Explanation Quote by Robert E. Coleman
““Knowledge was gained by association before it was understood by explanation.””
About This Quote
Source Book: The Art of Learning, Robert E. Coleman, 1992
Learning often starts through linking ideas or experiences before we can articulate the underlying principles.
In simple terms: We first learn by connecting things, then by explaining them.
Key Takeaway
Seek patterns before demanding explanations.
Themes
learning
association
understanding
Mood
curious
reflective
Type
educational
philosophical
When to use this quote
- education
- research
- skill acquisition
- problem solving
Key Concepts
cognitive psychology
constructivism
Questions to Reflect On
- How can you use analogy to grasp new concepts?
- When does explanation hinder deeper insight?
A Different Perspective
Explanation alone may miss intuitive insights that arise from lived experience.
![“They [scientists of centuries past] call on God only from the lonely and precarious edge of incomprehension. Where they feel certain about their explanations, however, God gets hardly a mention.” quote by Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/0b0/neil-degrasse-tyson-143_century_they-scientists-of-centuries-past-call-o_12921.jpg)
![“[Barack Obama] will spend long periods of time explaining to people why he won't use it. At the end of the explanation, nobody knows why he still won't use it because the explanation is no good. And I mean, honestly we have a president that in my opinion really doesn't know what he's doing.” quote by Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/eb3/donald-trump-18_barack_barack-obama-will-spend-long-periods-of_29283.jpg)
