--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Generally in life, knowledge is acquired…" description: "\"“Generally in life, knowledge is acquired to be used. But school learning more often fits Freire 's apt metaphor: knowledge is treated like money, to b..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebf/seymour-papert-12175_education_generally-in-life-knowledge-is-acquired_786575.png" --- # Generally in life, knowledge is acquired to be used. But… ![“Generally in life, knowledge is acquired to be used. But school learning more often fits Freire 's apt metaphor: knowledge is treated like money, to be put away in a bank for the future.” quote by Seymour Papert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebf/seymour-papert-12175_education_generally-in-life-knowledge-is-acquired_786575.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebf/seymour-papert-12175_education_generally-in-life-knowledge-is-acquired_786575.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebf/seymour-papert-12175_education_generally-in-life-knowledge-is-acquired_786575.png) > ““Generally in life, knowledge is acquired to be used. But school learning more often fits Freire 's apt metaphor: knowledge is treated like money, to be put away in a bank for the future.”” [Seymour Papert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seymour-papert/) ## 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 stores knowledge like savings, emphasizing future use rather than immediate application. **In simple terms:** School treats knowledge as a bank deposit. Key Takeaway Apply learning now, not just store it. Themes education knowledge application learning future Mood reflective critical inquisitive Type advice philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - classroom teaching - project-based learning - skill acquisition - career development Key Concepts constructivism pedagogy cognitive development Questions to Reflect On - How can we turn stored knowledge into action? - What barriers prevent immediate use of learning? A Different Perspective Knowledge may become outdated if not applied promptly. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Future](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/future/) [Knowledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knowledge/) [Learning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learning/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [Pedagogy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pedagogy/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) ## Related quotes > [“To begin always anew, to make, to reconstruct, and to not spoil, to refuse to bureaucratize the mind, to understand and to live life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-freire/to-begin-always-anew-to-make-to-reconstruct-and-to-not-spoil-to/) [Paulo Freire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-freire/) > [“(...) to be human is to be with humans. Humans are not merely in the world, they are with it and with one another.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-betz/to-be-human-is-to-be-with-humans-humans-are-not-merely-in-the-world/) Joseph Betz > [I spend so much time with the brightest and most talented and well-rounded people. 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And so I have something to offer that they do not.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yeonmi-park/more-important-while-these-students-were-in-school-i-was-learning/) [Yeonmi Park](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yeonmi-park/) > [In a short amount of time, I've lived so much, had so many experiences and met so many different types of people and even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-lawrence/in-a-short-amount-of-time-i-ve-lived-so-much-had-so-many-experiences/) [Jennifer Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-lawrence/) > [“Schools were built to create an efficient transfer of knowledge from one generation to the next, and that purpose is no longer valid. School…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grant-lichtman/schools-were-built-to-create-an-efficient-transfer-of-knowledge-from/) [Grant Lichtman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grant-lichtman/) > [“Not everyone in school is learning. Not everyone learning is in school”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saji-ijiyemi/not-everyone-in-school-is-learning-not-everyone-learning-is-in-school/) [Saji Ijiyemi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saji-ijiyemi/) > [The fundamental purpose of school is learning, not teaching.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dufour/the-fundamental-purpose-of-school-is-learning-not-teaching/) Richard DuFour > [One of the things that is very silly - and I hear from educators all the time - is that schools essentially teach kids…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricardo-semler/one-of-the-things-that-is-very-silly-and-i-hear-from-educators-all/) [Ricardo Semler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricardo-semler/) > [Marriage is a school of learning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/myles-munroe/marriage-is-a-school-of-learning/) [Myles Munroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/myles-munroe/) > [As a person, when I was seven or eight, my dad would try very hard to tutor me through school because I had learning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dichen-lachman/as-a-person-when-i-was-seven-or-eight-my-dad-would-try-very-hard-to/) [Dichen Lachman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dichen-lachman/) ## More by Seymour Papert > [We imagine a school in which students and teachers excitedly and joyfully stretch themselves to their limits in pursuit of projects built on their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seymour-papert/we-imagine-a-school-in-which-students-and-teachers-excitedly-and/) [Seymour Papert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seymour-papert/) > [It's not what you know about the computer that's important, but your ability to do things with it. By studying French in an academic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seymour-papert/it-s-not-what-you-know-about-the-computer-that-s-important-but-your/) [Seymour Papert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seymour-papert/) > [I prefer software where kids build something and run into problems they have to solve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seymour-papert/i-prefer-software-where-kids-build-something-and-run-into-problems/) [Seymour Papert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seymour-papert/) > [What the gears cannot do the computer might. The computer is the Proteus of machines. 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I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seymour-papert/this-frenzy-about-cyberporn-indicates-some-deeper-fear-of-adults-as/) [Seymour Papert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seymour-papert/) > [Rather than pushing children to think like adults, we might do better to remember that they are great learners and to try harder to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seymour-papert/rather-than-pushing-children-to-think-like-adults-we-might-do-better/) [Seymour Papert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seymour-papert/) > [Working with the computer gives rise to many opportunities to transcend asocial behavior, because it produces exciting and visually interesting things to share, whether…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seymour-papert/working-with-the-computer-gives-rise-to-many-opportunities-to/) [Seymour Papert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seymour-papert/) [Explore all 56 Seymour Papert quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seymour-papert/) ## 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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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": "“Generally in life, knowledge is acquired to be used. 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