--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I don’t know what’s the matter with…" description: "\"“I don’t know what’s the matter with people: they don’t learn by understanding, they learn by some other way—by rote or something. Their knowledge is s..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a7/seth-godin-152_education_i-don-t-know-what-s-the-matter-with-peop_2491583.png" --- # I don’t know what’s the matter with people: they don’t… ![“I don’t know what’s the matter with people: they don’t learn by understanding, they learn by some other way—by rote or something. Their knowledge is so fragile!” —Richard Feynman” quote by Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a7/seth-godin-152_education_i-don-t-know-what-s-the-matter-with-peop_2491583.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a7/seth-godin-152_education_i-don-t-know-what-s-the-matter-with-peop_2491583.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a7/seth-godin-152_education_i-don-t-know-what-s-the-matter-with-peop_2491583.png) > ““I don’t know what’s the matter with people: they don’t learn by understanding, they learn by some other way—by rote or something. Their knowledge is so fragile!” —Richard Feynman”” [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People often retain information superficially, learning by memorization rather than deep comprehension, making knowledge fragile **In simple terms:** Learning by rote creates shaky understanding Key Takeaway Seek deep comprehension, not just memorization Themes education learning knowledge fragility Mood frustration concern reflective Type educational philosophical When to use this quote - teaching - studying - skill development - exam preparation Key Concepts cognitive psychology metacognition learning theory Questions to Reflect On - How can we encourage deeper learning in classrooms? - What methods help transform rote knowledge into robust understanding? A Different Perspective Memorization can be efficient for quick recall but may fail under novel problems ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feynman/) [Knowledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knowledge/) [Knowledge Fragile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knowledge-fragile-970314/) [Learn Understanding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learn-understanding-970315/) [Learning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learning/) [Richard feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/richard-feynman/) ## Related quotes > [“They didn't put two and two together. They didn't even know what they knew. I don't know what's the matter with people, they don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/they-didn-t-put-two-and-two-together-they-didn-t-even-know-what-they/) [Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/) > [I don't know what's the matter with people: they don't learn by understanding, they learn by some other way — by rote or something.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/i-don-t-know-what-s-the-matter-with-people-they-don-t-learn-by-2/) [Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/) > [The late Richard Feynman, a superb physicist, said once as we talked about the laser that the way to tell a great idea is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-hard-townes/the-late-richard-feynman-a-superb-physicist-said-once-as-we-talked/) [Charles Hard Townes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-hard-townes/) > [Strange as it may seem, wrote Richard Feynman, we understand the distribution of matter in the interior of the Sun far better than we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/strange-as-it-may-seem-wrote-richard-feynman-we-understand-the/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [“The first principle is that you must not fool yourself—and you are the easiest person to fool. — RICHARD FEYNMAN”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-holiday/the-first-principle-is-that-you-must-not-fool-yourself-and-you-are-3/) [Ryan Holiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-holiday/) > [“Nobel Prize–winning physicist Richard Feynman explaining in an interview one of his less orthodox productivity strategies: To do real good physics work, you do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/nobel-prize-winning-physicist-richard-feynman-explaining-in-an/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) > [“Richard Feynman had to say this about energy in his 1961 lecture: “There is a fact, or if you wish, a law, governing all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dejan-stojanovic/richard-feynman-had-to-say-this-about-energy-in-his-1961-lecture/) [Dejan Stojanovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dejan-stojanovic/) > [“Richard P Feynman was fascinated by the Moon; he tried in earnest to see the Moon. But science could only see the Moon as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/avijeet-das/richard-p-feynman-was-fascinated-by-the-moon-he-tried-in-earnest-to/) [Avijeet Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/avijeet-das/) > [“Until I was twenty I was sure there was a being who could see everything I did and who didn't like most of it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/until-i-was-twenty-i-was-sure-there-was-a-being-who-could-see/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) > [ \[On Richard P. Feynman's live demonstration of the rigidity of the O-rings when cold that doomed the space shuttle Challenger, killing seven astronauts:\] The… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freeman-dyson/on-richard-p-feynman-s-live-demonstration-of-the-rigidity-of-the-o/) [Freeman Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freeman-dyson/) > [My faith in the expertise of physicists like Richard Feynman, for instance, permits me to endorse—and, if it comes to it, bet heavily on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/my-faith-in-the-expertise-of-physicists-like-richard-feynman-for/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Brighter Than a Thousand Suns' by Robert Jungk and 'Surely You're Joking, Mr Feynman!' by Richard Feynman were both books my father purchased for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baiju-bhatt/brighter-than-a-thousand-suns-by-robert-jungk-and-surely-you-re/) [Baiju Bhatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baiju-bhatt/) > [“First you guess. Don't laugh, this is the most important step. Then you compute the consequences. Compare the consequences to experience. If it disagrees…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/first-you-guess-don-t-laugh-this-is-the-most-important-step-then-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The reason Dick 's physics was so hard for ordinary people to grasp was that he did not use equations. The usual theoretical physics…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freeman-dyson/the-reason-dick-s-physics-was-so-hard-for-ordinary-people-to-grasp/) [Freeman Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freeman-dyson/) > [ \[Richard Feynman\] truly believed that if you couldn't explain something simply, you didn't understand it. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-susskind/richard-feynman-truly-believed-that-if-you-couldn-t-explain-something/) [Leonard Susskind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-susskind/) ## More by Seth Godin > [“You weren't born to be a cog in the giant industrial machine. You were trained to become a cog. There's an alternative available to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/you-weren-t-born-to-be-a-cog-in-the-giant-industrial-machine-you-were/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [Forgive yourself for not being the richest, the thinnest, the tallest, the one with the best hair. Forgive yourself for not being the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/forgive-yourself-for-not-being-the-richest-the-thinnest-the-tallest/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [The easier it is to quantify, the less it's worth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/the-easier-it-is-to-quantify-the-less-it-s-worth/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [Developing expertise or assets that are not easily copied is essential; otherwise you're just a middleman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/developing-expertise-or-assets-that-are-not-easily-copied-is/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [Leadership is a choice. It's the choice not to do nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/leadership-is-a-choice-it-s-the-choice-not-to-do-nothing/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [The next thing you do today will be the most important thing on your agenda, because, after all, you're doing it next. Well, perhaps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/the-next-thing-you-do-today-will-be-the-most-important-thing-on-your/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [I look at Starbucks, Howard Schultz has made many brilliant decisions, and one of the things that they did was they invented the third…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/i-look-at-starbucks-howard-schultz-has-made-many-brilliant-decisions/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [Be relentlessly generous, without focusing on when it will come back to you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/be-relentlessly-generous-without-focusing-on-when-it-will-come-back/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [The public square is more public than ever, but minds are rarely changed in 140 character bursts and by selfies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/the-public-square-is-more-public-than-ever-but-minds-are-rarely/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [Making an average pitch to average people, or having an average gala for average people isn't going to scale anymore. You've got to find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/making-an-average-pitch-to-average-people-or-having-an-average-gala/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [Our job is to make change. Our job is to connect to people, to interact with them in a way that leaves them better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/our-job-is-to-make-change-our-job-is-to-connect-to-people-to-interact/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [“Life is actually far better than it is in the movies. And it takes longer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/life-is-actually-far-better-than-it-is-in-the-movies-and-it-takes/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [I don't think there's a shortage of remarkable ideas. I think your business has plenty of great opportunities to do great things. Nope, what's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/i-don-t-think-there-s-a-shortage-of-remarkable-ideas-i-think-your/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [The mirror we hold up to the person next to us is one of the most important pictures she will ever see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/the-mirror-we-hold-up-to-the-person-next-to-us-is-one-of-the-most/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [If you're a marketer who doesn't know how to invent, design, influence, adapt, and ultimately discard products, then you're no longer a marketer. You're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/if-you-re-a-marketer-who-doesn-t-know-how-to-invent-design-influence/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) [Explore all 1,110 Seth Godin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) ## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-martinez/) > [“In school you are taught to obey and not to think straight for your own good. Otherwise the world would be full of millionaires…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mwanandeke-kindembo/in-school-you-are-taught-to-obey-and-not-to-think-straight-for-your/) [Mwanandeke Kindembo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mwanandeke-kindembo/) > [For successful education there must always be a certain freshness in the knowledge dealt with. It must be either new in itself or invested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/for-successful-education-there-must-always-be-a-certain-freshness-in/) [Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/) > [Where I grew up, learning was a collective activity. 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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": "“I don’t know what’s the matter with people: they don’t learn by understanding, they learn by some other way—by rote or something. Their knowledge is so fragile!” —Richard Feynman”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Seth Godin" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/i-don-t-know-what-s-the-matter-with-people-they-don-t-learn-by/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Education" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/i-don-t-know-what-s-the-matter-with-people-they-don-t-learn-by/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a7/seth-godin-152_education_i-don-t-know-what-s-the-matter-with-peop_2491583.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a7/seth-godin-152_education_i-don-t-know-what-s-the-matter-with-peop_2491583.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a7/seth-godin-152_education_i-don-t-know-what-s-the-matter-with-peop_2491583.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I don’t know what’s the matter with people: they don’t learn by understanding, they learn by some other…” — Seth Godin", "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": "Seth Godin", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“I don’t know what’s the matter...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/i-don-t-know-what-s-the-matter-with-people-they-don-t-learn-by/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/i-don-t-know-what-s-the-matter-with-people-they-don-t-learn-by/#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 } } ] } ```