---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When someone takes away your pens you…"
description: "\"When someone takes away your pens you realise quite how important education is.\" — Malala Yousafzai"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/860/malala-yousafzai-808_education_when-someone-takes-away-your-pens-you-re_393971.png"
---

#  When someone takes away your pens you realise quite how…

![“When someone takes away your pens you realise quite how important education is.” quote by Malala Yousafzai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/860/malala-yousafzai-808_education_when-someone-takes-away-your-pens-you-re_393971.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/860/malala-yousafzai-808_education_when-someone-takes-away-your-pens-you-re_393971.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/860/malala-yousafzai-808_education_when-someone-takes-away-your-pens-you-re_393971.png)

> “When someone takes away your pens you realise quite how important education is.”

[Malala Yousafzai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malala-yousafzai/)

## About This Quote

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

Loss of simple tools reveals the fundamental value of education.

**In simple terms:** Losing pens shows how vital education is.

Key Takeaway

Appreciate and protect educational resources.

Themes

education appreciation loss

Mood

inspirational hopeful

Type

motivational educational

When to use this quote

- classroom settings
- policy advocacy
- personal reflection
- resource allocation

Key Concepts

human rights access to education

Questions to Reflect On

- What everyday items symbolize education for you?
- How can we ensure education remains a priority?

A Different Perspective

Education alone may not solve deeper societal issues.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/)

## Related quotes

> [“When someone takes away your pens you realize quite how important education is.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malala-yousafzai/when-someone-takes-away-your-pens-you-realize-quite-how-important/)

[Malala Yousafzai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malala-yousafzai/)

> [My father used to say the people of Swat and the teachers would continue to educate our children until the last room, the last…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malala-yousafzai/my-father-used-to-say-the-people-of-swat-and-the-teachers-would/)

[Malala Yousafzai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malala-yousafzai/)

> [We are human behind and this part of our human nature that we don't learn the importance of anything until it's snatched from our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malala-yousafzai/we-are-human-behind-and-this-part-of-our-human-nature-that-we-don-t/)

[Malala Yousafzai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malala-yousafzai/)

> [“THough we loved school, we hadn't realized how important education was until the Taliban tried to stop us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malala-yousafzai/though-we-loved-school-we-hadn-t-realized-how-important-education-was/)

[Malala Yousafzai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malala-yousafzai/)

> [It is not time to tell the leaders to realize how important education is - they already know it - their own children are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malala-yousafzai/it-is-not-time-to-tell-the-leaders-to-realize-how-important-education/)

[Malala Yousafzai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malala-yousafzai/)

> [It's not quite as important who you beat as that you end up on top.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bode-miller/it-s-not-quite-as-important-who-you-beat-as-that-you-end-up-on-top/)

[Bode Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bode-miller/)

> [I have found out that friendship is quite as important as love and it isn't any easier than love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brigitte-bardot/i-have-found-out-that-friendship-is-quite-as-important-as-love-and-it/)

[Brigitte Bardot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brigitte-bardot/)

> [Remember, despite the fact that this book is being sold as a 'fantasy' novel, you must take all of the things it says extremely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/remember-despite-the-fact-that-this-book-is-being-sold-as-a-fantasy/)

[Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/)

> [Engineering is not quite as important as imagination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/satoru-iwata/engineering-is-not-quite-as-important-as-imagination/)

[Satoru Iwata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/satoru-iwata/)

> [Nothing in life is quite as important as you think it is while you're thinking about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/nothing-in-life-is-quite-as-important-as-you-think-it-is-while-you-re/)

[Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/)

> [The experience of the race shows that we get our most important education not through books but through our work. We are developed by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-garlin-spencer/the-experience-of-the-race-shows-that-we-get-our-most-important/)

[Anna Garlin Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-garlin-spencer/)

> [The most important part of education is proper training in the nursery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/the-most-important-part-of-education-is-proper-training-in-the-nursery/)

[Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/)

> [If jobs are important, education is important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amartya-sen/if-jobs-are-important-education-is-important/)

[Amartya Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amartya-sen/)

> [You know, nothing is more important than education, because nowhere are our stakes higher; our future depends on the quality of education of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-schwarzenegger/you-know-nothing-is-more-important-than-education-because-nowhere-are/)

[Arnold Schwarzenegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-schwarzenegger/)

> [Learning from experience and learning from education, both are important. Your education &amp; values decide how you learn from your experiences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narendra-modi/learning-from-experience-and-learning-from-education-both-are/)

[Narendra Modi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narendra-modi/)

## More by Malala Yousafzai

> [I don't want to be remembered as the girl who was shot. I want to be remembered as the girl who stood up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malala-yousafzai/i-don-t-want-to-be-remembered-as-the-girl-who-was-shot-i-want-to-be/)

[Malala Yousafzai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malala-yousafzai/)

> [I speak not for myself, but so those without a voice can be heard. Those who have fought for their rights. Their right to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malala-yousafzai/i-speak-not-for-myself-but-so-those-without-a-voice-can-be-heard/)

[Malala Yousafzai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malala-yousafzai/)

> [I think I have a right to live my life the way I like.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malala-yousafzai/i-think-i-have-a-right-to-live-my-life-the-way-i-like/)

[Malala Yousafzai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malala-yousafzai/)

> [I want to have fun, but I don't quite know how.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malala-yousafzai/i-want-to-have-fun-but-i-don-t-quite-know-how/)

[Malala Yousafzai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malala-yousafzai/)

> [In some parts of the world, students are going to school every day. It's their normal life. But in other part of the world,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malala-yousafzai/in-some-parts-of-the-world-students-are-going-to-school-every-day-it/)

[Malala Yousafzai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malala-yousafzai/)

> [If one man can destroy everything, why can't one girl change it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malala-yousafzai/if-one-man-can-destroy-everything-why-can-t-one-girl-change-it/)

[Malala Yousafzai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malala-yousafzai/)

> [“We all played cricket on the street or rooftops together, but I knew as we got older the girls would be expected to stay…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malala-yousafzai/we-all-played-cricket-on-the-street-or-rooftops-together-but-i-knew/)

[Malala Yousafzai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malala-yousafzai/)

> [When I was young I used to listen to other people and to try and understand what they thought and where they were coming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malala-yousafzai/when-i-was-young-i-used-to-listen-to-other-people-and-to-try-and/)

[Malala Yousafzai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malala-yousafzai/)

> [Once I had asked God for one or two extra inches in height, but instead, he made me as tall as the sky, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malala-yousafzai/once-i-had-asked-god-for-one-or-two-extra-inches-in-height-but/)

[Malala Yousafzai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malala-yousafzai/)

> [We human beings don't realize how great God is. He has given us an extraordinary brain and a sensitive loving heart. He has blessed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malala-yousafzai/we-human-beings-don-t-realize-how-great-god-is-he-has-given-us-an/)

[Malala Yousafzai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malala-yousafzai/)

> [ Education had been a great gift for him \[Ziauddin\]. He believed that lack of education was the root of all the Pakistan's problems. Ignorance… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malala-yousafzai/education-had-been-a-great-gift-for-him-ziauddin-he-believed-that/)

[Malala Yousafzai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malala-yousafzai/)

> [I was born a proud daughter of Pakistan, though like all Swatis I thought of myself first as a Swati and Pashtun, before Pakistani.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malala-yousafzai/i-was-born-a-proud-daughter-of-pakistan-though-like-all-swatis-i/)

[Malala Yousafzai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malala-yousafzai/)

> [I had two options One was to remain silent and wait to be killed and the second was to speak up and then be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malala-yousafzai/i-had-two-options-one-was-to-remain-silent-and-wait-to-be-killed-and/)

[Malala Yousafzai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malala-yousafzai/)

> [The important thing to note is that it is not important whether Malala was shot or not - Malala is not asking for personal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malala-yousafzai/the-important-thing-to-note-is-that-it-is-not-important-whether/)

[Malala Yousafzai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malala-yousafzai/)

> [It's an honor to be awarded the Liberty Medal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malala-yousafzai/it-s-an-honor-to-be-awarded-the-liberty-medal/)

[Malala Yousafzai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malala-yousafzai/)

[Explore all 348 Malala Yousafzai quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malala-yousafzai/)

## 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

> [“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

> [“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": "When someone takes away your pens you realise quite how important education is.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Malala Yousafzai"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malala-yousafzai/when-someone-takes-away-your-pens-you-realise-quite-how-important/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Education"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malala-yousafzai/when-someone-takes-away-your-pens-you-realise-quite-how-important/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/860/malala-yousafzai-808_education_when-someone-takes-away-your-pens-you-re_393971.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/860/malala-yousafzai-808_education_when-someone-takes-away-your-pens-you-re_393971.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/860/malala-yousafzai-808_education_when-someone-takes-away-your-pens-you-re_393971.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“When someone takes away your pens you realise quite how important education is.” — Malala Yousafzai",
                "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": "Malala Yousafzai",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malala-yousafzai/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "When someone takes away your pens...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malala-yousafzai/when-someone-takes-away-your-pens-you-realise-quite-how-important/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malala-yousafzai/when-someone-takes-away-your-pens-you-realise-quite-how-important/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
