--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's an old idea. It's arguably the first…" description: "\"It's an old idea. It's arguably the first way that people learn, that, hey, if you need to learn something, if you're having trouble with it, keep work..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/173/sal-khan-6851_education_it-s-an-old-idea-it-s-arguably-the-first_1188409.jpg" --- # It's an old idea. It's arguably the first way that people… ![“It's an old idea. It's arguably the first way that people learn, that, hey, if you need to learn something, if you're having trouble with it, keep working on it until you master it and then you go to a more advanced concept. But in the education systems that all of us grew up in, we all learned at…” quote by Sal Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/173/sal-khan-6851_education_it-s-an-old-idea-it-s-arguably-the-first_1188409.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/173/sal-khan-6851_education_it-s-an-old-idea-it-s-arguably-the-first_1188409.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/173/sal-khan-6851_education_it-s-an-old-idea-it-s-arguably-the-first_1188409.jpg) > “It's an old idea. It's arguably the first way that people learn, that, hey, if you need to learn something, if you're having trouble with it, keep working on it until you master it and then you go to a more advanced concept. But in the education systems that all of us grew up in, we all learned at a fixed pace.” [Sal Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sal-khan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Learning is iterative: master basics, then progress to advanced topics, though formal education often forces a uniform speed. **In simple terms:** Learn basics, then advance; schools often set fixed pace. Key Takeaway Embrace mastery before moving on. Themes education learning growth Mood thoughtful critical Type educational motivational When to use this quote - self‑study - skill acquisition - curriculum design - personalized learning Key Concepts mastery scaffolding fixed pacing Questions to Reflect On - What concepts could benefit from a mastery‑first approach? - How can schools allow flexible pacing? A Different Perspective Fixed pacing can demotivate learners who need more time. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Education system](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education-system/) ## Related quotes > [At the end of the day, I had to learn that it's all about having fun... na'mean?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-rock/at-the-end-of-the-day-i-had-to-learn-that-it-s-all-about-having-fun/) [Jay Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-rock/) > [You learn so much by having customers and figuring out what they want and keeping them satisfied.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bre-pettis/you-learn-so-much-by-having-customers-and-figuring-out-what-they-want/) [Bre Pettis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bre-pettis/) > [The concept of an education centered upon the care of the living being alters all previous ideas. 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At first blusha new idea appearstobe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-miller/a-genuine-invention-in-the-realm-of-ideas-must-first-emerge-as-an/) [Arthur Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-miller/) ## More by Sal Khan > [Teachers' unions don't act in the interest of most teachers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sal-khan/teachers-unions-don-t-act-in-the-interest-of-most-teachers/) [Sal Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sal-khan/) > [I think history shows us that there is not one credible credential that has come from the for-profit reality, and that is because the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sal-khan/i-think-history-shows-us-that-there-is-not-one-credible-credential/) [Sal Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sal-khan/) > [I love Victorian novels, the way they capture the nuances of the human condition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sal-khan/i-love-victorian-novels-the-way-they-capture-the-nuances-of-the-human/) [Sal Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sal-khan/) > [As my kids grow up, I think a lot about the lessons and values I want to impart to them. 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It needs to be brought into closer alignment with the world as it actually is, into closer harmony with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sal-khan/formal-education-must-change-it-needs-to-be-brought-into-closer/) [Sal Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sal-khan/) > [Our mission at Khan Academy is a free, world-class education for anyone, anywhere, and college readiness is a crucial part of that. 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The ancient universities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sal-khan/the-ancient-universities-was-not-as-based-on-how-many-credit-hours/) [Sal Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sal-khan/) [Explore all 97 Sal Khan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sal-khan/) ## 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": "It's an old idea. 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