--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In general, higher education does not…" description: "\"In general, higher education does not know how to speak for its interests. It offers a stance that is defensive, cowardly and likely to be ineffective...." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/13f/stanley-fish-17633_cowardly_in-general-higher-education-does-not-kno_2129226.jpg" --- # In general, higher education does not know how to speak… ![“In general, higher education does not know how to speak for its interests. It offers a stance that is defensive, cowardly and likely to be ineffective.” quote by Stanley Fish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/13f/stanley-fish-17633_cowardly_in-general-higher-education-does-not-kno_2129226.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/13f/stanley-fish-17633_cowardly_in-general-higher-education-does-not-kno_2129226.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/13f/stanley-fish-17633_cowardly_in-general-higher-education-does-not-kno_2129226.jpg) > “In general, higher education does not know how to speak for its interests. It offers a stance that is defensive, cowardly and likely to be ineffective.” [Stanley Fish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-fish/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Higher education often avoids advocating for its own interests, resulting in defensive, ineffective stances. **In simple terms:** Universities stay silent about their needs. Key Takeaway Speak up for institutional interests. Themes education policy institutional identity public discourse Mood critical reflective Type political analytical When to use this quote - faculty meetings - board discussions - public debates - policy lobbying Key Concepts defensiveness ineffectiveness Questions to Reflect On - Why do institutions stay defensive? - What would effective advocacy look like? A Different Perspective Risk of appearing self‑serving. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cowardly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cowardly/) [Cowardly Likely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cowardly-likely-4381400/) [Defensive Cowardly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defensive-cowardly-4381399/) [Doe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doe/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Education Does](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education-does/) [Higher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/higher/) [Higher Ed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/higher-ed/) [Higher education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/higher-education/) [Interest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interest/) [Offers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/offers/) [Offers Stance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/offers-stance-4381401/) [Speak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speak/) [Stance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stance/) ## Related quotes > [The chief wonder of education is that it does not ruin everybody concerned in it, teachers and taught.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-adams/the-chief-wonder-of-education-is-that-it-does-not-ruin-everybody/) [Henry Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-adams/) > [If our education system does not continue to improve and be enhanced and be innovative and almost be revolutionary, then we will continue to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-iii/if-our-education-system-does-not-continue-to-improve-and-be-enhanced/) [Martin Luther King III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-iii/) > [Custodial education does not have as its objective the education of youth but rather social control over them. It suppresses rather than stimulates their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-conyers/custodial-education-does-not-have-as-its-objective-the-education-of/) [John Conyers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-conyers/) > [Education is a matter of the spirit. No wiser word has been said on the subject, and yet we persist in applying education from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-mason/education-is-a-matter-of-the-spirit-no-wiser-word-has-been-said-on/) [Charlotte Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-mason/) > [Home is really where education does begin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mccullough/home-is-really-where-education-does-begin/) [David McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mccullough/) > [True education does not consist merely in the acquiring of a few facts of science, history, literature, or art, but in the development of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-o-mckay/true-education-does-not-consist-merely-in-the-acquiring-of-a-few/) [David O. McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-o-mckay/) > [“I want to kidnap kids and force them to take useless tests all day long. Wait, that’s what our public education system already does.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/i-want-to-kidnap-kids-and-force-them-to-take-useless-tests-all-day/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [Today, education does not give you the wisdom and the understanding; it only indoctrinates you to believe something. So the mind knows very less…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lobsang-tenzin/today-education-does-not-give-you-the-wisdom-and-the-understanding-it/) [Lobsang Tenzin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lobsang-tenzin/) > [An education which does not teach us to discriminate between good and bad, to assimilate the one and eschew the other, is a misnomer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/an-education-which-does-not-teach-us-to-discriminate-between-good-and/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [Education does not mean jamming information into somebody's head. Rather, it's that ancient idea that all knowledge is within us; to teach is to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-arkin/education-does-not-mean-jamming-information-into-somebody-s-head/) [Alan Arkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-arkin/) > [The armoury of having any academic education does not necessarily set you up for being a good or better actor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benedict-cumberbatch/the-armoury-of-having-any-academic-education-does-not-necessarily-set/) [Benedict Cumberbatch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benedict-cumberbatch/) > [“Modern education does no favour to the children it is supposed to teach when it de-emphasizes facts; although facts are not the only important…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-eysenck/modern-education-does-no-favour-to-the-children-it-is-supposed-to/) [Hans Eysenck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-eysenck/) > [“Education does more than prepare us for careers and expand our minds. It enlarges our world—the number of people with whom we can connect.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-beckwith/education-does-more-than-prepare-us-for-careers-and-expand-our-minds/) [Harry Beckwith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-beckwith/) > [Our public education system does a great job. I don't think it's broken. We aren't interested in doing reform for reform's sake. I believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-juneau/our-public-education-system-does-a-great-job-i-don-t-think-it-s/) [Denise Juneau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-juneau/) > [An education that does not teach clear, coherent writing cannot provide our world with thoughtful adults; it gives us instead, at the best, clever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-mitchell/an-education-that-does-not-teach-clear-coherent-writing-cannot/) [Richard Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-mitchell/) ## More by Stanley Fish > [We in universities are not in the democracy business. What we do, when we're doing it, is teach and learn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-fish/we-in-universities-are-not-in-the-democracy-business-what-we-do-when/) [Stanley Fish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-fish/) > [“My God, my God, thou art a direct God, may I not say a literal God, a God that wouldst be understood literally and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-fish/my-god-my-god-thou-art-a-direct-god-may-i-not-say-a-literal-god-a-god/) [Stanley Fish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-fish/) > [Freedom of speech is not an academic value. Accuracy of speech is an academic value; completeness of speech is an academic value; relevance of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-fish/freedom-of-speech-is-not-an-academic-value-accuracy-of-speech-is-an/) [Stanley Fish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-fish/) > [“Justification, after all, confers value on an activity from a perspective outside its performance. An activity that cannot be justified is an activity that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-fish/justification-after-all-confers-value-on-an-activity-from-a/) [Stanley Fish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-fish/) > [Belief and knowledge are considered to be two different things. But they are not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-fish/belief-and-knowledge-are-considered-to-be-two-different-things-but/) [Stanley Fish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-fish/) > [A pro-choice advocate sees abortion as a decision to be made in accordance with the best scientific opinion as to when the beginning of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-fish/a-pro-choice-advocate-sees-abortion-as-a-decision-to-be-made-in/) [Stanley Fish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-fish/) > [Know what makes a sentence more than a random list, practice constructing sentences and explaining what you have done, and you will know how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-fish/know-what-makes-a-sentence-more-than-a-random-list-practice/) [Stanley Fish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-fish/) > [I do not support abortion rights. Although what I would support in this vexed area is not clear to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-fish/i-do-not-support-abortion-rights-although-what-i-would-support-in/) [Stanley Fish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-fish/) > [Opinion-sharing sessions are like junk food: they fill you up with starch and leave you feeling both sated and hungry. A sustained inquiry into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-fish/opinion-sharing-sessions-are-like-junk-food-they-fill-you-up-with/) [Stanley Fish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-fish/) > [People write or speak sentences in order to produce an effect, and the success of a sentence is measured by the degree to which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-fish/people-write-or-speak-sentences-in-order-to-produce-an-effect-and-the/) [Stanley Fish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-fish/) > [Many people on the political left found my work psychologically liberating. They began to say: once you realize that standards emerge historically, then you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-fish/many-people-on-the-political-left-found-my-work-psychologically/) [Stanley Fish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-fish/) > [“In his great book How to Do Things with Words (1962), J.L. Austin considers the apparently simple sentence "France is hexagonal." He asks if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-fish/in-his-great-book-how-to-do-things-with-words-1962-j-l-austin/) [Stanley Fish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-fish/) > [Any idea can be brought into the classroom if the point is to inquire into its structure, history, influence and so forth. But no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-fish/any-idea-can-be-brought-into-the-classroom-if-the-point-is-to-inquire/) [Stanley Fish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-fish/) > [It is always incorrect to assume you can know what someone's moral convictions are based on their philosophical theories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-fish/it-is-always-incorrect-to-assume-you-can-know-what-someone-s-moral/) [Stanley Fish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-fish/) > [It is of no help to us that there is an absolute truth of the matter of things because unfortunately, none of us are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-fish/it-is-of-no-help-to-us-that-there-is-an-absolute-truth-of-the-matter/) [Stanley Fish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-fish/) [Explore all 36 Stanley Fish quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-fish/) ## More Cowardly quotes > [A love to Christ which is so cowardly and selfish that it is unwilling to proclaim by a public confession its faith in Him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abbott-eliot-kittredge/a-love-to-christ-which-is-so-cowardly-and-selfish-that-it-is/) [Abbott Eliot Kittredge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abbott-eliot-kittredge/) > [Poor human nature, what horrible crimes have been committed in thy name! All wars are wars among thieves who are too cowardly to fight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-goldman/poor-human-nature-what-horrible-crimes-have-been-committed-in-thy/) [Emma Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-goldman/) > [The world, and the great and free United States in particular, is full of narrow-minded, ignorant, moronic, bigoted, cowardly, self-righteous, anemic, pig-headed, stupid, puritanical,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-atherton/the-world-and-the-great-and-free-united-states-in-particular-is-full/) [Gertrude Atherton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-atherton/) > [It is no less vain to wish death than it is cowardly to fear it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-sidney/it-is-no-less-vain-to-wish-death-than-it-is-cowardly-to-fear-it/) [Philip Sidney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-sidney/) > [Not to be cowardly when it comes to our own actions! Not to leave them in the lurch!--The sting of conscience is indecent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/not-to-be-cowardly-when-it-comes-to-our-own-actions-not-to-leave-them/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [To go behind a man's hall-door is mean, cowardly, unfair opposition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-woodhull/to-go-behind-a-man-s-hall-door-is-mean-cowardly-unfair-opposition/) [Victoria Woodhull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-woodhull/) > [You're obliged to pretend respect for people and institutions you think absurd. You live attached in a cowardly fashion to moral and social conventions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octave-mirbeau/you-re-obliged-to-pretend-respect-for-people-and-institutions-you/) [Octave Mirbeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octave-mirbeau/) > [ “\[...\] god's cowardly, it doesn't want to know or take responsibility for what it's doing.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-aylett/god-s-cowardly-it-doesn-t-want-to-know-or-take-responsibility-for/) [Steve Aylett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-aylett/) > [“I’m a coward.” “No—” “Don’t deny what we both know to be true.” Richard put his hand on Jonathan’s shoulder. “You are worn down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sondra-allan-carr/i-m-a-coward-no-don-t-deny-what-we-both-know-to-be-true-richard-put/) [Sondra Allan Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sondra-allan-carr/) > [We must be neither cowardly nor rash but courageous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/we-must-be-neither-cowardly-nor-rash-but-courageous/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [Blessed be those happy ages that were strangers to the dreadful fury of these devilish instruments of artillery, whose inventor I am satisfied is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-cervantes/blessed-be-those-happy-ages-that-were-strangers-to-the-dreadful-fury/) [Miguel de Cervantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-cervantes/) > [There is a time when to avoid trouble is to store up trouble, and when to seek for a lazy and a cowardly peace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-barclay/there-is-a-time-when-to-avoid-trouble-is-to-store-up-trouble-and-when/) [William Barclay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-barclay/) > [“You may say suicide is a loss of control and cowardly. Foolish as it may sound, I am prepared to argue.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-remy/you-may-say-suicide-is-a-loss-of-control-and-cowardly-foolish-as-it/) [Dee Remy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-remy/) > [“You are a man. You are an average, lazy, boring, cowardly, woman-fearing man. Without me, that's what you would have kept on being, ad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-flynn/you-are-a-man-you-are-an-average-lazy-boring-cowardly-woman-fearing/) [Gillian Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-flynn/) > [I believe that women are many different types of people. There are brave women, there are cowardly women, there are altruistic women, there are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-r-r-martin-2/i-believe-that-women-are-many-different-types-of-people-there-are/) [George R. R. Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-r-r-martin-2/) [Browse all 330 Cowardly quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cowardly/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In general, higher education does not know how to speak for its interests. 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