--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: People think I'm educated because I talk…" description: "\"People think I'm educated because I talk and write well, but the fact is I never finished high school. I've read a lot, is all.\" — Patricia McConnell" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1df/patricia-mcconnell-25697_educated_people-think-i-m-educated-because-i-talk_2211977.png" --- # People think I'm educated because I talk and write well… ![“People think I'm educated because I talk and write well, but the fact is I never finished high school. I've read a lot, is all.” quote by Patricia McConnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1df/patricia-mcconnell-25697_educated_people-think-i-m-educated-because-i-talk_2211977.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1df/patricia-mcconnell-25697_educated_people-think-i-m-educated-because-i-talk_2211977.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1df/patricia-mcconnell-25697_educated_people-think-i-m-educated-because-i-talk_2211977.png) > “People think I'm educated because I talk and write well, but the fact is I never finished high school. I've read a lot, is all.” [Patricia McConnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-mcconnell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Points out that formal education isn’t the sole path to knowledge, emphasizing self‑directed learning. **In simple terms:** I’m educated without a diploma. Key Takeaway Value lifelong learning over credentials. Themes education self‑learning non‑traditional paths Mood inquisitive inspirational Type thought‑provoking encouraging When to use this quote - career change - personal development - teaching - public speaking Key Concepts epistemology motivation Questions to Reflect On - What resources helped you learn independently? - How can society value informal education? A Different Perspective May downplay benefits of formal schooling. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Educated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/educated/) [Educated Talk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/educated-talk-4902689/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Finished](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/finished/) [Finished High](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/finished-high-2638781/) [High school](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/high-school/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [Think Educated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-educated-1199846/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wells/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [Why do I do anything?' she says. 'I'm educated enough to talk myself out of any plan. To deconstruct any fantasy. Explain away any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/why-do-i-do-anything-she-says-i-m-educated-enough-to-talk-myself-out/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [I took six months off, finished high school, and hung out with friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devon-sawa/i-took-six-months-off-finished-high-school-and-hung-out-with-friends/) [Devon Sawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devon-sawa/) > [A man who cannot think is not an educated man however many college degrees he may have acquired.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ford/a-man-who-cannot-think-is-not-an-educated-man-however-many-college/) [Henry Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ford/) > [“Why do I do anything? I'm educated enough to talk myself out of any plan. To deconstruct any fantasy. Explain away any goal. I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/why-do-i-do-anything-i-m-educated-enough-to-talk-myself-out-of-any/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [“When men decided women could be educated - this is what I think - they educated them on the male plan; they put them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/when-men-decided-women-could-be-educated-this-is-what-i-think-they/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [Farms and food production should be, I submit, at least as important as who pierced their navel in Hollywood this week. Please tell me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-salatin/farms-and-food-production-should-be-i-submit-at-least-as-important-as/) [Joel Salatin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-salatin/) > [Think about it: Every educated person is not rich, but almost every education person has a job and a way out of poverty. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-blanco/think-about-it-every-educated-person-is-not-rich-but-almost-every/) [Kathleen Blanco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-blanco/) > [We want to emulate the educated class, even if we don't think of educated people as a class these days.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kory-stamper/we-want-to-emulate-the-educated-class-even-if-we-don-t-think-of/) [Kory Stamper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kory-stamper/) > [Do I think I'm under-educated? Academically, absolutely. I never took any exams, no O- or A-levels.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hayley-mills/do-i-think-i-m-under-educated-academically-absolutely-i-never-took/) [Hayley Mills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hayley-mills/) > [I think the press are good people; I think they're educated people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-mckinnon/i-think-the-press-are-good-people-i-think-they-re-educated-people/) [Mark McKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-mckinnon/) > [I don't think I'm as educated as Whoopi, so I'm lifting myself to her level. But you know, our view of the world, our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-danson/i-don-t-think-i-m-as-educated-as-whoopi-so-i-m-lifting-myself-to-her/) [Ted Danson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-danson/) > [I think the growth industry of the future in this country and the world will soon be the continuing education of adults. ...I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-drucker/i-think-the-growth-industry-of-the-future-in-this-country-and-the/) [Peter Drucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-drucker/) > [“It is your responsibility to change the society if you think yourself as an educated person”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/it-is-your-responsibility-to-change-the-society-if-you-think-yourself/) [James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/) > [I'm just one of the kids, and all because the students at Hamilton Heights High School listened to the facts, educated their parents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-white/i-m-just-one-of-the-kids-and-all-because-the-students-at-hamilton/) [Ryan White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-white/) > [By the time I was about ten, I had started to lose faith with church ways. I was educated in some ways by my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronee-blakley/by-the-time-i-was-about-ten-i-had-started-to-lose-faith-with-church/) [Ronee Blakley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronee-blakley/) ## More by Patricia McConnell > [Prison experience puts distance between me and any person who hasn't been there, done that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-mcconnell/prison-experience-puts-distance-between-me-and-any-person-who-hasn-t/) [Patricia McConnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-mcconnell/) > [My friends in prison were mostly women more like myself: not historical figures who I did not relate to as peers, but hookers and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-mcconnell/my-friends-in-prison-were-mostly-women-more-like-myself-not/) [Patricia McConnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-mcconnell/) > [There's a stone I had made for Luke at the top of the hill road, where the pasture opens wide and the setting sun…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-mcconnell/there-s-a-stone-i-had-made-for-luke-at-the-top-of-the-hill-road-where/) [Patricia McConnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-mcconnell/) > [A crisis of confidence is so common that it should be considered a universal part of the adoption process.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-mcconnell/a-crisis-of-confidence-is-so-common-that-it-should-be-considered-a/) [Patricia McConnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-mcconnell/) > [My husband regarded my prison past as a dirty secret and never asked me one single question about it. But what I had experienced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-mcconnell/my-husband-regarded-my-prison-past-as-a-dirty-secret-and-never-asked/) [Patricia McConnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-mcconnell/) > [One of the principle things life has taught me is that we always have a choice. When we say we "can't," we usually mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-mcconnell/one-of-the-principle-things-life-has-taught-me-is-that-we-always-have/) [Patricia McConnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-mcconnell/) > [I'm actually a lowlife. On the street at fifteen and also in jail for the first time at that age, and off and on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-mcconnell/i-m-actually-a-lowlife-on-the-street-at-fifteen-and-also-in-jail-for/) [Patricia McConnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-mcconnell/) > [My published works are concrete evidence that I exist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-mcconnell/my-published-works-are-concrete-evidence-that-i-exist/) [Patricia McConnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-mcconnell/) > [Although I was simply what today would be called a "mule" - the bottom of the food chain in the drug biz - the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-mcconnell/although-i-was-simply-what-today-would-be-called-a-mule-the-bottom-of/) [Patricia McConnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-mcconnell/) > [At eighty-one, health club-lusting is as close as I'll ever come to getting laid again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-mcconnell/at-eighty-one-health-club-lusting-is-as-close-as-i-ll-ever-come-to/) [Patricia McConnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-mcconnell/) > [I had a naïve idea that if I could tell the story, people would be outraged and do something about conditions in the jails.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-mcconnell/i-had-a-na-ve-idea-that-if-i-could-tell-the-story-people-would-be/) [Patricia McConnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-mcconnell/) > [“We humans may be brilliant and we may be special, but we are still connected to the rest of life. No one reminds us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-mcconnell/we-humans-may-be-brilliant-and-we-may-be-special-but-we-are-still/) [Patricia McConnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-mcconnell/) > [I couldn't stand living in a society that admires the emperor's new clothes, when I see so clearly that he is naked.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-mcconnell/i-couldn-t-stand-living-in-a-society-that-admires-the-emperor-s-new/) [Patricia McConnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-mcconnell/) > [I can say now is that sneaking up on people is a major delight in my old age, but it always has been. A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-mcconnell/i-can-say-now-is-that-sneaking-up-on-people-is-a-major-delight-in-my/) [Patricia McConnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-mcconnell/) > [The loss of a sexual life is one of the worst things about getting really old. The worst thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-mcconnell/the-loss-of-a-sexual-life-is-one-of-the-worst-things-about-getting/) [Patricia McConnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-mcconnell/) [Explore all 22 Patricia McConnell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-mcconnell/) ## More Educated quotes > [The prophet who fails to present a bearable alternative and yet preaches doom is part of the trap that he postulates. Not only does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-prophet-who-fails-to-present-a-bearable-alternative-and-yet/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [“In American terms, the accomplishment of Genghis Khan might be understood if the United States, instead of being created by a group of educated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-weatherford/in-american-terms-the-accomplishment-of-genghis-khan-might-be/) [Jack Weatherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-weatherford/) > [Though my grandmother had picked up modern ideas in America, she still had some conflicting 19th-century Irish notions. She believed that daughters, educated though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosemary-mahoney/though-my-grandmother-had-picked-up-modern-ideas-in-america-she-still/) [Rosemary Mahoney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosemary-mahoney/) > [Why shouldn't I be confident? I'm well educated, I can deliver a line, and I have more than three expressions. That's good right?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonakshi-sinha/why-shouldn-t-i-be-confident-i-m-well-educated-i-can-deliver-a-line/) [Sonakshi Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonakshi-sinha/) > [ He \[an earnest young reporter\] seemed to share the view of many intelligent, well-educated, well-meaning people that, while adult literature may aim to be… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/he-an-earnest-young-reporter-seemed-to-share-the-view-of-many/) [Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/) > [The poor and ignorant will continue to lie and steal as long as the rich and educated show them how.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elbert-hubbard/the-poor-and-ignorant-will-continue-to-lie-and-steal-as-long-as-the/) [Elbert Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elbert-hubbard/) > [I speak not for myself, but so those without a voice can be heard. Those who have fought for their rights. Their right to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malala-yousafzai/i-speak-not-for-myself-but-so-those-without-a-voice-can-be-heard/) [Malala Yousafzai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malala-yousafzai/) > [The unpreparedness of the educated classes, the lack of practical links between them and the mass of the people, their laziness, and, let it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frantz-fanon/the-unpreparedness-of-the-educated-classes-the-lack-of-practical/) [Frantz Fanon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frantz-fanon/) > [I'm not an educated man. I only know what I'm told, and I'm not told that much; I have no frame of reference for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maynard-james-keenan/i-m-not-an-educated-man-i-only-know-what-i-m-told-and-i-m-not-told/) [Maynard James Keenan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maynard-james-keenan/) > [“Freedom is for the educated people who fought for it. We were slaves of the English, now we will be slaves of the educated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khushwant-singh/freedom-is-for-the-educated-people-who-fought-for-it-we-were-slaves/) [Khushwant Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khushwant-singh/) > [In presenting a mathematical argument the great thing is to give the educated reader the chance to catch on at once to the momentary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edensor-littlewood/in-presenting-a-mathematical-argument-the-great-thing-is-to-give-the/) [John Edensor Littlewood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edensor-littlewood/) > [“General education is not, only the way to be educated.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fakhru-uddin-ahammed/general-education-is-not-only-the-way-to-be-educated/) [Fakhru Uddin Ahammed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fakhru-uddin-ahammed/) > [As always, an educated woman was a dangerous woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-schiff/as-always-an-educated-woman-was-a-dangerous-woman/) [Stacy Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-schiff/) > [School curricula that ignore the arts produce highly educated Barbarians](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-albee/school-curricula-that-ignore-the-arts-produce-highly-educated/) [Edward Albee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-albee/) > [By the time I was about ten, I had started to lose faith with church ways. I was educated in some ways by my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronee-blakley/by-the-time-i-was-about-ten-i-had-started-to-lose-faith-with-church/) [Ronee Blakley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronee-blakley/) [Browse all 1,843 Educated quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/educated/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "People think I'm educated because I talk and write well, but the fact is I never finished high school. I've read a lot, is all.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Patricia McConnell" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-mcconnell/people-think-i-m-educated-because-i-talk-and-write-well-but-the-fact/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Educated" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-mcconnell/people-think-i-m-educated-because-i-talk-and-write-well-but-the-fact/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1df/patricia-mcconnell-25697_educated_people-think-i-m-educated-because-i-talk_2211977.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1df/patricia-mcconnell-25697_educated_people-think-i-m-educated-because-i-talk_2211977.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1df/patricia-mcconnell-25697_educated_people-think-i-m-educated-because-i-talk_2211977.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“People think I'm educated because I talk and write well, but the fact is I never finished high school. I've…” — Patricia McConnell", "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": "Patricia McConnell", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-mcconnell/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "People think I'm educated because I...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-mcconnell/people-think-i-m-educated-because-i-talk-and-write-well-but-the-fact/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-mcconnell/people-think-i-m-educated-because-i-talk-and-write-well-but-the-fact/#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 } } ] } ```