--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Modern education is like being taken to…" description: "\"Modern education is like being taken to the world's greatest restaurant & being forced to eat the menu.\" — Murray Gell-Mann" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23a/murray-gell-mann-12560_education_modern-education-is-like-being-taken-to_824827.jpg" --- # Modern education is like being taken to the world's… ![“Modern education is like being taken to the world's greatest restaurant & being forced to eat the menu.” quote by Murray Gell-Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23a/murray-gell-mann-12560_education_modern-education-is-like-being-taken-to_824827.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23a/murray-gell-mann-12560_education_modern-education-is-like-being-taken-to_824827.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23a/murray-gell-mann-12560_education_modern-education-is-like-being-taken-to_824827.jpg) > “Modern education is like being taken to the world's greatest restaurant & being forced to eat the menu.” [Murray Gell-Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murray-gell-mann/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Education can be overly prescriptive, limiting exposure to diverse ideas. **In simple terms:** Education can be too rigid. Key Takeaway Seek varied perspectives beyond the curriculum. Themes education conformity creativity choice Mood critical inquisitive Type observational philosophical When to use this quote - school curricula - online learning - self‑directed study Key Concepts critical thinking diversity of thought Questions to Reflect On - What alternatives can you pursue for learning? - How does choice affect motivation? A Different Perspective Rigid systems can stifle innovation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Modern education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/modern-education/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [My dad actually was a wonderful person, and also happened to be a hunter and fisherman. And my brothers and I never would eat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-baird/my-dad-actually-was-a-wonderful-person-and-also-happened-to-be-a/) [Maggie Baird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-baird/) > [As a farmer's son, I've always been forced to eat vegetables.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-whaite/as-a-farmer-s-son-i-ve-always-been-forced-to-eat-vegetables/) [John Whaite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-whaite/) > [“Sam, can you have dinner with me twice a week?...Does it matter what it’s for?...Okay, then. I want to run things by you for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vi-keeland/sam-can-you-have-dinner-with-me-twice-a-week-does-it-matter-what-it-s/) [Vi Keeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vi-keeland/) > [We had an enormous rhubarb patch at home and my mother forced me to eat that stuff without any sugar for most of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-dennis/we-had-an-enormous-rhubarb-patch-at-home-and-my-mother-forced-me-to/) [Hugh Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-dennis/) > [I believe in compulsory cannibalism. If people were forced to eat what they killed, there would be no more wars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abbie-hoffman/i-believe-in-compulsory-cannibalism-if-people-were-forced-to-eat-what/) [Abbie Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abbie-hoffman/) > [The food we call soul food is slave food. We were forced to eat it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-adams/the-food-we-call-soul-food-is-slave-food-we-were-forced-to-eat-it/) [Eric Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-adams/) > [By doing intense diets, your brain is forced to eat itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/by-doing-intense-diets-your-brain-is-forced-to-eat-itself/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I hate Mcdonalds... but i'm forced to eat it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deryck-whibley/i-hate-mcdonalds-but-i-m-forced-to-eat-it/) [Deryck Whibley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deryck-whibley/) > [“cooked alive or forced to eat the severed ears from their own heads”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-t-leeson/cooked-alive-or-forced-to-eat-the-severed-ears-from-their-own-heads/) [Peter T. Leeson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-t-leeson/) > [An education is like a crumbling building that needs constant upkeep with repairs and additions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-wharton/an-education-is-like-a-crumbling-building-that-needs-constant-upkeep/) [Edith Wharton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-wharton/) > [In just my interaction, I go to factories, and I talk to our employees. And in Canada, they have had a least a year…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shahid-khan/in-just-my-interaction-i-go-to-factories-and-i-talk-to-our-employees/) [Shahid Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shahid-khan/) > [It made me gladsome to be getting some education, it being like a big window opening.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-webb/it-made-me-gladsome-to-be-getting-some-education-it-being-like-a-big/) [Mary Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-webb/) > [Education was like progression with time not age, somehow the gap grew between common sense and knowing how to approach.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ucunted/education-was-like-progression-with-time-not-age-somehow-the-gap-grew/) Ucunted > [“Education is like Christmas. We’re all just opening our gifts, one at a time. And it is a fact that each and every child…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glennon-melton/education-is-like-christmas-we-re-all-just-opening-our-gifts-one-at-a/) [Glennon Melton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glennon-melton/) > [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/) ## More by Murray Gell-Mann > [Of course the word chaos is used in rather a vague sense by a lot of writers, but in physics it means a particular…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-gell-mann/of-course-the-word-chaos-is-used-in-rather-a-vague-sense-by-a-lot-of/) [Murray Gell-Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murray-gell-mann/) > [ My colleagues in elementary particle theory in many lands \[and I\] are driven by the usual insatiable curiosity of the scientist, and our work… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-gell-mann/my-colleagues-in-elementary-particle-theory-in-many-lands-and-i-are/) [Murray Gell-Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murray-gell-mann/) > [Think how hard physics would be if particles could think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-gell-mann/think-how-hard-physics-would-be-if-particles-could-think/) [Murray Gell-Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murray-gell-mann/) > [Sustainability is living on nature's income rather than living on its capital.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-gell-mann/sustainability-is-living-on-nature-s-income-rather-than-living-on-its/) [Murray Gell-Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murray-gell-mann/) > [But when researchers at Bell Labs discovered that static tends to come from particular places in the sky, the whole field of radio astronomy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-gell-mann/but-when-researchers-at-bell-labs-discovered-that-static-tends-to/) [Murray Gell-Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murray-gell-mann/) > [I am frequently astonished that it so often results in correct predictions of experimental results.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-gell-mann/i-am-frequently-astonished-that-it-so-often-results-in-correct/) [Murray Gell-Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murray-gell-mann/) > [Superstitions typically involve seeing order where in fact there is none, and denial amounts to rejecting evidence of regularities, sometimes even ones that are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-gell-mann/superstitions-typically-involve-seeing-order-where-in-fact-there-is/) [Murray Gell-Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murray-gell-mann/) > [I thought of killing myself but soon decided that I could always try MIT and then kill myself later if it was that bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-gell-mann/i-thought-of-killing-myself-but-soon-decided-that-i-could-always-try/) [Murray Gell-Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murray-gell-mann/) > [In fact any experiment that measures a quantum effect is one in which the quantum effect is aligned with the behavior of some heavy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-gell-mann/in-fact-any-experiment-that-measures-a-quantum-effect-is-one-in-which/) [Murray Gell-Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murray-gell-mann/) > [So the old Copenhagen interpretation needs to be generalized, needs to be replaced by something that can be used for the whole universe, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-gell-mann/so-the-old-copenhagen-interpretation-needs-to-be-generalized-needs-to/) [Murray Gell-Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murray-gell-mann/) > [Enthusiasm is followed by disappointment and even depression, and then by renewed enthusiasm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-gell-mann/enthusiasm-is-followed-by-disappointment-and-even-depression-and-then/) [Murray Gell-Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murray-gell-mann/) > [If I have seen further than others, it is because I am surrounded by dwarfs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-gell-mann/if-i-have-seen-further-than-others-it-is-because-i-am-surrounded-by/) [Murray Gell-Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murray-gell-mann/) > [If we look at the way the universe behaves, quantum mechanics gives us fundamental, unavoidable indeterminacy, so that alternative histories of the universe can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-gell-mann/if-we-look-at-the-way-the-universe-behaves-quantum-mechanics-gives-us/) [Murray Gell-Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murray-gell-mann/) > [Now, what that means is that there is fundamental indeterminacy from quantum mechanics, but besides that there are other sources of effective indeterminacy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-gell-mann/now-what-that-means-is-that-there-is-fundamental-indeterminacy-from/) [Murray Gell-Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murray-gell-mann/) > [Just because things get a little dingy at the subatomic level doesn't mean all bets are off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-gell-mann/just-because-things-get-a-little-dingy-at-the-subatomic-level-doesn-t/) [Murray Gell-Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murray-gell-mann/) [Explore all 54 Murray Gell-Mann quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murray-gell-mann/) ## 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": "Modern education is like being taken to the world's greatest restaurant & being forced to eat the menu.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Murray Gell-Mann" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-gell-mann/modern-education-is-like-being-taken-to-the-world-s-greatest/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Education" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-gell-mann/modern-education-is-like-being-taken-to-the-world-s-greatest/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23a/murray-gell-mann-12560_education_modern-education-is-like-being-taken-to_824827.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23a/murray-gell-mann-12560_education_modern-education-is-like-being-taken-to_824827.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23a/murray-gell-mann-12560_education_modern-education-is-like-being-taken-to_824827.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Modern education is like being taken to the world's greatest restaurant & being forced to eat the menu.” — Murray Gell-Mann", "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": "Murray Gell-Mann", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murray-gell-mann/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Modern education is like being taken...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-gell-mann/modern-education-is-like-being-taken-to-the-world-s-greatest/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-gell-mann/modern-education-is-like-being-taken-to-the-world-s-greatest/#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 } } ] } ```