---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I co-founded Duolingo with the mission of…"
description: "\"I co-founded Duolingo with the mission of bringing free language education to the world.\" — Luis von Ahn"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dea/luis-von-ahn-19198_education_i-co-founded-duolingo-with-the-mission-o_1221647.png"
---

#  I co-founded Duolingo with the mission of bringing free…

![“I co-founded Duolingo with the mission of bringing free language education to the world.” quote by Luis von Ahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dea/luis-von-ahn-19198_education_i-co-founded-duolingo-with-the-mission-o_1221647.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dea/luis-von-ahn-19198_education_i-co-founded-duolingo-with-the-mission-o_1221647.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dea/luis-von-ahn-19198_education_i-co-founded-duolingo-with-the-mission-o_1221647.png)

> “I co-founded Duolingo with the mission of bringing free language education to the world.”

[Luis von Ahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-von-ahn/)

## About This Quote

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

Founders created a free language‑learning platform to democratize education worldwide.

**In simple terms:** Duolingo offers free language lessons to everyone.

Key Takeaway

Support and promote accessible education.

Themes

education technology accessibility language learning

Mood

optimistic inspirational

Type

mission‑driven educational

When to use this quote

- classroom teaching
- self‑study
- mobile apps

Key Concepts

social impact digital platforms global outreach

Questions to Reflect On

- How can free platforms maintain high quality?
- What barriers still limit global language learning?

A Different Perspective

Funding and quality control challenges persist.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Duolingo Mission](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/duolingo-mission-3743624/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Founded](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/founded/) [Founded Duolingo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/founded-duolingo-3743623/) [Free Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/free-language-1771473/) [Goals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goals/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Language Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language-education-2205130/) [Missions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/missions/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/)

## Related quotes

> [The current business model for language education is the student pays — in particular, the student pays Rosetta Stone $500. The problem with this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-von-ahn/the-current-business-model-for-language-education-is-the-student-pays/)

[Luis von Ahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-von-ahn/)

> [The language of men was involved with only one hemisphere in order to leave the other free for the language of the gods.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-jaynes/the-language-of-men-was-involved-with-only-one-hemisphere-in-order-to/)

[Julian Jaynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-jaynes/)

> [With all the divisive forces tearing at our country, we need the glue of language to help hold us together. If we want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dole/with-all-the-divisive-forces-tearing-at-our-country-we-need-the-glue/)

[Bob Dole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dole/)

> [I think that young Australians ought to be taking language education much more seriously. I mean, you know, every day I'm meeting people with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-bryce/i-think-that-young-australians-ought-to-be-taking-language-education/)

[Quentin Bryce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-bryce/)

> [“In my opinion, dual language education is a great public good that ought to be developed everywhere, as it can positively transform a child,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fabrice-jaumont/in-my-opinion-dual-language-education-is-a-great-public-good-that/)

[Fabrice Jaumont](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fabrice-jaumont/)

> [When cities were first founded, an old Egyptian scribe tells us, the mission of the founder was to 'put gods in their shrines.' The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-mumford/when-cities-were-first-founded-an-old-egyptian-scribe-tells-us-the/)

[Lewis Mumford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-mumford/)

> [I'm not founded on the notion that any press is good press.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jani-lane/i-m-not-founded-on-the-notion-that-any-press-is-good-press/)

[Jani Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jani-lane/)

> [Yes, the small village that we live in, in Virginia, is a very interesting place, in terms of its Civil War history, because it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geraldine-brooks/yes-the-small-village-that-we-live-in-in-virginia-is-a-very/)

[Geraldine Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geraldine-brooks/)

> [At a lot of companies founded on principles, the notion of making money is almost antithetical to the ethos of the place. From the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mackey/at-a-lot-of-companies-founded-on-principles-the-notion-of-making/)

[John Mackey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mackey/)

> [I founded Minted in 2007 with the desire to use 'crowd-sourcing' to bring designs from the best emerging and independent designers in the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariam-naficy/i-founded-minted-in-2007-with-the-desire-to-use-crowd-sourcing-to/)

[Mariam Naficy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariam-naficy/)

> [When you are an entrepreneur, you have founded your own firm, it is so easy to find that you exist - you are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-piketty/when-you-are-an-entrepreneur-you-have-founded-your-own-firm-it-is-so/)

[Thomas Piketty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-piketty/)

> [Kerri and I met at theatre camp when were 16 years old, which is pretty lame. The rest of us met when we founded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-lennon/kerri-and-i-met-at-theatre-camp-when-were-16-years-old-which-is/)

[Thomas Lennon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-lennon/)

> [The United States is in no way founded upon the Christian religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/the-united-states-is-in-no-way-founded-upon-the-christian-religion/)

[George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/)

> [Ours is the only country deliberately founded on a good idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gunther/ours-is-the-only-country-deliberately-founded-on-a-good-idea/)

[John Gunther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gunther/)

> ['SoulPancake' is a website that I founded with a couple of friends, and it is for exploring life's big questions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainn-wilson/soulpancake-is-a-website-that-i-founded-with-a-couple-of-friends-and/)

[Rainn Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainn-wilson/)

## More by Luis von Ahn

> [Our team at Duolingo is really cohesive, but this did not just happen. I made a concerted effort to hire people who are going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-von-ahn/our-team-at-duolingo-is-really-cohesive-but-this-did-not-just-happen/)

[Luis von Ahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-von-ahn/)

> [I am always able to keep a laser focus on one thing at a time without getting distracted. It helps that I try to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-von-ahn/i-am-always-able-to-keep-a-laser-focus-on-one-thing-at-a-time-without/)

[Luis von Ahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-von-ahn/)

> [If you get asked to do something that would take place down the road (say you get asked to speak at a conference that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-von-ahn/if-you-get-asked-to-do-something-that-would-take-place-down-the-road/)

[Luis von Ahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-von-ahn/)

> [People are good at figuring out what's attractive, and computers are good at quickly searching and finding. You put them together, and bang!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-von-ahn/people-are-good-at-figuring-out-what-s-attractive-and-computers-are/)

[Luis von Ahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-von-ahn/)

> [In 2011, after spending a couple of years working at Google, I decided that I wanted to dedicate myself to helping to transform education.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-von-ahn/in-2011-after-spending-a-couple-of-years-working-at-google-i-decided/)

[Luis von Ahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-von-ahn/)

> [I watch a lot of TV. That's how I spend most of my time outside of work. If I had more time, I would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-von-ahn/i-watch-a-lot-of-tv-that-s-how-i-spend-most-of-my-time-outside-of/)

[Luis von Ahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-von-ahn/)

> [My first computer was a Commodore 64. I got it as a present from my mom when I was eight years old, and all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-von-ahn/my-first-computer-was-a-commodore-64-i-got-it-as-a-present-from-my/)

[Luis von Ahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-von-ahn/)

> [Basically, I want to make all of humanity more efficient by exploiting the human cycles that get wasted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-von-ahn/basically-i-want-to-make-all-of-humanity-more-efficient-by-exploiting/)

[Luis von Ahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-von-ahn/)

> [I worked on a number of projects that were used by millions of people and that also served as inspiration to what we now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-von-ahn/i-worked-on-a-number-of-projects-that-were-used-by-millions-of-people/)

[Luis von Ahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-von-ahn/)

> [Am I a slacker? I can be a slacker. When I was in college, most people got summer jobs for college or did research…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-von-ahn/am-i-a-slacker-i-can-be-a-slacker-when-i-was-in-college-most-people/)

[Luis von Ahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-von-ahn/)

> [My ultimate research goal is to transform our human existence to just eating, sleeping, drinking, playing - nevermind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-von-ahn/my-ultimate-research-goal-is-to-transform-our-human-existence-to-just/)

[Luis von Ahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-von-ahn/)

> [ The question that motivates my research is, if we can put a man on the Moon with 100,000 \[people\], what can we do with 100 million? ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-von-ahn/the-question-that-motivates-my-research-is-if-we-can-put-a-man-on-the/)

[Luis von Ahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-von-ahn/)

> [I am an early riser, and always wake up between 5 and 6am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-von-ahn/i-am-an-early-riser-and-always-wake-up-between-5-and-6am/)

[Luis von Ahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-von-ahn/)

> [Before the Internet, coordinating more than 100,000 people, let alone paying them, was essentially impossible. But now with the Internet, I've just shown you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-von-ahn/before-the-internet-coordinating-more-than-100-000-people-let-alone/)

[Luis von Ahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-von-ahn/)

> [It's hard to think of a time when I'm not working, but when that is the case, I like to travel and eat good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-von-ahn/it-s-hard-to-think-of-a-time-when-i-m-not-working-but-when-that-is/)

[Luis von Ahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-von-ahn/)

[Explore all 33 Luis von Ahn quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-von-ahn/)

## 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": "I co-founded Duolingo with the mission of bringing free language education to the world.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Luis von Ahn"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-von-ahn/i-co-founded-duolingo-with-the-mission-of-bringing-free-language/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Education"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-von-ahn/i-co-founded-duolingo-with-the-mission-of-bringing-free-language/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dea/luis-von-ahn-19198_education_i-co-founded-duolingo-with-the-mission-o_1221647.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dea/luis-von-ahn-19198_education_i-co-founded-duolingo-with-the-mission-o_1221647.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dea/luis-von-ahn-19198_education_i-co-founded-duolingo-with-the-mission-o_1221647.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I co-founded Duolingo with the mission of bringing free language education to the world.” — Luis von Ahn",
                "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": "Luis von Ahn",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-von-ahn/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I co-founded Duolingo with the mission...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-von-ahn/i-co-founded-duolingo-with-the-mission-of-bringing-free-language/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-von-ahn/i-co-founded-duolingo-with-the-mission-of-bringing-free-language/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
