--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Education is paradoxical in that it is…" description: "\"Education is paradoxical in that it is largely composed of things that cannot be learned\" — Roberto Calasso" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e21/roberto-calasso-33571_education_education-is-paradoxical-in-that-it-is-l_2074942.png" --- # Education is paradoxical in that it is largely composed of… ![“Education is paradoxical in that it is largely composed of things that cannot be learned” quote by Roberto Calasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e21/roberto-calasso-33571_education_education-is-paradoxical-in-that-it-is-l_2074942.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e21/roberto-calasso-33571_education_education-is-paradoxical-in-that-it-is-l_2074942.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e21/roberto-calasso-33571_education_education-is-paradoxical-in-that-it-is-l_2074942.png) > “Education is paradoxical in that it is largely composed of things that cannot be learned” [Roberto Calasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roberto-calasso/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Education often teaches concepts that cannot be directly experienced, highlighting its paradox. **In simple terms:** Learning can be abstract. Key Takeaway Embrace experiential learning. Themes education paradox knowledge learning Mood reflective thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - classroom teaching - online courses - self‑study - hands‑on workshops Key Concepts epistemology pedagogy philosophy Questions to Reflect On - Can abstract ideas be truly understood? - How to balance theory and practice? A Different Perspective Some knowledge is inherently unknowable. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Paradoxical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paradoxical/) ## Related quotes > [Beauty is composed of many things and never stands alone. It is part of horizons, blue in the distance, great primeval silences, knowledge of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigurd-f-olson/beauty-is-composed-of-many-things-and-never-stands-alone-it-is-part/) [Sigurd F. Olson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigurd-f-olson/) > [Pytheos made a mistake by not observing that the arts are each composed of two things, the actual work and the theory of it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-vitruvius-pollio/pytheos-made-a-mistake-by-not-observing-that-the-arts-are-each/) [Marcus Vitruvius Pollio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-vitruvius-pollio/) > [I think the things that I learned that stick with me are things you often repeat, even today, which is never stop learning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-hahn/i-think-the-things-that-i-learned-that-stick-with-me-are-things-you/) [Hilary Hahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-hahn/) > [One of the things I learned, one of the strangest things, is how to think. There was nothing else to do. I couldn't see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-pais/one-of-the-things-i-learned-one-of-the-strangest-things-is-how-to/) [Abraham Pais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-pais/) > [One of the joys of being an actor is that you're always learning new things. And I've been doing this since I was 19,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-gere/one-of-the-joys-of-being-an-actor-is-that-you-re-always-learning-new/) [Richard Gere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-gere/) > [We gather the things we learned, and they don't nearly add up to fill the space of a life. 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That's one of the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernandinho/i-learned-not-to-fight-against-the-many-bad-things-in-football-and/) [Fernandinho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernandinho/) > [Let me tell you girls the three most important things I learned about life: Number one: Hold fast to your friends; number two: There's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/estelle-getty/let-me-tell-you-girls-the-three-most-important-things-i-learned-about/) [Estelle Getty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/estelle-getty/) > [So we led our lives in nature and spent a lot of time together as a family. That's how we picked things up and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akiane-kramarik/so-we-led-our-lives-in-nature-and-spent-a-lot-of-time-together-as-a/) [Akiane Kramarik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akiane-kramarik/) > [“In sum, one of the primary things I learned was how to kill time. I learned also to wish away my life. I learned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derrick-jensen/in-sum-one-of-the-primary-things-i-learned-was-how-to-kill-time-i/) [Derrick Jensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derrick-jensen/) ## More by Roberto Calasso > [The author is the successor of the saint, everyone respects the author.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberto-calasso/the-author-is-the-successor-of-the-saint-everyone-respects-the-author/) [Roberto Calasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roberto-calasso/) > [Myth is never a single story. It is always a tree with many branches.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberto-calasso/myth-is-never-a-single-story-it-is-always-a-tree-with-many-branches/) [Roberto Calasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roberto-calasso/) > [“Maybe I’m inclined to what Nietzsche called “impure thought,” that is to say, a kind of thought where abstractions are so mixed with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberto-calasso/maybe-i-m-inclined-to-what-nietzsche-called-impure-thought-that-is-to/) [Roberto Calasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roberto-calasso/) > [“As the Greeks see it, elegance arises from excavation, from the cavity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberto-calasso/as-the-greeks-see-it-elegance-arises-from-excavation-from-the-cavity/) [Roberto Calasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roberto-calasso/) > [Whatever else it might be, the divine is certainly the thing that imposes with maximum intensity the sensation of being alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberto-calasso/whatever-else-it-might-be-the-divine-is-certainly-the-thing-that/) [Roberto Calasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roberto-calasso/) > [The monster does not need the hero. it is the hero who needs him for his very existence. When the hero confronts the monster,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberto-calasso/the-monster-does-not-need-the-hero-it-is-the-hero-who-needs-him-for/) [Roberto Calasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roberto-calasso/) > [“They had to stir the churn of the ocean, until the soma floated up, as butter floats from milk. 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That is what is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberto-calasso/we-establish-a-connection-with-the-unknown-through-the-act-of-giving/) [Roberto Calasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roberto-calasso/) > [Wendy Doniger has spent decades collecting not only myths from ancient texts but stories of all kinds from novels, movies, newspapers about an old…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberto-calasso/wendy-doniger-has-spent-decades-collecting-not-only-myths-from/) [Roberto Calasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roberto-calasso/) > [“Baudelaire was far more than a great poet. He established the keyboard of a sensibility that still lives within us, if we are not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberto-calasso/baudelaire-was-far-more-than-a-great-poet-he-established-the-keyboard/) [Roberto Calasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roberto-calasso/) [Explore all 13 Roberto Calasso quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roberto-calasso/) ## 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. 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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": "Education is paradoxical in that it is largely composed of things that cannot be learned", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Roberto Calasso" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberto-calasso/education-is-paradoxical-in-that-it-is-largely-composed-of-things/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Education" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberto-calasso/education-is-paradoxical-in-that-it-is-largely-composed-of-things/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e21/roberto-calasso-33571_education_education-is-paradoxical-in-that-it-is-l_2074942.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e21/roberto-calasso-33571_education_education-is-paradoxical-in-that-it-is-l_2074942.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e21/roberto-calasso-33571_education_education-is-paradoxical-in-that-it-is-l_2074942.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Education is paradoxical in that it is largely composed of things that cannot be learned” — Roberto Calasso", "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": "Roberto Calasso", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roberto-calasso/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Education is paradoxical in that it...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberto-calasso/education-is-paradoxical-in-that-it-is-largely-composed-of-things/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberto-calasso/education-is-paradoxical-in-that-it-is-largely-composed-of-things/#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 } } ] } ```