---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We know that if we're going to remain…"
description: "\"We know that if we're going to remain economically competitive in the world, and viable as a civic democracy, that we're going to have to get more peop..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f87/margaret-spellings-24878_civic_we-know-that-if-we-re-going-to-remain-ec_628598.jpg"
---

#  We know that if we're going to remain economically…

![“We know that if we're going to remain economically competitive in the world, and viable as a civic democracy, that we're going to have to get more people educated to higher levels.” quote by Margaret Spellings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f87/margaret-spellings-24878_civic_we-know-that-if-we-re-going-to-remain-ec_628598.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f87/margaret-spellings-24878_civic_we-know-that-if-we-re-going-to-remain-ec_628598.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f87/margaret-spellings-24878_civic_we-know-that-if-we-re-going-to-remain-ec_628598.jpg)

> “We know that if we're going to remain economically competitive in the world, and viable as a civic democracy, that we're going to have to get more people educated to higher levels.”

[Margaret Spellings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-spellings/)

## About This Quote

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

Economic competitiveness and democratic health require higher education attainment.

**In simple terms:** More educated citizens are vital for prosperity and democracy.

Key Takeaway

Invest in expanding higher education access.

Themes

education economy democracy competitiveness

Mood

strategic concerned

Type

policy motivational

When to use this quote

- policy planning
- workforce development
- civic engagement

Key Concepts

human capital social equity

Questions to Reflect On

- How can societies broaden higher education?
- What policies best support civic democracy?

A Different Perspective

Funding and access barriers can limit progress.

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[Civic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civic/) [Competitive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/competitive/) [Democracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democracy/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/)

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## More by Margaret Spellings

> [Higher education is confronting challenges, like the economy is, about the need for a higher number of more adequately trained, more highly educated citizenry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-spellings/higher-education-is-confronting-challenges-like-the-economy-is-about/)

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