--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I never learned anything at all in school…" description: "\"I never learned anything at all in school and didn't read a book for pleasure until I was 19 years old.\" — Stanley Kubrick" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1a/stanley-kubrick-3001_book_i-never-learned-anything-at-all-in-schoo_1017664.jpg" --- # I never learned anything at all in school and didn't read… ![“I never learned anything at all in school and didn't read a book for pleasure until I was 19 years old.” quote by Stanley Kubrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1a/stanley-kubrick-3001_book_i-never-learned-anything-at-all-in-schoo_1017664.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1a/stanley-kubrick-3001_book_i-never-learned-anything-at-all-in-schoo_1017664.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1a/stanley-kubrick-3001_book_i-never-learned-anything-at-all-in-schoo_1017664.jpg) > “I never learned anything at all in school and didn't read a book for pleasure until I was 19 years old.” [Stanley Kubrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-kubrick/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Formal education isn’t the only path to knowledge; personal curiosity can spark learning later in life. **In simple terms:** Learning can start late. Key Takeaway Pursue curiosity. Themes education self‑directed learning lifelong growth Mood inspirational thoughtful Type biographical motivational When to use this quote - career change - artistic pursuits - self‑study Key Concepts non‑traditional education creativity Questions to Reflect On - What motivates late learning? - How to integrate self‑study with work? A Different Perspective May undervalue formal training. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Learning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learning/) [Pleasure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pleasure/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) ## Related quotes > [At 19 years old, when I came out of St. John's, I was fresh out the 'hood. I was fresh out of Queensbridge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/metta-world-peace/at-19-years-old-when-i-came-out-of-st-john-s-i-was-fresh-out-the-hood/) [Metta World Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/metta-world-peace/) > [I was signed when I was 19 years old, in 1980. I went to Germany and France. Seeing the world at that time was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurtis-blow/i-was-signed-when-i-was-19-years-old-in-1980-i-went-to-germany-and/) [Kurtis Blow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurtis-blow/) > [EDM is here to stay. If you're 19 years old, this is your rock 'n' roll.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-rapino/edm-is-here-to-stay-if-you-re-19-years-old-this-is-your-rock-n-roll/) [Michael Rapino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-rapino/) > [What was I like in 1966? I was 19 years old, very confident, and life was a big adventure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-quick/what-was-i-like-in-1966-i-was-19-years-old-very-confident-and-life/) [Diana Quick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-quick/) > [I was very depressed after breaking off my engagement with Johnny ten years ago. I was embarrassingly dramatic at the time, but you have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winona-ryder/i-was-very-depressed-after-breaking-off-my-engagement-with-johnny-ten/) [Winona Ryder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winona-ryder/) > [When I look back at 19, coming here to Chicago, some of the things that were said, some of the stuff that you deal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luol-deng/when-i-look-back-at-19-coming-here-to-chicago-some-of-the-things-that/) [Luol Deng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luol-deng/) > [I was 19 years old, pumping gas and going nowhere. I was kind of a high school dropout at that point because I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-oates/i-was-19-years-old-pumping-gas-and-going-nowhere-i-was-kind-of-a-high/) [Adam Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-oates/) > [I completed my first novel when I was 19 years old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-steel/i-completed-my-first-novel-when-i-was-19-years-old/) [Danielle Steel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-steel/) > [When we have read a book or poem so often that we can no longer find any amusement in reading it by ourselves, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-smith/when-we-have-read-a-book-or-poem-so-often-that-we-can-no-longer-find/) [Adam Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-smith/) > [I picked up 'On Moral Fiction' in the bookstore and looked up myself in the index, but I didn't read it through. I try…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/i-picked-up-on-moral-fiction-in-the-bookstore-and-looked-up-myself-in/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [I was such a lazy teenager: I didn't read or play the piano beyond the bare minimum.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hough/i-was-such-a-lazy-teenager-i-didn-t-read-or-play-the-piano-beyond-the/) [Stephen Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hough/) > [I didn't read The Haunting of Hill House until sometime early in the 1990's.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-peter-blatty/i-didn-t-read-the-haunting-of-hill-house-until-sometime-early-in-the/) [William Peter Blatty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-peter-blatty/) > [“In my whole life, I have known no wise people (over a broad subject matter area) who didn't read all the time -- none,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-my-whole-life-i-have-known-no-wise-people-over-a-broad-subject/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Trump didn't read. He didn't really even skim. If it was print, it might as well not exist...He was postliterate -- total television.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/trump-didn-t-read-he-didn-t-really-even-skim-if-it-was-print-it-might/) [Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/) > [Don't believe something just because you didn't read it in the papers. Wait until you haven't seen it on television.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-kelly/don-t-believe-something-just-because-you-didn-t-read-it-in-the-papers/) [Walt Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-kelly/) ## More by Stanley Kubrick > [You know, I often thought that the gangster and the artist are the same in the eyes of the masses. They're admired and hero-worshipped…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-kubrick/you-know-i-often-thought-that-the-gangster-and-the-artist-are-the/) [Stanley Kubrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-kubrick/) > [Gee, I wish we had one of them doomsday machines things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-kubrick/gee-i-wish-we-had-one-of-them-doomsday-machines-things/) [Stanley Kubrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-kubrick/) > [You sit at the board and suddenly your heart leaps. Your hand trembles to pick up the piece and move it. But what chess…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-kubrick/you-sit-at-the-board-and-suddenly-your-heart-leaps-your-hand-trembles/) [Stanley Kubrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-kubrick/) > [It's a mistake to confuse pity with love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-kubrick/it-s-a-mistake-to-confuse-pity-with-love/) [Stanley Kubrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-kubrick/) > [Man isn't a noble savage, he's an ignoble savage. He is irrational, brutal, weak, silly, unable to be objective about anything where his own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-kubrick/man-isn-t-a-noble-savage-he-s-an-ignoble-savage-he-is-irrational/) [Stanley Kubrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-kubrick/) > [If it can be written, or thought, it can be filmed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-kubrick/if-it-can-be-written-or-thought-it-can-be-filmed/) [Stanley Kubrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-kubrick/) > [It's a passion when you're doing it for other people and you're doing it for the people around you making the film and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-kubrick/it-s-a-passion-when-you-re-doing-it-for-other-people-and-you-re-doing/) [Stanley Kubrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-kubrick/) > [New York was the only really hostile city. Perhaps there is a certain element of the lumpen literati that is so dogmatically atheist and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-kubrick/new-york-was-the-only-really-hostile-city-perhaps-there-is-a-certain/) [Stanley Kubrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-kubrick/) > [The screen is a magic medium. It has such power that it can retain interest as it conveys emotions and moods that no other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-kubrick/the-screen-is-a-magic-medium-it-has-such-power-that-it-can-retain/) [Stanley Kubrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-kubrick/) > [ “ \[When asked if he had ever learned anything about his work from film criticism\] No. To see a film once and write a… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-kubrick/when-asked-if-he-had-ever-learned-anything-about-his-work-from-film/) [Stanley Kubrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-kubrick/) > [However vast the darkness, we must supply our own light.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-kubrick/however-vast-the-darkness-we-must-supply-our-own-light/) [Stanley Kubrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-kubrick/) > [Bad films gave me the courage to try making a movie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-kubrick/bad-films-gave-me-the-courage-to-try-making-a-movie/) [Stanley Kubrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-kubrick/) > [How could we possibly appreciate the Mona Lisa if Leonardo had written at the bottom of the canvas: 'The lady is smiling because she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-kubrick/how-could-we-possibly-appreciate-the-mona-lisa-if-leonardo-had/) [Stanley Kubrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-kubrick/) > [When a man cannot choose, he ceases to be a man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-kubrick/when-a-man-cannot-choose-he-ceases-to-be-a-man/) [Stanley Kubrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-kubrick/) > [I will say that the God concept is at the heart of 2001 but not any traditional, anthromorphic image of God. I don't believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-kubrick/i-will-say-that-the-god-concept-is-at-the-heart-of-2001-but-not-any/) [Stanley Kubrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-kubrick/) [Explore all 143 Stanley Kubrick quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-kubrick/) ## More Book quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [I don't think I have made as much of my life as I should have. I should have written more books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/i-don-t-think-i-have-made-as-much-of-my-life-as-i-should-have-i/) [Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/) > [Some books are not read in the right way because they have skipped a stage of opinion, assume a crystallization of information in society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/some-books-are-not-read-in-the-right-way-because-they-have-skipped-a/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [“People talk about books that write themselves, and it's a lie. Books don't write themselves. It takes thought and research and a backache and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/people-talk-about-books-that-write-themselves-and-it-s-a-lie-books/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [There are great books in this world and great worlds in books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/there-are-great-books-in-this-world-and-great-worlds-in-books/) [Anne Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/) > [The purpose of this book is to supply, in the form suitable for laymen, guidance in the adoption and execution of an investment policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-purpose-of-this-book-is-to-supply-in-the-form-suitable-for-laymen/) [Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/) > [But I think that of all the literature that I studied, the book that did more than any other to fire my enthusiasm was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwame-nkrumah/but-i-think-that-of-all-the-literature-that-i-studied-the-book-that/) [Kwame Nkrumah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-nkrumah/) > [It's amazing to see things that are suggested in the book fully developed and so brilliantly realized through the artistry of the designers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/it-s-amazing-to-see-things-that-are-suggested-in-the-book-fully/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [“But I’ve developed a great reputation for wisdom by ordering more books than I ever had time to read, and reading more books, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/but-i-ve-developed-a-great-reputation-for-wisdom-by-ordering-more/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) [Browse all 29,378 Book quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I never learned anything at all in school and didn't read a book for pleasure until I was 19 years old.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Stanley Kubrick" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-kubrick/i-never-learned-anything-at-all-in-school-and-didn-t-read-a-book-for/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Book" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-kubrick/i-never-learned-anything-at-all-in-school-and-didn-t-read-a-book-for/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1a/stanley-kubrick-3001_book_i-never-learned-anything-at-all-in-schoo_1017664.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1a/stanley-kubrick-3001_book_i-never-learned-anything-at-all-in-schoo_1017664.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1a/stanley-kubrick-3001_book_i-never-learned-anything-at-all-in-schoo_1017664.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I never learned anything at all in school and didn't read a book for pleasure until I was 19 years old.” — Stanley Kubrick", "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": "Stanley Kubrick", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-kubrick/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I never learned anything at all...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-kubrick/i-never-learned-anything-at-all-in-school-and-didn-t-read-a-book-for/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-kubrick/i-never-learned-anything-at-all-in-school-and-didn-t-read-a-book-for/#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 } } ] } ```