--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As a teacher I realize that what one…" description: "\"As a teacher I realize that what one learns in school doesn't serve for very much at all, that the only thing one can really learn is self-understandin..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb1/laura-esquivel-4121_education_as-a-teacher-i-realize-that-what-one-lea_3146739.jpg" --- # As a teacher I realize that what one learns in school… ![“As a teacher I realize that what one learns in school doesn't serve for very much at all, that the only thing one can really learn is self-understanding, and this is something that can't be taught.” quote by Laura Esquivel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb1/laura-esquivel-4121_education_as-a-teacher-i-realize-that-what-one-lea_3146739.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb1/laura-esquivel-4121_education_as-a-teacher-i-realize-that-what-one-lea_3146739.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb1/laura-esquivel-4121_education_as-a-teacher-i-realize-that-what-one-lea_3146739.jpg) > “As a teacher I realize that what one learns in school doesn't serve for very much at all, that the only thing one can really learn is self-understanding, and this is something that can't be taught.” [Laura Esquivel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-esquivel/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Formal education often fails to teach deep self‑knowledge, which must be discovered personally rather than instructed. **In simple terms:** School rarely teaches self‑understanding. Key Takeaway Seek personal insight beyond formal curricula. Themes education self‑knowledge learning Mood introspective thoughtful Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - career counseling - personal development - creative pursuits - life coaching Key Concepts philosophy psychology pedagogy Questions to Reflect On - How can you cultivate self‑awareness? - What role should schools play in personal growth? A Different Perspective Self‑understanding can be hard to measure. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Learn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learn/) [Learning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learning/) [Learns School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learns-school-3841587/) [Mentorship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mentorship/) [Only](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/only/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [School Doesn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school-doesn-523719/) [Self understanding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-understanding/) [Something](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/something/) [Taught](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taught/) [Teacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teacher/) [Teacher Realize](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teacher-realize-1252917/) [Understanding Taught](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understanding-taught-1776847/) ## Related quotes > [“...unlike knowledge, understanding cannot be taught. It must be achieved.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-donovan/unlike-knowledge-understanding-cannot-be-taught-it-must-be-achieved/) [Dave Donovan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-donovan/) > [“Greatness comes from understanding that which cannot be taught.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jp-west/greatness-comes-from-understanding-that-which-cannot-be-taught/) [JP West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jp-west/) > [Every teacher should realize the dignity of his calling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/every-teacher-should-realize-the-dignity-of-his-calling/) [John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/) > [Every teacher should realize he is a social servant set apart for the maintenance of the proper social order and the securing of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/every-teacher-should-realize-he-is-a-social-servant-set-apart-for-the/) [John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/) > [The lessons one learns at school are not always the ones the school thinks it's teaching.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/the-lessons-one-learns-at-school-are-not-always-the-ones-the-school/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [What is the most important thing one learns in school? Self-esteem, support, and friendship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/what-is-the-most-important-thing-one-learns-in-school-self-esteem/) [Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/) > [“Everyone must have one thing that they can excel at. It's just a matter of drawing it out, isn't it? But school doesn't know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/everyone-must-have-one-thing-that-they-can-excel-at-it-s-just-a/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [School doesn't teach you much. School teaches you how to follow directions, that's what school is for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vince-staples/school-doesn-t-teach-you-much-school-teaches-you-how-to-follow/) [Vince Staples](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vince-staples/) > [“I never had what it takes to make a first-rate anything.' 'That's wrong,' she declared. 'Everyone must have one thing that they can excel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/i-never-had-what-it-takes-to-make-a-first-rate-anything-that-s-wrong/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [I'm going to go to school. It doesn't matter what the outcome is as long as I did it. I can say I did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tatyana-ali/i-m-going-to-go-to-school-it-doesn-t-matter-what-the-outcome-is-as/) [Tatyana Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tatyana-ali/) > [School doesn't teach you much. School teaches you how to follow directions, that's what school is for. And in life, not necessarily following directions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vince-staples/school-doesn-t-teach-you-much-school-teaches-you-how-to-follow-2/) [Vince Staples](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vince-staples/) > [I won vice president of my student body in high school. That doesn't mean anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-sharpton/i-won-vice-president-of-my-student-body-in-high-school-that-doesn-t/) [Al Sharpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-sharpton/) > [I do wait in line, and I do take the subway, and I do my own grocery shopping, and I do take the kids…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-jessica-parker/i-do-wait-in-line-and-i-do-take-the-subway-and-i-do-my-own-grocery/) [Sarah Jessica Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-jessica-parker/) > [What you need to learn how to do is analyze situations and do differential diagnoses and understand the principle and the concepts rather than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leroy-hood/what-you-need-to-learn-how-to-do-is-analyze-situations-and-do/) [Leroy Hood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leroy-hood/) > [“Each of us has more intelligence than we are trained to use and the part that we get graded on in school doesn’t amount…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-nadel/each-of-us-has-more-intelligence-than-we-are-trained-to-use-and-the/) [Laurie Nadel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-nadel/) ## More by Laura Esquivel > [When Chipotle asked me to take part in the Cultivating Thought program both as an author and an essay contest judge, I was excited…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-esquivel/when-chipotle-asked-me-to-take-part-in-the-cultivating-thought/) [Laura Esquivel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-esquivel/) > [We're in a period of revolutionary change. I'm optimistic. One's self changes, and then the world changes. It's going to begin internally, not externally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-esquivel/we-re-in-a-period-of-revolutionary-change-i-m-optimistic-one-s-self/) [Laura Esquivel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-esquivel/) > [Progress makes us lose the feeling of a ceremony that cooking should have. It has significantly shifted our values so that now it seems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-esquivel/progress-makes-us-lose-the-feeling-of-a-ceremony-that-cooking-should/) [Laura Esquivel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-esquivel/) > [What I find sad is that the New Age movement is primarily a commercial undertaking. But it is answering to a human need.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-esquivel/what-i-find-sad-is-that-the-new-age-movement-is-primarily-a/) [Laura Esquivel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-esquivel/) > [To transform yourself is to transform your destiny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-esquivel/to-transform-yourself-is-to-transform-your-destiny/) [Laura Esquivel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-esquivel/) > [Once again she would arrive at a foreign place. Once again be the newcomer, an outsider, the one who did not belong. She knew…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-esquivel/once-again-she-would-arrive-at-a-foreign-place-once-again-be-the/) [Laura Esquivel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-esquivel/) > [The culinary tradition in my family is very strong. My mother, a very wise woman, spent the better part of her life in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-esquivel/the-culinary-tradition-in-my-family-is-very-strong-my-mother-a-very/) [Laura Esquivel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-esquivel/) > [To what extent has each one of us contributed to the rise in violence and hatred?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-esquivel/to-what-extent-has-each-one-of-us-contributed-to-the-rise-in-violence/) [Laura Esquivel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-esquivel/) > [The same way one tells a recipe, one tells a family history. Each one of us has our past locked inside.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-esquivel/the-same-way-one-tells-a-recipe-one-tells-a-family-history-each-one/) [Laura Esquivel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-esquivel/) > [“It doesn't matter to me what you did, there are some things in life that shouldn't be given so much importance, if they don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-esquivel/it-doesn-t-matter-to-me-what-you-did-there-are-some-things-in-life/) [Laura Esquivel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-esquivel/) > [Then she cried without tears, which is said to hurt even more like dry labor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-esquivel/then-she-cried-without-tears-which-is-said-to-hurt-even-more-like-dry/) [Laura Esquivel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-esquivel/) > [Cooking is one of the strongest ceremonies for life. When recipes are put together, the kitchen is a chemical laboratory involving air, fire, water…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-esquivel/cooking-is-one-of-the-strongest-ceremonies-for-life-when-recipes-are/) [Laura Esquivel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-esquivel/) > [In film you can use images exclusively and narrate a whole story very quickly, but you don't always so easily find the form in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-esquivel/in-film-you-can-use-images-exclusively-and-narrate-a-whole-story-very/) [Laura Esquivel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-esquivel/) > [I grew up in a modern home, but my grandmother lived across the street in an old house that was built when churches were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-esquivel/i-grew-up-in-a-modern-home-but-my-grandmother-lived-across-the-street/) [Laura Esquivel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-esquivel/) > [“Each of us is born with a box of matches inside us but we can't strike them all by ourselves; we need oxygen and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-esquivel/each-of-us-is-born-with-a-box-of-matches-inside-us-but-we-can-t/) [Laura Esquivel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-esquivel/) [Explore all 81 Laura Esquivel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-esquivel/) ## 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": "As a teacher I realize that what one learns in school doesn't serve for very much at all, that the only thing one can really learn is self-understanding, and this is something that can't be taught.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Laura Esquivel" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-esquivel/as-a-teacher-i-realize-that-what-one-learns-in-school-doesn-t-serve/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Education" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-esquivel/as-a-teacher-i-realize-that-what-one-learns-in-school-doesn-t-serve/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb1/laura-esquivel-4121_education_as-a-teacher-i-realize-that-what-one-lea_3146739.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb1/laura-esquivel-4121_education_as-a-teacher-i-realize-that-what-one-lea_3146739.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb1/laura-esquivel-4121_education_as-a-teacher-i-realize-that-what-one-lea_3146739.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“As a teacher I realize that what one learns in school doesn't serve for very much at all, that the only…” — Laura Esquivel", "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": "Laura Esquivel", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-esquivel/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "As a teacher I realize that...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-esquivel/as-a-teacher-i-realize-that-what-one-learns-in-school-doesn-t-serve/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-esquivel/as-a-teacher-i-realize-that-what-one-learns-in-school-doesn-t-serve/#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 } } ] } ```