Education Quote by Robert M. Pirsig
““As a result of his experiments he concluded that imitation was a real evil that had to be broken before real rhetoric teaching could begin. This imitation seemed to be an external compulsion. Little children didn’t have it. It seemed to come later on, possibly as a result of school itself. That sounded right, and the more he thought about it the more right it sounded. Schools teach you to imitate. If you don’t imitate what the teacher wants you get a bad grade. Here, in college, it was more sophisticated, of course; you were supposed to imitate the teacher in such a way as to convince the teacher you were not imitating, but taking the essence of the instruction and going ahead with it on your own. That got you A’s. Originality on the other hand could get you anything – from A to F. The whole grading system cautioned against it.””
About This Quote
Source Book: Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig, 1974
The quote argues that formal education rewards imitation over true originality, making genuine creative thought risky for students.
In simple terms: School systems favor copying over real creativity.
Key Takeaway
Questionourage authentic thinking despite grading pressures.
Themes
education
creativity
conformity
assessment
originality
Mood
critical
reflective
Type
philosophical
analytical
When to use this quote
- college courses
- creative projects
- research papers
- student evaluations
Key Concepts
Pedagogy
authenticity
risk
evaluation
Questions to Reflect On
- How can educators reward genuine insight?
- What alternatives to grading could foster creativity?
A Different Perspective
Originality may be penalized by grades.
