--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Learning happens in the minds and souls…" description: "\"Learning happens in the minds and souls, not in the databases of multiple-choice tests.\" — Ken Robinson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f07/ken-robinson-2219_choices_learning-happens-in-the-minds-and-souls_870957.png" --- # Learning happens in the minds and souls, not in the… ![“Learning happens in the minds and souls, not in the databases of multiple-choice tests.” quote by Ken Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f07/ken-robinson-2219_choices_learning-happens-in-the-minds-and-souls_870957.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f07/ken-robinson-2219_choices_learning-happens-in-the-minds-and-souls_870957.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f07/ken-robinson-2219_choices_learning-happens-in-the-minds-and-souls_870957.png) > “Learning happens in the minds and souls, not in the databases of multiple-choice tests.” [Ken Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-robinson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Learning thrives in mind and soul, not merely through standardized tests. **In simple terms:** Learning is deeper than tests. Key Takeaway Cultivate curiosity and personal growth. Themes education creativity learning Mood inspirational reflective Type educational philosophical When to use this quote - classroom teaching - self‑directed study - career training - personal hobbies Key Concepts holistic development intrinsic motivation Questions to Reflect On - How can you nurture deeper learning? - What role should assessments play? A Different Perspective Tests can still provide useful feedback. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Choices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choices/) [Learning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learning/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soul/) [Tests](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tests/) ## Related quotes > [“All happenings are in the mind. Whatever happens in all minds, truly happens.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/all-happenings-are-in-the-mind-whatever-happens-in-all-minds-truly/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [Most great learning happens in groups. Collaboration is the stuff of growth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-robinson/most-great-learning-happens-in-groups-collaboration-is-the-stuff-of/) [Ken Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-robinson/) > [I will tell you why we have these extraordinary minds and souls, Miss Whittaker," he continued, as though he had not heard her. "We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/i-will-tell-you-why-we-have-these-extraordinary-minds-and-souls-miss/) [Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/) > [I still ponder what gets in people's minds and souls, why they do the things they do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-nassif/i-still-ponder-what-gets-in-people-s-minds-and-souls-why-they-do-the/) [Paul Nassif](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-nassif/) > [“We are creating a world in which what nourishes the soul rarely makes people employable, and what makes them employable often crushes the soul.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-yako/we-are-creating-a-world-in-which-what-nourishes-the-soul-rarely-makes/) [Louis Yako](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-yako/) > [“True love transcends logic, Freckles. It’s a blending of minds and souls.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ednah-walters/true-love-transcends-logic-freckles-it-s-a-blending-of-minds-and-souls/) [Ednah Walters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ednah-walters/) > [The reality is that most of us are rarely, if ever, alone with our own minds and souls. Even when we do find a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tricia-rhodes/the-reality-is-that-most-of-us-are-rarely-if-ever-alone-with-our-own/) [Tricia Rhodes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tricia-rhodes/) > [“We’re giving Our Book to Earth so that All Earth Souls will Open up to the Universe and be aware of Our Existence. Through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mara/we-re-giving-our-book-to-earth-so-that-all-earth-souls-will-open-up/) Mara > [2 people, 2 minds, 2 souls, 2 destinies, 1 road, 1 journey, 1 ending... together that's Love!!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/punkinhead-abhishek/2-people-2-minds-2-souls-2-destinies-1-road-1-journey-1-ending/) [Punkinhead Abhishek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/punkinhead-abhishek/) > [Love is something that needs two hearts... two minds... two souls... It shouldn't be just me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soumojit-das/love-is-something-that-needs-two-hearts-two-minds-two-souls-it/) Soumojit Das > [Nature that framed us of four elements, Warring within our breasts for regiment, Doth teach us all to have aspiring minds: Our souls, whose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-marlowe/nature-that-framed-us-of-four-elements-warring-within-our-breasts-for-2/) [Christopher Marlowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-marlowe/) > [“Mutual learning happens in the entropy; we need the confusion to release the new.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-bateson/mutual-learning-happens-in-the-entropy-we-need-the-confusion-to/) [Nora Bateson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-bateson/) > [“The many years that we all spend in schools learning skills like reading, writing, and arithmetic—as well as the additional learning that happens on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-brynjolfsson/the-many-years-that-we-all-spend-in-schools-learning-skills-like/) [Erik Brynjolfsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-brynjolfsson/) > [We must not think of learning as only what happens in schools. It is an extended part of life. The most readily available resource…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mccullough/we-must-not-think-of-learning-as-only-what-happens-in-schools-it-is/) [David McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mccullough/) > [“True learning happens when books and friends, writing and understanding intermingle in a rich soup of participation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-david-lankes/true-learning-happens-when-books-and-friends-writing-and/) R. David Lankes ## More by Ken Robinson > [“Shakespeare’s Hamlet: “There is nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-robinson/shakespeare-s-hamlet-there-is-nothing-either-good-or-bad-but-thinking/) [Ken Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-robinson/) > [“As humanity becomes more numerous and interwoven, living respectfully with diversity is not just an ethical choice, it is a practical imperative. There”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-robinson/as-humanity-becomes-more-numerous-and-interwoven-living-respectfully/) [Ken Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-robinson/) > [In a world where lifelong employment in the same job is a thing of the past, creativity is not a luxury. It is essential…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-robinson/in-a-world-where-lifelong-employment-in-the-same-job-is-a-thing-of/) [Ken Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-robinson/) > [“For most of us the problem isn’t that we aim too high and fail - it’s just the opposite - we aim too low…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-robinson/for-most-of-us-the-problem-isn-t-that-we-aim-too-high-and-fail-it-s/) [Ken Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-robinson/) > [Very often, organizations are inflexible because there is too little communication between functions; they are too segregated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-robinson/very-often-organizations-are-inflexible-because-there-is-too-little/) [Ken Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-robinson/) > [Every education system on Earth has the same hierarchy of subjects: at the top are mathematics and languages, then the humanities, and the bottom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-robinson/every-education-system-on-earth-has-the-same-hierarchy-of-subjects-at/) [Ken Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-robinson/) > [“We are all born with extraordinary powers of imagination, intelligence, feeling, intuition, spirituality, and of physical and sensory awareness. (p.9)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-robinson/we-are-all-born-with-extraordinary-powers-of-imagination-intelligence/) [Ken Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-robinson/) > [You create your life, and you can recreate it, too. In times of economic downturn and uncertainty, it's more important than ever to look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-robinson/you-create-your-life-and-you-can-recreate-it-too-in-times-of-economic/) [Ken Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-robinson/) > [“I asked a professor of nanotechnology what they use to measure the unthinkable small distances of nanospace? He said it was the nanometre. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-robinson/i-asked-a-professor-of-nanotechnology-what-they-use-to-measure-the/) [Ken Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-robinson/) > [We need to eliminate the existing hierarchy of subjects. Elevating some disciplines over others only reinforces outmoded assumptions of industrialism and offends the principle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-robinson/we-need-to-eliminate-the-existing-hierarchy-of-subjects-elevating/) [Ken Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-robinson/) > [Too many people never connect with their true talents and therefore don't know what they are capable of achieving.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-robinson/too-many-people-never-connect-with-their-true-talents-and-therefore/) [Ken Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-robinson/) > [You can't just give someone a creativity injection. You have to create an environment for curiosity and a way to encourage people and get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-robinson/you-can-t-just-give-someone-a-creativity-injection-you-have-to-create/) [Ken Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-robinson/) > [The fact is that given the challenges we face, education doesn't need to be reformed -- it needs to be transformed. The key to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-robinson/the-fact-is-that-given-the-challenges-we-face-education-doesn-t-need/) [Ken Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-robinson/) > [Private imaginings may have no outcomes in the world at all. Creativity does. Being creative involves doing something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-robinson/private-imaginings-may-have-no-outcomes-in-the-world-at-all/) [Ken Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-robinson/) > [“Public schools were not only created in the interests of industrialism—they were created in the image of industrialism. In many ways, they reflect the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-robinson/public-schools-were-not-only-created-in-the-interests-of/) [Ken Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-robinson/) [Explore all 170 Ken Robinson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-robinson/) ## More Choices quotes > [Of all the people who have affected my life and influenced the choices I've made, none has been more important than my father. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-atlas/of-all-the-people-who-have-affected-my-life-and-influenced-the/) [Teddy Atlas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-atlas/) > [“Don’t allow anyone to pressure you into taking a job in a field that doesn’t feel right in your gut. You are the one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-james/don-t-allow-anyone-to-pressure-you-into-taking-a-job-in-a-field-that/) Alison James > [When you have a choice, choose happy!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pancho-barnes/when-you-have-a-choice-choose-happy/) Pancho Barnes > [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/) > [Movies have power. Power to impact society and the choices we make. I want to entertain, but I also want to say something to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-prince-bythewood/movies-have-power-power-to-impact-society-and-the-choices-we-make-i/) [Gina Prince-Bythewood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-prince-bythewood/) > [If you have a different mindset, you will have a different outcome: if you make different choices from your peers, your life will then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-ma/if-you-have-a-different-mindset-you-will-have-a-different-outcome-if/) [Jack Ma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-ma/) > [Personally, I prefer contemporary films, but the market calls for more period choices, especially since China opened up a cinema market in Hong Kong.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donnie-yen/personally-i-prefer-contemporary-films-but-the-market-calls-for-more/) [Donnie Yen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donnie-yen/) > [Clarissa," he said, "here with the vampire, I see. When things have settled a bit, we really must discuss you choice in pets..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/clarissa-he-said-here-with-the-vampire-i-see-when-things-have-settled/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [Change is inevitable but personal growth is a choice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-proctor/change-is-inevitable-but-personal-growth-is-a-choice/) [Bob Proctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-proctor/) > [Time hath not yet so dried this blood of mine, Nor age so eat up my invention, Nor fortune made such havoc of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/time-hath-not-yet-so-dried-this-blood-of-mine-nor-age-so-eat-up-my/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [If you choose to draw from the inner well of free will, then you can make choices that are outside your current karmic patterns.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/if-you-choose-to-draw-from-the-inner-well-of-free-will-then-you-can/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Act always so as to increase the number of choices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinz-von-foerster/act-always-so-as-to-increase-the-number-of-choices/) [Heinz von Foerster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinz-von-foerster/) > [Give me a platter of choice finnan haddie, freshly cooked in its bath of water and milk, add melted butter, a slice or two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-claiborne/give-me-a-platter-of-choice-finnan-haddie-freshly-cooked-in-its-bath/) [Craig Claiborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-claiborne/) > [I don't know that any woman could ever not think about that at some point - even making the choice not to do it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-watts/i-don-t-know-that-any-woman-could-ever-not-think-about-that-at-some/) [Naomi Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-watts/) > [In this choice of inheritance we have given to our frame of polity the image of a relation in blood; binding up the constitution…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/in-this-choice-of-inheritance-we-have-given-to-our-frame-of-polity/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) [Browse all 11,466 Choices quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choices/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Learning happens in the minds and souls, not in the databases of multiple-choice tests.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ken Robinson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-robinson/learning-happens-in-the-minds-and-souls-not-in-the-databases-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Choices" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-robinson/learning-happens-in-the-minds-and-souls-not-in-the-databases-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f07/ken-robinson-2219_choices_learning-happens-in-the-minds-and-souls_870957.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f07/ken-robinson-2219_choices_learning-happens-in-the-minds-and-souls_870957.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f07/ken-robinson-2219_choices_learning-happens-in-the-minds-and-souls_870957.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Learning happens in the minds and souls, not in the databases of multiple-choice tests.” — Ken Robinson", "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": "Ken Robinson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-robinson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Learning happens in the minds and...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-robinson/learning-happens-in-the-minds-and-souls-not-in-the-databases-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-robinson/learning-happens-in-the-minds-and-souls-not-in-the-databases-of/#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 } } ] } ```