--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There weren't any schools in my village…" description: "\"There weren't any schools in my village, so I learnt to read and write from my mother. I played in the fields, sowing seeds, working with animals, jump..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/029/sonam-wangchuk-17960_climbing-trees_there-weren-t-any-schools-in-my-village_123398.jpg" --- # There weren't any schools in my village, so I learnt to… ![“There weren't any schools in my village, so I learnt to read and write from my mother. I played in the fields, sowing seeds, working with animals, jumping in the river, climbing trees.” quote by Sonam Wangchuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/029/sonam-wangchuk-17960_climbing-trees_there-weren-t-any-schools-in-my-village_123398.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/029/sonam-wangchuk-17960_climbing-trees_there-weren-t-any-schools-in-my-village_123398.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/029/sonam-wangchuk-17960_climbing-trees_there-weren-t-any-schools-in-my-village_123398.jpg) > “There weren't any schools in my village, so I learnt to read and write from my mother. I played in the fields, sowing seeds, working with animals, jumping in the river, climbing trees.” [Sonam Wangchuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonam-wangchuk/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Learning outside formal schools, especially through family and hands‑on experiences, can foster practical knowledge and resilience. **In simple terms:** Self‑taught skills from daily life. Key Takeaway Informal learning builds competence. Themes education rural life self‑directed learning cultural heritage Mood nostalgic proud Type narrative reflective When to use this quote - home‑schooling - apprenticeships - community projects Key Concepts experiential learning intergenerational knowledge transfer Practical Applications - leverage family expertise - integrate play into skill acquisition Questions to Reflect On - What lessons have you learned outside the classroom? - How can you blend formal and informal education? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Climbing trees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/climbing-trees/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Read And Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/read-and-write/) [River](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/river/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [Sowing seeds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sowing-seeds/) [Trees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trees/) [Village](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/village/) [Working with animals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/working-with-animals/) ## Related quotes > [I learnt to read when I was five, and I think that is the most important thing that happened to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/i-learnt-to-read-when-i-was-five-and-i-think-that-is-the-most/) [Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/) > [I studied in Kerala, so learnt to read and write Malayalam.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keerthy-suresh/i-studied-in-kerala-so-learnt-to-read-and-write-malayalam/) [Keerthy Suresh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keerthy-suresh/) > [Every leaf of the tree becomes a page of the book, once the heart is opened and it has learnt to read.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/every-leaf-of-the-tree-becomes-a-page-of-the-book-once-the-heart-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“My first big break came when I was five years old. It's taken me more than seventy years to realise that. You see, at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-connery/my-first-big-break-came-when-i-was-five-years-old-it-s-taken-me-more/) [Sean Connery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-connery/) > [I actually quite like working with kids and I like working with animals, which is what everybody says you shouldn't do, because it makes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-pattinson/i-actually-quite-like-working-with-kids-and-i-like-working-with-2/) [Robert Pattinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-pattinson/) > [There is that thing about not working with animals and children - I don't think that's true. Although you should never work with donkeys.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-thompson/there-is-that-thing-about-not-working-with-animals-and-children-i-don/) [Emma Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-thompson/) > [I love working with horses. People say you shouldn't work with animals and children; that's wrong. You must only work with children, because you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-farrell/i-love-working-with-horses-people-say-you-shouldn-t-work-with-animals/) [Colin Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-farrell/) > [People fantasize about working with animals, and then they start doing it, and then they start to believe that they're indispensable and the animal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-goode/people-fantasize-about-working-with-animals-and-then-they-start-doing/) [Eric Goode](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-goode/) > [Before I became famous I had a very full life, and that gave me a lot to pick from. I always use everything. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyndi-lauper/before-i-became-famous-i-had-a-very-full-life-and-that-gave-me-a-lot/) [Cyndi Lauper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyndi-lauper/) > [Working with animals is always going to be tough because the animal doesn't know it's an actor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kit-harington/working-with-animals-is-always-going-to-be-tough-because-the-animal/) [Kit Harington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kit-harington/) > [Working with animals forces an actor to work harder because you have to be quick when it comes to improvisation, and you can't break…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyle-massey/working-with-animals-forces-an-actor-to-work-harder-because-you-have/) [Kyle Massey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyle-massey/) > [I've got a lot of people that are really good at taming animals and working with animals; and they can't explain how they do.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/temple-grandin/i-ve-got-a-lot-of-people-that-are-really-good-at-taming-animals-and/) [Temple Grandin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/temple-grandin/) > [I actually quite like working with kids and I like working with animals, which everybody says you shouldn't do. It makes you feel like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-pattinson/i-actually-quite-like-working-with-kids-and-i-like-working-with/) [Robert Pattinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-pattinson/) > [It is hard working with animals, I've got to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-dinklage/it-is-hard-working-with-animals-i-ve-got-to-say/) [Peter Dinklage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-dinklage/) > [I knew I wanted to sing when I was a very small boy. When I was probably 4 years old. My mother played a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-cash/i-knew-i-wanted-to-sing-when-i-was-a-very-small-boy-when-i-was/) [Johnny Cash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-cash/) ## More by Sonam Wangchuk > [The Indian government has been taking some lead in several environmental initiatives, like the international solar alliance, many green initiatives in schools, lots of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonam-wangchuk/the-indian-government-has-been-taking-some-lead-in-several/) [Sonam Wangchuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonam-wangchuk/) > [When I started my engineering, I had to support my education expenses; I was then studying in what is now the National Institute of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonam-wangchuk/when-i-started-my-engineering-i-had-to-support-my-education-expenses/) [Sonam Wangchuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonam-wangchuk/) > [Don't blame the child for forgetting lessons; make the lessons unforgettable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonam-wangchuk/don-t-blame-the-child-for-forgetting-lessons-make-the-lessons/) [Sonam Wangchuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonam-wangchuk/) > [Education needs to be linked with life and should take into count the ground situation in different parts of India.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonam-wangchuk/education-needs-to-be-linked-with-life-and-should-take-into-count-the/) [Sonam Wangchuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonam-wangchuk/) > [Ladakh has changed a lot. Flash floods are common, followed by drought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonam-wangchuk/ladakh-has-changed-a-lot-flash-floods-are-common-followed-by-drought/) [Sonam Wangchuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonam-wangchuk/) > [It is important to engage students by focussing at what they wanted to do, rather than forcing them to do something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonam-wangchuk/it-is-important-to-engage-students-by-focussing-at-what-they-wanted/) [Sonam Wangchuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonam-wangchuk/) > [I always say please live a simple life in the city so that we can lead a simple life in the mountains.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonam-wangchuk/i-always-say-please-live-a-simple-life-in-the-city-so-that-we-can/) [Sonam Wangchuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonam-wangchuk/) > [Ladakhi life is very fine-tuned with nature. We don't want it to become like cities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonam-wangchuk/ladakhi-life-is-very-fine-tuned-with-nature-we-don-t-want-it-to/) [Sonam Wangchuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonam-wangchuk/) > [Yes, though trained as an engineer, I shifted to education as I realized that the system needed to be changed; I saw so many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonam-wangchuk/yes-though-trained-as-an-engineer-i-shifted-to-education-as-i/) [Sonam Wangchuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonam-wangchuk/) > [A lot of times we hear that nothing good can happen in government schools. The reason nothing can happen is that the children of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonam-wangchuk/a-lot-of-times-we-hear-that-nothing-good-can-happen-in-government/) [Sonam Wangchuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonam-wangchuk/) > [I expect nothing from the government but I expect everything from people. There is a need to update ourselves, our values and lifestyle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonam-wangchuk/i-expect-nothing-from-the-government-but-i-expect-everything-from/) [Sonam Wangchuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonam-wangchuk/) > [I believe that schools of today with all their answers on science, technology, engineering and mathematics, above everything else, take us back to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonam-wangchuk/i-believe-that-schools-of-today-with-all-their-answers-on-science/) [Sonam Wangchuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonam-wangchuk/) > [We should choose simple ways of living... to live in harmony with nature by adopting simpler technologies and using natural resources innovatively.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonam-wangchuk/we-should-choose-simple-ways-of-living-to-live-in-harmony-with-nature/) [Sonam Wangchuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonam-wangchuk/) > [We in the Himalayas have the problem of glaciers melting away and we had to make our own glaciers and I don't consider them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonam-wangchuk/we-in-the-himalayas-have-the-problem-of-glaciers-melting-away-and-we/) [Sonam Wangchuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonam-wangchuk/) > [We need to explore our own deserts and land, which need to be healed and managed on the planet itself. It is not the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonam-wangchuk/we-need-to-explore-our-own-deserts-and-land-which-need-to-be-healed/) [Sonam Wangchuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonam-wangchuk/) [Explore all 36 Sonam Wangchuk quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonam-wangchuk/) ## More Climbing trees quotes > [I liked climbing trees and could often be found up one reading a book. I played games with Dad and drew maps for him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhianna-pratchett/i-liked-climbing-trees-and-could-often-be-found-up-one-reading-a-book/) [Rhianna Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhianna-pratchett/) > [Truthfully, I love being in the jungle. I love it when the make-up artists come to set, they come equipped with dirt and sweat.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evangeline-lilly/truthfully-i-love-being-in-the-jungle-i-love-it-when-the-make-up/) [Evangeline Lilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evangeline-lilly/) > [“All of us need just one good accomplishment in order to get by. Obviously he can't spend the rest of his life climbing trees,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruskin-bond/all-of-us-need-just-one-good-accomplishment-in-order-to-get-by/) [Ruskin Bond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruskin-bond/) > [“Our room swallowed light whole. Even in summer when sunlight glared through the windows, it was somehow dim inside. Now it was only Easter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-west/our-room-swallowed-light-whole-even-in-summer-when-sunlight-glared/) Mason West > [I grew up wearing trousers and climbing trees.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vicky-krieps/i-grew-up-wearing-trousers-and-climbing-trees/) [Vicky Krieps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vicky-krieps/) > [When I was 15, I still liked climbing trees and hiding in cupboards.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-coren-mitchell/when-i-was-15-i-still-liked-climbing-trees-and-hiding-in-cupboards/) [Victoria Coren Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-coren-mitchell/) > [I was never one of those little girls who played with baby dolls and picked names for her firstborn. I was playing in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-fallon/i-was-never-one-of-those-little-girls-who-played-with-baby-dolls-and/) [Jane Fallon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-fallon/) > [“I had started climbing trees about three years earlier, or rather, re-started; for I had been at a school that had a wood for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-macfarlane/i-had-started-climbing-trees-about-three-years-earlier-or-rather-re/) [Robert Macfarlane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-macfarlane/) > [“But love, first learnèd in a lady's eyes, Lives not alone immurèd in the brain, But, with the motion of all elements, Courses as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/but-love-first-learn-d-in-a-lady-s-eyes-lives-not-alone-immur-d-in/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Make time less precious. We are way too efficient, making use of every hour, every minute. When you were a kid, didn’t you just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caterina-fake/make-time-less-precious-we-are-way-too-efficient-making-use-of-every/) [Caterina Fake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caterina-fake/) > [Being a woman has only bothered me in climbing trees.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-perkins/being-a-woman-has-only-bothered-me-in-climbing-trees/) [Frances Perkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-perkins/) > [My life has become a reality show. When I am home, people are climbing trees with cameras. I feel that my personal space is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ranbir-kapoor/my-life-has-become-a-reality-show-when-i-am-home-people-are-climbing/) [Ranbir Kapoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ranbir-kapoor/) > [I'm an action transvestite really, so it's running, jumping, climbing trees putting on make-up when you're up there!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-izzard/i-m-an-action-transvestite-really-so-it-s-running-jumping-climbing/) [Eddie Izzard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-izzard/) > [Humans became easy prey when they moved from the forest to the savanna, which deprived them of the option of climbing trees to flee…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/humans-became-easy-prey-when-they-moved-from-the-forest-to-the/) [Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/) > [ “The woman \[Cadsuane\] looked at the battered tea things as if she had all the time in the world. “Now you know,” she said… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-jordan/the-woman-cadsuane-looked-at-the-battered-tea-things-as-if-she-had/) [Robert Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-jordan/) [Browse all 51 Climbing trees quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/climbing-trees/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There weren't any schools in my village, so I learnt to read and write from my mother. 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