--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The only person who can fix education is…" description: "\"The only person who can fix education is the student.\" — Oliver DeMille" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f9/oliver-demille-10552_education_the-only-person-who-can-fix-education-is_498060.png" --- # The only person who can fix education is the student. ![“The only person who can fix education is the student.” quote by Oliver DeMille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f9/oliver-demille-10552_education_the-only-person-who-can-fix-education-is_498060.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f9/oliver-demille-10552_education_the-only-person-who-can-fix-education-is_498060.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f9/oliver-demille-10552_education_the-only-person-who-can-fix-education-is_498060.png) > “The only person who can fix education is the student.” [Oliver DeMille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-demille/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Education improvement starts with the learner’s active engagement and responsibility. **In simple terms:** Students must drive their own learning. Key Takeaway Empower students to take charge. Themes education self‑direction responsibility Mood inspirational practical Type motivational educational When to use this quote - classroom - self‑study - online courses Key Concepts learning ownership student agency Questions to Reflect On - What steps can students take to own their education? - How can teachers support self‑directed learning? A Different Perspective Students may lack resources to self‑direct. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Student](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/student/) [Students](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/students/) ## Related quotes > [“No U.S. president can “fix” education, no law can systematize inspiration, and no amount of funding, policy or resources can structure passion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-demille/no-u-s-president-can-fix-education-no-law-can-systematize-inspiration/) [Oliver DeMille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-demille/) > [“The purpose of education is to give the student the intellectual tools to analyze, whether verbally or numerically, and to reach conclusions based on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-purpose-of-education-is-to-give-the-student-the-intellectual/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [“Since the dawn of education, the student considered as normal has been the student who puts up the least resistance to teaching, the one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-pennac/since-the-dawn-of-education-the-student-considered-as-normal-has-been/) [Daniel Pennac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-pennac/) > [Excitement in education and student productivity, the ability to get a result that you want from students, go together and cannot be separated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/major-owens/excitement-in-education-and-student-productivity-the-ability-to-get-a/) [Major Owens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/major-owens/) > [“you’re the only person who can fix whatever it is that’s broken inside you. I’m here for you, though. I can lend an ear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-r-ragan/you-re-the-only-person-who-can-fix-whatever-it-is-that-s-broken/) [T.R. Ragan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-r-ragan/) > [Look in the mirror the person who is there is the only person who can fix whats there the glass dont talk it dont…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-mccarty/look-in-the-mirror-the-person-who-is-there-is-the-only-person-who-can/) [Kevin McCarty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-mccarty/) > [“You broke her heart in person—you fix it in person!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rj-gonzales/you-broke-her-heart-in-person-you-fix-it-in-person/) [RJ Gonzales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rj-gonzales/) > [Never judge a person for their mistakes, judge a person on how they fix them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/never-judge-a-person-for-their-mistakes-judge-a-person-on-how-they/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If you define yourself as someone fixing education, there's nothing short-range you can do to fix education directly. It's labor intensive. You have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-meier/if-you-define-yourself-as-someone-fixing-education-there-s-nothing/) [Deborah Meier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-meier/) > [I want to fix education in the world. As soon as I work on that, I am going to work on world hunger and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nolan-bushnell/i-want-to-fix-education-in-the-world-as-soon-as-i-work-on-that-i-am/) [Nolan Bushnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nolan-bushnell/) > [Education is among the most important problems we face because it's the ultimate 'gateway' problem. That is, it drives virtually every global problem that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-ferreira/education-is-among-the-most-important-problems-we-face-because-it-s/) [Jose Ferreira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-ferreira/) > [Some people thought that if you put pressure on kids, parents, and teachers and schools, the pressure alone would produce results. It appealed to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-meier/some-people-thought-that-if-you-put-pressure-on-kids-parents-and/) [Deborah Meier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-meier/) > [“If we do not fix education in Africa, we are heading for monumental economic disaster.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mmanti-umoh/if-we-do-not-fix-education-in-africa-we-are-heading-for-monumental/) Mmanti Umoh > [You can't fix education until you fix the community, education is not a building but a lifestyle and an environment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-john-meehan/you-can-t-fix-education-until-you-fix-the-community-education-is-not/) Robert John Meehan > [We have to fix the education system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-lujan-grisham/we-have-to-fix-the-education-system/) [Michelle Lujan Grisham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-lujan-grisham/) ## More by Oliver DeMille > [There are really only two ways to teach. You can inspire the student to voluntarily and enthusiastically choose to do the hard work necessary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-demille/there-are-really-only-two-ways-to-teach-you-can-inspire-the-student/) [Oliver DeMille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-demille/) > [Most people spend less than 20 hrs a year learning about freedom, yet many wonder why it's in decline. Don't fight upstream. Instead, turn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-demille/most-people-spend-less-than-20-hrs-a-year-learning-about-freedom-yet/) [Oliver DeMille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-demille/) > [Americans must either choose big government and be willing to pay for and submit to it, or they must move toward smaller, less intrusive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-demille/americans-must-either-choose-big-government-and-be-willing-to-pay-for/) [Oliver DeMille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-demille/) > [If Americans are frustrated with Congress, imagine their frustration with a group of international bank officials running our ecomomy-bankers who may not have as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-demille/if-americans-are-frustrated-with-congress-imagine-their-frustration/) [Oliver DeMille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-demille/) > [Teachers teach and students educate. Students are the only true educators. Historically, every other method of education has failed. Education occurs when students get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-demille/teachers-teach-and-students-educate-students-are-the-only-true/) [Oliver DeMille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-demille/) > [When we let our freedoms slip away without a fight or even without concern, we take freedom, prosperity and happiness away from our posterity.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-demille/when-we-let-our-freedoms-slip-away-without-a-fight-or-even-without/) [Oliver DeMille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-demille/) > [When you look into the eyes of your children and grandchildren, when you picture their greatness and potential, do you feel that they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-demille/when-you-look-into-the-eyes-of-your-children-and-grandchildren-when/) [Oliver DeMille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-demille/) > [The most powerful lessons occur where studies intersect with real life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-demille/the-most-powerful-lessons-occur-where-studies-intersect-with-real-life/) [Oliver DeMille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-demille/) > [“No U.S. president can “fix” education, no law can systematize inspiration, and no amount of funding, policy or resources can structure passion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-demille/no-u-s-president-can-fix-education-no-law-can-systematize-inspiration/) [Oliver DeMille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-demille/) > [The problem in modern America is not that an individual can't make a difference, but that nearly all of us are too distracted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-demille/the-problem-in-modern-america-is-not-that-an-individual-can-t-make-a/) [Oliver DeMille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-demille/) > [Jefferson, Madison and many others taught that complex laws and codes were sure signs of oppression. They agreed with Montesquieu, Lock and Hume and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-demille/jefferson-madison-and-many-others-taught-that-complex-laws-and-codes/) [Oliver DeMille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-demille/) > [Government intervention is not solving the problems, and in fact the governments around the world that are intervening the most in their economies are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-demille/government-intervention-is-not-solving-the-problems-and-in-fact-the/) [Oliver DeMille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-demille/) > [Our middle class majority, deeply in personal debt, elects political leaders who increase our benefits. Then we vote them out because we dislike the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-demille/our-middle-class-majority-deeply-in-personal-debt-elects-political/) [Oliver DeMille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-demille/) > [“Books are better than television, the internet, or the computer for educating and maintaining freedom. Books matter because they state ideas and then attempt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-demille/books-are-better-than-television-the-internet-or-the-computer-for/) [Oliver DeMille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-demille/) > [Indeed, we have reached a level of complexity where simplicity itself is suspect. For example, the simple reality is that jobs migrate to less…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-demille/indeed-we-have-reached-a-level-of-complexity-where-simplicity-itself/) [Oliver DeMille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-demille/) [Explore all 64 Oliver DeMille quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-demille/) ## 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": "The only person who can fix education is the student.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Oliver DeMille" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-demille/the-only-person-who-can-fix-education-is-the-student/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Education" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-demille/the-only-person-who-can-fix-education-is-the-student/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f9/oliver-demille-10552_education_the-only-person-who-can-fix-education-is_498060.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f9/oliver-demille-10552_education_the-only-person-who-can-fix-education-is_498060.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f9/oliver-demille-10552_education_the-only-person-who-can-fix-education-is_498060.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The only person who can fix education is the student.” — Oliver DeMille", "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": "Oliver DeMille", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-demille/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The only person who can fix...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-demille/the-only-person-who-can-fix-education-is-the-student/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-demille/the-only-person-who-can-fix-education-is-the-student/#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 } } ] } ```