if they didn't know anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-johnstone/you-can-sort-of-trick-people-into-being-really-good-even-if-they-didn/) [Keith Johnstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-johnstone/) > [The best laughs are on the recognition of truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-johnstone/the-best-laughs-are-on-the-recognition-of-truth/) [Keith Johnstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-johnstone/) > [If you have a good idea, open your mouth and say something else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-johnstone/if-you-have-a-good-idea-open-your-mouth-and-say-something-else/) [Keith Johnstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-johnstone/) > [Enjoy things even when you’re screwing up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-johnstone/enjoy-things-even-when-you-re-screwing-up/) [Keith Johnstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-johnstone/) > [My feeling is the moment the theatre is not full you have to do something else. 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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 > [“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 > [“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": "In a normal education everything is designed to suppress spontaneity, but I wanted to develop it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Keith Johnstone" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-johnstone/in-a-normal-education-everything-is-designed-to-suppress-spontaneity/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Education" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-johnstone/in-a-normal-education-everything-is-designed-to-suppress-spontaneity/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb3/keith-johnstone-13430_education_in-a-normal-education-everything-is-desi_1717904.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb3/keith-johnstone-13430_education_in-a-normal-education-everything-is-desi_1717904.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb3/keith-johnstone-13430_education_in-a-normal-education-everything-is-desi_1717904.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“In a normal education everything is designed to suppress spontaneity, but I wanted to develop it.” — Keith Johnstone", "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": "Keith Johnstone", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-johnstone/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "In a normal education everything is...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-johnstone/in-a-normal-education-everything-is-designed-to-suppress-spontaneity/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-johnstone/in-a-normal-education-everything-is-designed-to-suppress-spontaneity/#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 } } ] } ```