---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is impossible to talk of respect for…"
description: "\"It is impossible to talk of respect for students for the dignity that is in the process of coming to be, for the identities that are in the process of ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f9/paulo-freire-1551_conditions_it-is-impossible-to-talk-of-respect-for_1203497.jpg"
---

#  It is impossible to talk of respect for students for the…

![“It is impossible to talk of respect for students for the dignity that is in the process of coming to be, for the identities that are in the process of construction, without taking into consideration the conditions in which they are living and the importance of the knowledge derived from life…” quote by Paulo Freire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f9/paulo-freire-1551_conditions_it-is-impossible-to-talk-of-respect-for_1203497.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f9/paulo-freire-1551_conditions_it-is-impossible-to-talk-of-respect-for_1203497.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f9/paulo-freire-1551_conditions_it-is-impossible-to-talk-of-respect-for_1203497.jpg)

> “It is impossible to talk of respect for students for the dignity that is in the process of coming to be, for the identities that are in the process of construction, without taking into consideration the conditions in which they are living and the importance of the knowledge derived from life experience, which they bring with them to school. I can in no way underestimate such knowledge. Or what is worse, ridicule it.”

[Paulo Freire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-freire/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Respect for students must consider their lived conditions and the knowledge they bring, not dismiss or ridicule it.

**In simple terms:** Acknowledge students' life experience and context.

Key Takeaway

Value and integrate students' lived knowledge.

Themes

education respect identity social justice

Mood

reflective empathetic critical

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- classroom discussions
- curriculum design
- student mentorship
- community projects

Key Concepts

constructivism critical pedagogy cultural capital

Questions to Reflect On

- How can teachers honor students' backgrounds?
- What practices reveal hidden knowledge?

A Different Perspective

Ignoring context can perpetuate oppression and alienate learners.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Consideration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consideration/) [Construction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/construction/) [Dignity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dignity/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Educational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/educational/) [Identity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/identity/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life experience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-experience/) [Literature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/literature/) [Philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy/) [Process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/process/) [Respect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/respect/) [Ridicule](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ridicule/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [Students](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/students/)

## Related quotes

> [I have always had the greatest respect for students. There is nothing I hate more than condescension—the attitude that they are inferior to you.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-van-doren/i-have-always-had-the-greatest-respect-for-students-there-is-nothing/)

[Mark Van Doren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-van-doren/)

> [I look forward to the opportunity to continue to push for the welfare of our students and the dignity of our educators' work in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-lujan-grisham/i-look-forward-to-the-opportunity-to-continue-to-push-for-the-welfare/)

[Michelle Lujan Grisham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-lujan-grisham/)

> [“2-Make eye contact. When someone is speaking, keep your eyes on him or her at all times. If someone makes a comment, turn and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-clark/2-make-eye-contact-when-someone-is-speaking-keep-your-eyes-on-him-or/)

[Ron Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-clark/)

> [The dyed-in-the-wool teacher takes everything seriously only with respect to his students--himself included.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/the-dyed-in-the-wool-teacher-takes-everything-seriously-only-with/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [Mr. McVicker instilled self-respect in those of us who were his students, because he respected us regardless of our background,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmad-jamal/mr-mcvicker-instilled-self-respect-in-those-of-us-who-were-his/)

[Ahmad Jamal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmad-jamal/)

> [If we respect students abilities to define their own experiences, to generate their own hypotheses, and to discover new ways of categorizing the world,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-langer/if-we-respect-students-abilities-to-define-their-own-experiences-to/)

[Ellen Langer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-langer/)

> [I know the Muslim psychology. It is all pomposity and bravado. I give you my word that if Islam is ridiculed publicly and systematically,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-sina/i-know-the-muslim-psychology-it-is-all-pomposity-and-bravado-i-give/)

[Ali Sina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-sina/)

> [RIDICULE, n. Words designed to show that the person of whom they are uttered is devoid of the dignity of character distinguishing him who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/ridicule-n-words-designed-to-show-that-the-person-of-whom-they-are/)

[Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/)

> [Nothing but free argument, raillery and even ridicule will preserve the purity of religion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/nothing-but-free-argument-raillery-and-even-ridicule-will-preserve/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [We must be talented, powerful and resilient creatures indeed given how much we manage to produce despite the constant undercutting, ridicule and needless censorship…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth/we-must-be-talented-powerful-and-resilient-creatures-indeed-given-how/)

[Seth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth/)

> [The left wants to transform America away from founding ideals, and this is it. And they know it. And they're doing everything they, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/the-left-wants-to-transform-america-away-from-founding-ideals-and/)

[Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/)

> [“Blaming therapy, social work and other caring professions for the confabulation of testimony of 'satanic ritual abuse' legitimated a programme of political and social…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-salter/blaming-therapy-social-work-and-other-caring-professions-for-the/)

[Michael Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-salter/)

> [A lost love. Deny it who will, ridicule it, treat it as mere imagination and sentiment, the thing is and will be; and women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dinah-maria-murlock-craik/a-lost-love-deny-it-who-will-ridicule-it-treat-it-as-mere-imagination/)

[Dinah Maria Murlock Craik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dinah-maria-murlock-craik/)

> [It rolls off my back. Ridicule doesn't mean anything - even from people you're supposed to wear knee pads around, like the scientific community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-schultz/it-rolls-off-my-back-ridicule-doesn-t-mean-anything-even-from-people/)

[Dwight Schultz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-schultz/)

> [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/)

[Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/)

## More by Paulo Freire

> [The teacher is of course an artist, but being an artist does not mean that he or she can make the profile, can shape…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-freire/the-teacher-is-of-course-an-artist-but-being-an-artist-does-not-mean/)

[Paulo Freire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-freire/)

> [“if i am not in the world simply to adapt to it, but rather transform it, and if it is not possible to change…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-freire/if-i-am-not-in-the-world-simply-to-adapt-to-it-but-rather-transform/)

[Paulo Freire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-freire/)

> [The earliest language was body language and, since this language is the language of questions, if we limit the questions, and if we only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-freire/the-earliest-language-was-body-language-and-since-this-language-is/)

[Paulo Freire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-freire/)

> [The behavior and reactions of the oppressed, which lead the oppressor to practice cultural invasion, should evoke from the revolutionary a different theory of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-freire/the-behavior-and-reactions-of-the-oppressed-which-lead-the-oppressor/)

[Paulo Freire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-freire/)

> [“The fact that certain members of the oppressor class join the oppressed in their struggle for liberation, thus moving from one pole of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-freire/the-fact-that-certain-members-of-the-oppressor-class-join-the/)

[Paulo Freire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-freire/)

> [“When a word is deprived of its dimension of action,reflection automatically suffers as well and the word is changed into idle chatter, into verbalism,into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-freire/when-a-word-is-deprived-of-its-dimension-of-action-reflection/)

[Paulo Freire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-freire/)

> [A reader does not suddenly comprehend what is being read or studied, in a snap, miraculously. Comprehension needs to be worked forged, by those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-freire/a-reader-does-not-suddenly-comprehend-what-is-being-read-or-studied/)

[Paulo Freire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-freire/)

> [“If I do not love the world, if I do not love life, if I do not love people, I cannot enter into dialogue.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-freire/if-i-do-not-love-the-world-if-i-do-not-love-life-if-i-do-not-love/)

[Paulo Freire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-freire/)

> [ \[Humans'\] capacity to intervene, to compare, to judge, to decide, to choose, to desist makes them capable of acts of greatness, of dignity, and,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-freire/humans-capacity-to-intervene-to-compare-to-judge-to-decide-to-choose/)

[Paulo Freire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-freire/)

> [If I am a pure product of genetic, cultural, or class determination, I have no responsibility for my action in the world and, therefore,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-freire/if-i-am-a-pure-product-of-genetic-cultural-or-class-determination-i/)

[Paulo Freire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-freire/)

> [“To begin always anew, to make, to reconstruct, and to not spoil, to refuse to bureaucratize the mind, to understand and to live life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-freire/to-begin-always-anew-to-make-to-reconstruct-and-to-not-spoil-to/)

[Paulo Freire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-freire/)

> [“The man or woman who proclaims devotion to the cause of liberation yet is unable to enter into communion with the people, whom he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-freire/the-man-or-woman-who-proclaims-devotion-to-the-cause-of-liberation/)

[Paulo Freire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-freire/)

> [One cannot expect positive results from an educational or political action program which fails to respect the particular view of the world held by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-freire/one-cannot-expect-positive-results-from-an-educational-or-political/)

[Paulo Freire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-freire/)

> [Any situation in which some men prevent others from engaging in the process of inquiry is one of violence;… to alienate humans from their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-freire/any-situation-in-which-some-men-prevent-others-from-engaging-in-the/)

[Paulo Freire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-freire/)

> [Educators need to know what happens in the world of the children with whom they work. They need to know the universe of their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-freire/educators-need-to-know-what-happens-in-the-world-of-the-children-with/)

[Paulo Freire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-freire/)

[Explore all 223 Paulo Freire quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-freire/)

## More Conditions quotes

> [One can put some trust in the gratitude of a sovereign, and also in that of his family; under certain conditions, one can even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-von-bismarck/one-can-put-some-trust-in-the-gratitude-of-a-sovereign-and-also-in/)

[Otto von Bismarck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-von-bismarck/)

> [Most celebrated men live in a condition of prostitution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-augustin-sainte-beuve/most-celebrated-men-live-in-a-condition-of-prostitution/)

[Charles Augustin Sainte-Beuve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-augustin-sainte-beuve/)

> [It's easier to change a law than an age-old mentality. Deep down, many prejudices, many hostilities, many fears persist. But if we take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dacia-maraini/it-s-easier-to-change-a-law-than-an-age-old-mentality-deep-down-many/)

[Dacia Maraini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dacia-maraini/)

> [I can still function when I don't have that balance I crave. I had a tendency to be precious about acting, thinking of it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-regan/i-can-still-function-when-i-don-t-have-that-balance-i-crave-i-had-a/)

[Laura Regan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-regan/)

> [History is, in its essentials, the science of change. It knows and it teaches that it is impossible to find two events that are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-bloch/history-is-in-its-essentials-the-science-of-change-it-knows-and-it/)

[Marc Bloch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-bloch/)

> [The average condition of the people improving or deteriorating, depends upon whether population is advancing faster than improvement, or improvement than population.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/the-average-condition-of-the-people-improving-or-deteriorating/)

[John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/)

> [A good aim surveys the present state of experience of pupils, and forming a tentative plan of treatment, keeps the plan constantly in view…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/a-good-aim-surveys-the-present-state-of-experience-of-pupils-and/)

[John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/)

> [The God in whose hands are all our days and ways, did cast into my hand one day a book of Martin Luthers; it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bunyan/the-god-in-whose-hands-are-all-our-days-and-ways-did-cast-into-my/)

[John Bunyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bunyan/)

> [It clearly follows that to make men moral it is necessary to make their social environment moral. And that can be done in only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bakunin/it-clearly-follows-that-to-make-men-moral-it-is-necessary-to-make/)

[Mikhail Bakunin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bakunin/)

> [Importunity is a condition of prayer. We are to press the matter, not with vain repetitions, but with urgent repetitions. We repeat, not to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-mckendree-bounds/importunity-is-a-condition-of-prayer-we-are-to-press-the-matter-not/)

[Edward McKendree Bounds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-mckendree-bounds/)

> [The so-called evils are evils only in relation to a certain thing, and that which is evil in relation to a certain existing thing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maimonides/the-so-called-evils-are-evils-only-in-relation-to-a-certain-thing-and/)

[Maimonides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maimonides/)

> [Experiences in order to be educative must lead out into an expanding world of subject matter, a subject matter of facts or information and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/experiences-in-order-to-be-educative-must-lead-out-into-an-expanding/)

[John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/)

> [A social group can, indeed must, already exercise 'leadership' before winning governmental power (this is indeed one of the principal conditions for the winning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-gramsci/a-social-group-can-indeed-must-already-exercise-leadership-before/)

[Antonio Gramsci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-gramsci/)

> [I'm a Christian because Christianity names and addresses sin. It acknowledges the reality that the evil we observe in the world is also present…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-held-evans/i-m-a-christian-because-christianity-names-and-addresses-sin-it/)

[Rachel Held Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-held-evans/)

> [Changes in human conditions are brought about by the pioneering of the cleverest and most energetic men. They take the lead and the rest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/changes-in-human-conditions-are-brought-about-by-the-pioneering-of/)

[Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/)

Browse all 4,249 Conditions quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "It is impossible to talk of respect for students for the dignity that is in the process of coming to be, for the identities that are in the process of construction, without taking into consideration the conditions in which they are living and the importance of the knowledge derived from life experience, which they bring with them to school. I can in no way underestimate such knowledge. Or what is worse, ridicule it.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Paulo Freire"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-freire/it-is-impossible-to-talk-of-respect-for-students-for-the-dignity-that/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Conditions"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-freire/it-is-impossible-to-talk-of-respect-for-students-for-the-dignity-that/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f9/paulo-freire-1551_conditions_it-is-impossible-to-talk-of-respect-for_1203497.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f9/paulo-freire-1551_conditions_it-is-impossible-to-talk-of-respect-for_1203497.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f9/paulo-freire-1551_conditions_it-is-impossible-to-talk-of-respect-for_1203497.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It is impossible to talk of respect for students for the dignity that is in the process of coming to be, for…” — Paulo Freire",
                "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": "Paulo Freire",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-freire/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "It is impossible to talk of...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-freire/it-is-impossible-to-talk-of-respect-for-students-for-the-dignity-that/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-freire/it-is-impossible-to-talk-of-respect-for-students-for-the-dignity-that/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
