--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Suddenly it was obvious to Connor why…" description: "\"Suddenly it was obvious to Connor why they don't teach it. Once education was restructured and corporatized, they didn't want kids knowing how close th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b8/neal-shusterman-412_education_suddenly-it-was-obvious-to-connor-why-th_2397535.png" --- # Suddenly it was obvious to Connor why they don't teach it… ![“Suddenly it was obvious to Connor why they don't teach it. Once education was restructured and corporatized, they didn't want kids knowing how close they came to toppling the government. They didn't want kids to know how much power they really had.” quote by Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b8/neal-shusterman-412_education_suddenly-it-was-obvious-to-connor-why-th_2397535.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b8/neal-shusterman-412_education_suddenly-it-was-obvious-to-connor-why-th_2397535.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b8/neal-shusterman-412_education_suddenly-it-was-obvious-to-connor-why-th_2397535.png) > “Suddenly it was obvious to Connor why they don't teach it. Once education was restructured and corporatized, they didn't want kids knowing how close they came to toppling the government. They didn't want kids to know how much power they really had.” [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Education is manipulated to hide power dynamics, preventing youth from realizing their potential to challenge authority. **In simple terms:** Schools hide how much power kids have. Key Takeaway Question authority and seek true knowledge. Themes education power control youth authority Mood skeptical inquisitive Type critical political When to use this quote - school curricula - student activism - media literacy - community organizing Key Concepts critical thinking political manipulation social engineering Questions to Reflect On - How does education shape your view of power? - What can you do to uncover hidden influences? A Different Perspective The claim may overgeneralize all education systems. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Education Restructured](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education-restructured-5992956/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Government Didn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government-didn-1462679/) [Kids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kids/) [Kids Know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kids-know/) [Kids Knowing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kids-knowing-2297792/) [Knowing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knowing/) [Obvious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obvious/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Teach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teach/) [Teach Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teach-education-5992957/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) ## Related quotes > [As a kid, even I knew everything about my favourite cricketers. I used to know everything possible. Now I see kids knowing about me.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virat-kohli/as-a-kid-even-i-knew-everything-about-my-favourite-cricketers-i-used/) [Virat Kohli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virat-kohli/) > [I grew up with both my parents around me at all times, but my kids are not knowing who I am half the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boo-weekley/i-grew-up-with-both-my-parents-around-me-at-all-times-but-my-kids-are/) [Boo Weekley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boo-weekley/) > [We were poor when I was young but the difference was that the government didn't come around telling you you were poor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/we-were-poor-when-i-was-young-but-the-difference-was-that-the/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [Beijing's Olympics were very grand - they were trying to throw a party for the world, but the hosts didn't enjoy it. The government…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/beijing-s-olympics-were-very-grand-they-were-trying-to-throw-a-party/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [“They didn't see it coming. Of course they didn't. Who wants to look for trouble, every single day? You turn away, as long as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessie-burton/they-didn-t-see-it-coming-of-course-they-didn-t-who-wants-to-look-for/) [Jessie Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessie-burton/) > [Here was this vast machinery of government and they didn't know how it ran, where you put in the gas, where you put in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/here-was-this-vast-machinery-of-government-and-they-didn-t-know-how/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The only reason the government didn’t stop the financiers was because it approved of what they were doing: helping to lower the cost of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yaron-brook/the-only-reason-the-government-didn-t-stop-the-financiers-was-because/) [Yaron Brook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yaron-brook/) > [I do believe that it was through divine providence that the Founding Fathers drafted a document that created a government that didn't trust each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shimkus/i-do-believe-that-it-was-through-divine-providence-that-the-founding/) [John Shimkus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shimkus/) > [I didn't get into politics because I thought government had a better answer. I got into politics because I knew government didn't have the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-huckabee/i-didn-t-get-into-politics-because-i-thought-government-had-a-better/) [Mike Huckabee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-huckabee/) > [Sovereignty should lie with the people of Scotland, not a Westminster Government we didn't vote for with the ability to overrule our laws.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/humza-yousaf/sovereignty-should-lie-with-the-people-of-scotland-not-a-westminster/) [Humza Yousaf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/humza-yousaf/) > [Even if someone wanted a purely free-market, competitive media system, it would require extensive government regulation to set up those markets. All our largest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-waterman-mcchesney/even-if-someone-wanted-a-purely-free-market-competitive-media-system/) [Robert Waterman McChesney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-waterman-mcchesney/) > [In the sixties, for anybody to suggest that the government didn't have our best interests at heart and policemen sometimes killed people would have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-moore/in-the-sixties-for-anybody-to-suggest-that-the-government-didn-t-have/) [Alan Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-moore/) > [I grew up in a time when there was real segregation. And blacks during the 50s and so forth took a lot of responsibility…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelby-steele/i-grew-up-in-a-time-when-there-was-real-segregation-and-blacks-during/) [Shelby Steele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelby-steele/) > [We have to take personal responsibility. The government didn't do its job when the institutions needed to be held accountable. If you see something's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-markopolos/we-have-to-take-personal-responsibility-the-government-didn-t-do-its/) [Harry Markopolos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-markopolos/) > [I felt strongly that the government didn't care about schools and communities like mine and I wanted to do something about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-reeves/i-felt-strongly-that-the-government-didn-t-care-about-schools-and/) [Rachel Reeves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-reeves/) ## More by Neal Shusterman > [“Picking locks was not a skill he had ever cultivated, but he persisted day after day, turning the tip of his talon into different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/picking-locks-was-not-a-skill-he-had-ever-cultivated-but-he-persisted/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [“If you come anywhere near my daughter, I will see to it that you are taken apart piece by bloody piece. Do I make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/if-you-come-anywhere-near-my-daughter-i-will-see-to-it-that-you-are/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [Dead kids are put on pedestals, but mentally ill kids get hidden under the rug.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/dead-kids-are-put-on-pedestals-but-mentally-ill-kids-get-hidden-under/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [“The fear of not living is a deep, abiding dread of watching your own potential decompose into irredeemable disappointment when “should be” gets crushed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/the-fear-of-not-living-is-a-deep-abiding-dread-of-watching-your-own/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [That's wisdom you can take to the grave, and dig up when you need it!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/that-s-wisdom-you-can-take-to-the-grave-and-dig-up-when-you-need-it/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [“And you know the darkness beyond despair, just as intimately as you know the soaring heights. Because in this and all universes, there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/and-you-know-the-darkness-beyond-despair-just-as-intimately-as-you/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [You may feel a tugging sensation near your ankles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/you-may-feel-a-tugging-sensation-near-your-ankles/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [“while an adult could rarely be universally loved, everyone could love the right kid.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/while-an-adult-could-rarely-be-universally-loved-everyone-could-love/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [“It's like art, you know? Picasso had to prove to the world he can paint the right way, before he goes putting both eyes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/it-s-like-art-you-know-picasso-had-to-prove-to-the-world-he-can-paint/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [The way I see it, the impossible happens all the time; but we're so good at taking it for granted, we forget it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/the-way-i-see-it-the-impossible-happens-all-the-time-but-we-re-so/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [“a true leader never puts his ego ahead of his assets.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/a-true-leader-never-puts-his-ego-ahead-of-his-assets/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [If you have to ask then you don't deserve an answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/if-you-have-to-ask-then-you-don-t-deserve-an-answer/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [“There was never anything wrong with my life. Perhaps that was the problem... The crack in my life was the fact that I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/there-was-never-anything-wrong-with-my-life-perhaps-that-was-the/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [“But fate is a freak when it comes to messing with your future in ways you don't see coming.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/but-fate-is-a-freak-when-it-comes-to-messing-with-your-future-in-ways/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [“The sad truth about humanity, Risa was quick to realize, is that people believe what they are told. Maybe not the first time, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/the-sad-truth-about-humanity-risa-was-quick-to-realize-is-that-people/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) [Explore all 573 Neal Shusterman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) ## 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": "Suddenly it was obvious to Connor why they don't teach it. Once education was restructured and corporatized, they didn't want kids knowing how close they came to toppling the government. They didn't want kids to know how much power they really had.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Neal Shusterman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/suddenly-it-was-obvious-to-connor-why-they-don-t-teach-it-once/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Education" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/suddenly-it-was-obvious-to-connor-why-they-don-t-teach-it-once/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b8/neal-shusterman-412_education_suddenly-it-was-obvious-to-connor-why-th_2397535.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b8/neal-shusterman-412_education_suddenly-it-was-obvious-to-connor-why-th_2397535.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b8/neal-shusterman-412_education_suddenly-it-was-obvious-to-connor-why-th_2397535.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Suddenly it was obvious to Connor why they don't teach it. Once education was restructured and corporatized…” — Neal Shusterman", "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": "Neal Shusterman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Suddenly it was obvious to Connor...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/suddenly-it-was-obvious-to-connor-why-they-don-t-teach-it-once/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/suddenly-it-was-obvious-to-connor-why-they-don-t-teach-it-once/#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 } } ] } ```