--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Education in my family was not merely…" description: "\"Education in my family was not merely emphasized, it was our raison d'être. Virtually all of our aunts and uncles had Ph.D.s in science or engineering,..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac5/steven-chu-15304_aunt_education-in-my-family-was-not-merely-em_642199.jpg" --- # Education in my family was not merely emphasized, it was… ![“Education in my family was not merely emphasized, it was our raison d'être. Virtually all of our aunts and uncles had Ph.D.s in science or engineering, and it was taken for granted that the next generation of Chu's were to follow the family tradition. When the dust had settled, my two brothers and…” quote by Steven Chu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac5/steven-chu-15304_aunt_education-in-my-family-was-not-merely-em_642199.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac5/steven-chu-15304_aunt_education-in-my-family-was-not-merely-em_642199.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac5/steven-chu-15304_aunt_education-in-my-family-was-not-merely-em_642199.jpg) > “Education in my family was not merely emphasized, it was our raison d'être. Virtually all of our aunts and uncles had Ph.D.s in science or engineering, and it was taken for granted that the next generation of Chu's were to follow the family tradition. When the dust had settled, my two brothers and four cousins collected three MDs, four Ph.D.s and a law degree. I could manage only a single advanced degree.” [Steven Chu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-chu/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Family expectations shaped educational paths, making high achievement a cultural norm. **In simple terms:** Family pressure drove academic success. Key Takeaway Embrace personal goals beyond family expectations. Themes family expectations education achievement legacy Mood reflective motivational Type advice personal development When to use this quote - career planning - higher education decisions - family discussions - personal ambition Key Concepts sociocultural pressure identity formation Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance family tradition with personal desire? - What defines success for you? A Different Perspective May limit individual passion or alternative career paths. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Aunts and uncles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aunts-and-uncles/) [Brother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brother/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Engineering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/engineering/) [Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) [Family tradition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family-tradition/) [Generations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/generations/) [Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) [Next generation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/next-generation/) [Raison d'etre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/raison-d-etre/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Taken for granted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taken-for-granted/) [Tradition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tradition/) [Two brothers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/two-brothers/) ## Related quotes > [Education in my family was not merely emphasized, it was our raison d'etre.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-chu/education-in-my-family-was-not-merely-emphasized-it-was-our-raison-d-2/) [Steven Chu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-chu/) > [Education in our family was not merely emphasized, it was our raison d'etre ... In this family of accomplished scholars, I was to become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-chu/education-in-our-family-was-not-merely-emphasized-it-was-our-raison-d/) [Steven Chu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-chu/) > [“(Precocious children rarely grow up good). My aunts and uncles thought me quite atrocious. For using words more adult than I should”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-h-auden-2/precocious-children-rarely-grow-up-good-my-aunts-and-uncles-thought/) [W.H. Auden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-h-auden-2/) > [Imagine that you wanted your children to learn the names of all their cousins, aunts and uncles. But you never actually let them meet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-x-foley/imagine-that-you-wanted-your-children-to-learn-the-names-of-all-their/) Brian X. Foley > [The friends I have from childhood are definitely like family to me - extended sisters and brothers, aunts and uncles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-guilfoyle/the-friends-i-have-from-childhood-are-definitely-like-family-to-me/) [Kimberly Guilfoyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-guilfoyle/) > [Mum and Dad used to do a lot of entertaining. We had quite a nice house, so everybody descended on us at Christmas -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ainsley-harriott/mum-and-dad-used-to-do-a-lot-of-entertaining-we-had-quite-a-nice/) [Ainsley Harriott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ainsley-harriott/) > [I have a big family. Even though it's only three kids in our family, it's always aunts and uncles and the whole thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-lynch/i-have-a-big-family-even-though-it-s-only-three-kids-in-our-family-it/) [Jane Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-lynch/) > [I wasn't what you would envision for the son of an Army man. I liked doll baby clothes and twirled a baton. But my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-jordan/i-wasn-t-what-you-would-envision-for-the-son-of-an-army-man-i-liked/) [Leslie Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-jordan/) > [But in the east the sky was pale and through the gray woods came lanterns with wagons and horses, bringing Grandpa and Grandma and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-ingalls-wilder/but-in-the-east-the-sky-was-pale-and-through-the-gray-woods-came/) [Laura Ingalls Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-ingalls-wilder/) > [I've had aunts and uncles who not only haven't read my books but could hardly believe that I was a writer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-cormier/i-ve-had-aunts-and-uncles-who-not-only-haven-t-read-my-books-but/) [Robert Cormier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-cormier/) > [Across the board, from my mother to my father to my aunts and uncles, everybody has always given me a lot of love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amos-lee/across-the-board-from-my-mother-to-my-father-to-my-aunts-and-uncles/) [Amos Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amos-lee/) > [I was possessed with a wonderful example of my Italian American family. They would come over and join us every Sunday, all my aunts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-bennett/i-was-possessed-with-a-wonderful-example-of-my-italian-american/) [Tony Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-bennett/) > [My parents had become adults during the Great Depression, as had many of my aunts and uncles, so I got stories from all of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-r-lansdale/my-parents-had-become-adults-during-the-great-depression-as-had-many/) [Joe R. Lansdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-r-lansdale/) > [Our house was always full of grandparents and aunts and uncles and cousins.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-clay/our-house-was-always-full-of-grandparents-and-aunts-and-uncles-and/) [Bryan Clay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-clay/) > [My parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles were all funny, and I felt that energy, that delivery, that timing, that sarcasm. All that stuff seeped…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-ross/my-parents-grandparents-aunts-and-uncles-were-all-funny-and-i-felt/) [Jeff Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-ross/) ## More by Steven Chu > [Coal is My Worst Nightmare.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-chu/coal-is-my-worst-nightmare/) [Steven Chu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-chu/) > [There were only two other Chinese families in this town of 25,000, but to our parents, the determining factor was the quality of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-chu/there-were-only-two-other-chinese-families-in-this-town-of-25-000-but/) [Steven Chu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-chu/) > [If other countries don't impose a cost on carbon, then we will be at a disadvantage...we would look at considering perhaps duties that would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-chu/if-other-countries-don-t-impose-a-cost-on-carbon-then-we-will-be-at-a/) [Steven Chu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-chu/) > [Since I walked in the door as secretary of energy, I've been doing everything in our powers to do what we can to reduce…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-chu/since-i-walked-in-the-door-as-secretary-of-energy-i-ve-been-doing/) [Steven Chu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-chu/) > [Occasionally, I would focus on a particular school project and become obsessed with, what seemed to my mother, to be trivial details instead of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-chu/occasionally-i-would-focus-on-a-particular-school-project-and-become/) [Steven Chu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-chu/) > [Let me state what the official IPCC prediction is: Sea levels could go up as much as three-quarters of a meter in this century,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-chu/let-me-state-what-the-official-ipcc-prediction-is-sea-levels-could-go/) [Steven Chu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-chu/) > [For the better part of my last semester at Garden City High, I constructed a physical pendulum and used it to make a "precision"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-chu/for-the-better-part-of-my-last-semester-at-garden-city-high-i/) [Steven Chu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-chu/) > [The biggest gains, in terms of decreasing the country's energy bill, the amount of carbon dioxide we put into the atmosphere, and our dependency…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-chu/the-biggest-gains-in-terms-of-decreasing-the-country-s-energy-bill/) [Steven Chu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-chu/) > [I approached the bulk of my schoolwork as a chore rather than an intellectual adventure. The tedium was relieved by a few courses that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-chu/i-approached-the-bulk-of-my-schoolwork-as-a-chore-rather-than-an/) [Steven Chu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-chu/) > [In the summer after kindergarten, a friend introduced me to the joys of building plastic model airplanes and warships. By the fourth grade, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-chu/in-the-summer-after-kindergarten-a-friend-introduced-me-to-the-joys/) [Steven Chu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-chu/) > [The ideal protective layer for a lithium metal anode needs to be chemically stable to protect against the chemical reactions with the electrolyte and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-chu/the-ideal-protective-layer-for-a-lithium-metal-anode-needs-to-be/) [Steven Chu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-chu/) > [By the fourth grade, I graduated to an erector set and spent many happy hours constructing devices of unknown purpose where the main design…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-chu/by-the-fourth-grade-i-graduated-to-an-erector-set-and-spent-many/) [Steven Chu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-chu/) > [Of course we don't want the price of gasoline to go up, we want it to go down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-chu/of-course-we-don-t-want-the-price-of-gasoline-to-go-up-we-want-it-to/) [Steven Chu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-chu/) > [My physics teacher, Thomas Miner was particularly gifted. To this day, I remember how he introduced the subject of physics. He told us we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-chu/my-physics-teacher-thomas-miner-was-particularly-gifted-to-this-day-i/) [Steven Chu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-chu/) > [If there is a regulation that says you have to do something-whether it be putting in seat belts, catalytic converters, clean air for coal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-chu/if-there-is-a-regulation-that-says-you-have-to-do-something-whether/) [Steven Chu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-chu/) [Explore all 43 Steven Chu quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-chu/) ## More Aunt quotes > [“My aunt Carol hasn’t heard her say a word in the whole six years and three months of Grace’s life—not a single syllable. Carol…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/my-aunt-carol-hasn-t-heard-her-say-a-word-in-the-whole-six-years-and/) [Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/) > [Your aunt and uncle will be proud, though, won't they?" said Hermione as they got off the train and joined the crowd thronging toward…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/your-aunt-and-uncle-will-be-proud-though-won-t-they-said-hermione-as/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I was painfully shy, so my aunt suggested to my mum that me and my brother go to Stage 84, a performing arts school…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-cooke/i-was-painfully-shy-so-my-aunt-suggested-to-my-mum-that-me-and-my/) [Christian Cooke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-cooke/) > [“Quin took on the air of someone who has just realized it's time for the yearly visit to the spinster great-aunt in a desperate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-fecteau/quin-took-on-the-air-of-someone-who-has-just-realized-it-s-time-for/) [Amy Fecteau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-fecteau/) > [My aunt and uncle are clearly civilians.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-kimmel/my-aunt-and-uncle-are-clearly-civilians/) [Jimmy Kimmel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-kimmel/) > [“Aunt Helen Beck had many intentions about her death. She was about being dead the way some people are about being British - she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-mccracken/aunt-helen-beck-had-many-intentions-about-her-death-she-was-about/) [Elizabeth McCracken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-mccracken/) > [I'll just do a round around of the house and make sure the rest of the family are fast asleep. We don't want that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerstin-gier/i-ll-just-do-a-round-around-of-the-house-and-make-sure-the-rest-of/) [Kerstin Gier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerstin-gier/) > [In the summer of 1964, my sister and I went to South Ballston, Virginia, to stay with my aunt and her kids. They passed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-p-jones/in-the-summer-of-1964-my-sister-and-i-went-to-south-ballston-virginia/) [Edward P. Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-p-jones/) > [“I look like Barbara Bush in drag." Aunt Jettie”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-harper/i-look-like-barbara-bush-in-drag-aunt-jettie/) [Molly Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-harper/) > [I only wanted Uncle Vernon standing by his own car (a Hudson) on a clear day, I got him and the car. Ialso got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-friedlander/i-only-wanted-uncle-vernon-standing-by-his-own-car-a-hudson-on-a/) [Lee Friedlander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-friedlander/) > [Both the five-year-olds looked at me with bewilderment and a bit of fearful uncertainty. I had a sudden horrifying image of the woman I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/both-the-five-year-olds-looked-at-me-with-bewilderment-and-a-bit-of/) [Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/) > [My aunt got me interested in journalism - she found an old typewriter, had it worked over, put it on the dining room table,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-jenkins/my-aunt-got-me-interested-in-journalism-she-found-an-old-typewriter/) [Dan Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-jenkins/) > [This kind of thing always amazed Ginny--people who just walked away from institutions. People who left school when they didn't see the point. Aunt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-johnson/this-kind-of-thing-always-amazed-ginny-people-who-just-walked-away/) [Maureen Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-johnson/) > [“You will not be able to shelter her forever,” my aunt insists. “What will happen when you are gone someday, and all the suitable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-forest/you-will-not-be-able-to-shelter-her-forever-my-aunt-insists-what-will/) [Laurie Forest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-forest/) > [my sweet old etcetera aunt lucy during the recent war could and what is more did tell you just what everybody was fighting for,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/my-sweet-old-etcetera-aunt-lucy-during-the-recent-war-could-and-what/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) Browse all 720 Aunt quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Education in my family was not merely emphasized, it was our raison d'être. Virtually all of our aunts and uncles had Ph.D.s in science or engineering, and it was taken for granted that the next generation of Chu's were to follow the family tradition. When the dust had settled, my two brothers and four cousins collected three MDs, four Ph.D.s and a law degree. I could manage only a single advanced degree.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Steven Chu" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-chu/education-in-my-family-was-not-merely-emphasized-it-was-our-raison-d/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Aunt" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-chu/education-in-my-family-was-not-merely-emphasized-it-was-our-raison-d/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac5/steven-chu-15304_aunt_education-in-my-family-was-not-merely-em_642199.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac5/steven-chu-15304_aunt_education-in-my-family-was-not-merely-em_642199.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac5/steven-chu-15304_aunt_education-in-my-family-was-not-merely-em_642199.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Education in my family was not merely emphasized, it was our raison d'être. Virtually all of our aunts and…” — Steven Chu", "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": "Steven Chu", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-chu/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Education in my family was not...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-chu/education-in-my-family-was-not-merely-emphasized-it-was-our-raison-d/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-chu/education-in-my-family-was-not-merely-emphasized-it-was-our-raison-d/#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 } } ] } ```