--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As a child of civil war, I disbelieve in…" description: "\"“As a child of civil war, I disbelieve in structured learning—actually I believe that one can be an intellectual without being a nerd, provided one has..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/573/nassim-nicholas-taleb-352_children_as-a-child-of-civil-war-i-disbelieve-in_3011083.png" --- # As a child of civil war, I disbelieve in structured… ![“As a child of civil war, I disbelieve in structured learning—actually I believe that one can be an intellectual without being a nerd, provided one has a private library instead of a classroom, and spends time as an aimless (but rational) flâneur benefiting from what randomness can give us inside…” quote by Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/573/nassim-nicholas-taleb-352_children_as-a-child-of-civil-war-i-disbelieve-in_3011083.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/573/nassim-nicholas-taleb-352_children_as-a-child-of-civil-war-i-disbelieve-in_3011083.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/573/nassim-nicholas-taleb-352_children_as-a-child-of-civil-war-i-disbelieve-in_3011083.png) > ““As a child of civil war, I disbelieve in structured learning—actually I believe that one can be an intellectual without being a nerd, provided one has a private library instead of a classroom, and spends time as an aimless (but rational) flâneur benefiting from what randomness can give us inside and outside the library. Provided”” [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Intellectual growth can come from self‑directed, unstructured learning and exposure to randomness rather than formal schooling. **In simple terms:** Learning can be informal and random. Key Takeaway Cultivate a personal library and wander thoughtfully. Themes self‑directed learning randomness intellectual freedom Mood reflective curious Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal study - creative exploration - solitary travel - informal mentorship Key Concepts flâneurism serendipity anti‑institutionalism Questions to Reflect On - How does randomness shape your ideas? - What does a private library offer that a classroom cannot? A Different Perspective Structured education may limit creative insight. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Civil war](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civil-war/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Intellectual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intellectual/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [...one of the reasons I like classes and structured learning is that they encourage -and contribute to-the belief that life is orderly, that things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-roby/one-of-the-reasons-i-like-classes-and-structured-learning-is-that/) James Roby > [I was fairly solitary. I didn't like structured learning. People didn't seem to be my cup of tea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-farmer/i-was-fairly-solitary-i-didn-t-like-structured-learning-people-didn-t/) [Dan Farmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-farmer/) > [“The recurring choice-between faith and science, Christianity and feminism, the Bible and historical criticism, doctrine and compassion-kept tripping me up like roots on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-held-evans/the-recurring-choice-between-faith-and-science-christianity-and/) [Rachel Held Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-held-evans/) > [“He believed in mission. But . . . he did not believe in it as an intellectual imperative, or even as a professional standard.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-o-brien/he-believed-in-mission-but-he-did-not-believe-in-it-as-an/) [Tim O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-brien/) > [Believe me, the intellectual revolution is going on, and that has to come first before you see the political changes. That's where I'm very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/believe-me-the-intellectual-revolution-is-going-on-and-that-has-to/) [Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/) > [Christianity becomes just a set of things you believe in. It's almost an intellectual kind of abstract issue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-pagels/christianity-becomes-just-a-set-of-things-you-believe-in-it-s-almost/) [Elaine Pagels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elaine-pagels/) > [ “My guess is that you would find that the intellectual elite is the most heavily indoctrinated sector \[of society\], for good reasons. It's their… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/my-guess-is-that-you-would-find-that-the-intellectual-elite-is-the/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [To believe is not intellectual assent: "Yes, I believe in Jesus. I will sign my name to the Nicene Creed. I believe it all"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/to-believe-is-not-intellectual-assent-yes-i-believe-in-jesus-i-will/) [Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/) > [Today I will once more be a prophet. If the international Jewish financiers, inside and outside Europe, succeed in plunging the nations once more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/today-i-will-once-more-be-a-prophet-if-the-international-jewish/) [Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/) > [Dear book, this is another day in my life. A life is like a book. A book is like a box. A box has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gia-carangi/dear-book-this-is-another-day-in-my-life-a-life-is-like-a-book-a-book/) [Gia Carangi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gia-carangi/) > [God has spoken very boldly about his desire to be a presence in our lives. If I want to heal the ache and loneliness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-hansel/god-has-spoken-very-boldly-about-his-desire-to-be-a-presence-in-our/) [Tim Hansel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-hansel/) > [Our mission on earth is to recognize the void - inside and outside of us - and fill it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/menachem-mendel-schneerson/our-mission-on-earth-is-to-recognize-the-void-inside-and-outside-of/) [Menachem Mendel Schneerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/menachem-mendel-schneerson/) > [I laugh a lot inside and outside, and at myself sometimes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/i-laugh-a-lot-inside-and-outside-and-at-myself-sometimes/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [“It was darker in the tower than any place Devnee had ever been. The dark had textures, some velvet, some satin. The dark shifted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-b-cooney/it-was-darker-in-the-tower-than-any-place-devnee-had-ever-been-the/) [Caroline B. Cooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-b-cooney/) > [“She turns to the man beside her, As if to say she understood how inside And outside the rooms of love The landscape was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marjorie-m-evasco/she-turns-to-the-man-beside-her-as-if-to-say-she-understood-how/) [Marjorie M. Evasco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marjorie-m-evasco/) ## More by Nassim Nicholas Taleb > [To become a philosopher, start by walking very slowly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/to-become-a-philosopher-start-by-walking-very-slowly/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [Wittgenstein's ruler: Unless you have confidence in the ruler's reliability, if you use a ruler to measure a table you may also be using…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/wittgenstein-s-ruler-unless-you-have-confidence-in-the-ruler-s/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [In politics we face the choice between warmongering, nation-state loving, big-business agents on one hand; and risk-blind, top-down, epistemic arrogant big servants of large…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/in-politics-we-face-the-choice-between-warmongering-nation-state/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [My nightmare scenario is that the government saves Citibank once again, as well as the other banks, and business resumes as usual. Then, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/my-nightmare-scenario-is-that-the-government-saves-citibank-once/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [Using, as an excuse, others' failure of common sense is in itself a failure of common sense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/using-as-an-excuse-others-failure-of-common-sense-is-in-itself-a/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [You know, children philosophize more than adults - and they are critical of adults.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/you-know-children-philosophize-more-than-adults-and-they-are-critical/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [“Suckers think that you cure greed with money, addiction with substances, expert problems with experts, banking with bankers, economics with economists, and debt crises…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/suckers-think-that-you-cure-greed-with-money-addiction-with/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [“One needs to go out and buy a lottery ticket in order to win. Does it mean that the work involved in the trip…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/one-needs-to-go-out-and-buy-a-lottery-ticket-in-order-to-win-does-it/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [Individuals should think about the worst-case scenarios and plan for them. The world will be crazier than you think it will be. Put money…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/individuals-should-think-about-the-worst-case-scenarios-and-plan-for/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [“If you are looking for your misplaced wallet in your living room, in a trial and error mode, you exercise rationality by not looking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/if-you-are-looking-for-your-misplaced-wallet-in-your-living-room-in-a/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [“Most humans manage to squander their free time, as free time makes them dysfunctional, lazy, and unmotivated—the busier they get, the more active they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/most-humans-manage-to-squander-their-free-time-as-free-time-makes/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [We learn the most from fools ... yet we pay them back with the worst ingratitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/we-learn-the-most-from-fools-yet-we-pay-them-back-with-the-worst/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [We are victims of the post-Enlightenment view that the world functions like a sophisticated machine, to be understood like a textbook engineering problem and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/we-are-victims-of-the-post-enlightenment-view-that-the-world/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [“loss of bone density and degradation of the health of the bones also causes aging, diabetes, and, for males, loss of fertility and sexual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/loss-of-bone-density-and-degradation-of-the-health-of-the-bones-also/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [“It takes a huge investment in introspection to learn that the thirty or more hours spent “studying” the news last month neither had any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/it-takes-a-huge-investment-in-introspection-to-learn-that-the-thirty/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) [Explore all 635 Nassim Nicholas Taleb quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) ## More Children quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [Behind every successful child is an adult who believed in him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/behind-every-successful-child-is-an-adult-who-believed-in-him/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [I believe in freedom to do what you want if you aren't hurting others, but pictures of obese protesters giving their children big gulps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-defranco/i-believe-in-freedom-to-do-what-you-want-if-you-aren-t-hurting-others/) [Philip DeFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-defranco/) > [If the audience likes your work, if they like you, they don't think whether you are married or have children or not. I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimple-kapadia/if-the-audience-likes-your-work-if-they-like-you-they-don-t-think/) [Dimple Kapadia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimple-kapadia/) > [It doesnt seem to me strange that children should like the macabre, the sensational, and the forbidden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-hecht/it-doesnt-seem-to-me-strange-that-children-should-like-the-macabre/) [Anthony Hecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-hecht/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. Expressing gratitude by writing in a journal, taking a photo, or shooting a video creates a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-kaplan/gratitude-isn-t-just-a-feeling-it-s-an-action-expressing-gratitude-by/) [Janice Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-kaplan/) > [My embarrassing confession is that my father is a 'Camelot: The Musical' obsessive. So as a child, when we were going to visit relatives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-chibnall/my-embarrassing-confession-is-that-my-father-is-a-camelot-the-musical/) [Chris Chibnall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-chibnall/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [My school was one of the most beautiful places a child can grow up in. You are surrounded by nature - cats, dogs, birds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amala-akkineni/my-school-was-one-of-the-most-beautiful-places-a-child-can-grow-up-in/) [Amala Akkineni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amala-akkineni/) > [A lesser complaint: hair extensions. There are moments on 'All My Children' when half the women actors, young and old, seem to be afflicted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/a-lesser-complaint-hair-extensions-there-are-moments-on-all-my/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) > [As a child, I had a lot of older gay men taking care of me. There's a trust there. I feel like little girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cho/as-a-child-i-had-a-lot-of-older-gay-men-taking-care-of-me-there-s-a/) [Margaret Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cho/) > [If my child had prejudice in his head, I'd be ashamed. I would see it as my failure as a parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-my-child-had-prejudice-in-his-head-i-d-be-ashamed-i-would-see-it/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [“Children's lives are always beginning and adults' lives are always ending. Or is it the opposite? Your childhood is always ending and your adult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-espach/children-s-lives-are-always-beginning-and-adults-lives-are-always/) [Alison Espach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-espach/) > [As a child I was very involved with sports and I knew at age 9 that I wanted to be an Olympic champion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-jones/as-a-child-i-was-very-involved-with-sports-and-i-knew-at-age-9-that-i/) [Marion Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-jones/) [Browse all 62,396 Children quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“As a child of civil war, I disbelieve in structured learning—actually I believe that one can be an intellectual without being a nerd, provided one has a private library instead of a classroom, and spends time as an aimless (but rational) flâneur benefiting from what randomness can give us inside and outside the library. Provided”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Nassim Nicholas Taleb" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/as-a-child-of-civil-war-i-disbelieve-in-structured-learning-actually/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Children" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/as-a-child-of-civil-war-i-disbelieve-in-structured-learning-actually/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/573/nassim-nicholas-taleb-352_children_as-a-child-of-civil-war-i-disbelieve-in_3011083.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/573/nassim-nicholas-taleb-352_children_as-a-child-of-civil-war-i-disbelieve-in_3011083.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/573/nassim-nicholas-taleb-352_children_as-a-child-of-civil-war-i-disbelieve-in_3011083.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“As a child of civil war, I disbelieve in structured learning—actually I believe that one can be an…” — Nassim Nicholas Taleb", "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": "Nassim Nicholas Taleb", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“As a child of civil war,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/as-a-child-of-civil-war-i-disbelieve-in-structured-learning-actually/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/as-a-child-of-civil-war-i-disbelieve-in-structured-learning-actually/#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 } } ] } ```