--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I wanted to get the most broad foundation…" description: "\"I wanted to get the most broad foundation for a lifelong education that I could find, and that was studying Latin and the classics. Meaning Roman and G..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd3/tim-blake-nelson-36150_ancient_i-wanted-to-get-the-most-broad-foundatio_1535273.jpg" --- # I wanted to get the most broad foundation for a lifelong… ![“I wanted to get the most broad foundation for a lifelong education that I could find, and that was studying Latin and the classics. Meaning Roman and Greek history and philosophy and ancient civilizations.” quote by Tim Blake Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd3/tim-blake-nelson-36150_ancient_i-wanted-to-get-the-most-broad-foundatio_1535273.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd3/tim-blake-nelson-36150_ancient_i-wanted-to-get-the-most-broad-foundatio_1535273.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd3/tim-blake-nelson-36150_ancient_i-wanted-to-get-the-most-broad-foundatio_1535273.jpg) > “I wanted to get the most broad foundation for a lifelong education that I could find, and that was studying Latin and the classics. Meaning Roman and Greek history and philosophy and ancient civilizations.” [Tim Blake Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-blake-nelson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He believes a broad, classical education in Latin, Greek, and ancient history provides a solid foundation for lifelong learning. **In simple terms:** Classical studies give lifelong learning. Key Takeaway Study classics for deep, lasting knowledge. Themes education history philosophy lifelong learning humanities Mood reflective inquisitive Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - University curricula - self‑directed study - career development - personal enrichment Key Concepts Classical education foundational knowledge cultural literacy Questions to Reflect On - How can we balance depth and breadth in education? - What value do ancient texts hold today? A Different Perspective Modern education often prioritizes specialization over breadth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ancient](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ancient/) [Ancient civilizations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ancient-civilizations/) [Civilization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilization/) [Civilizations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilizations/) [Classics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/classics/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Latin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/latin/) [Meaning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meaning/) [Philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy/) [Roman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/roman/) ## Related quotes > [“Isolationists believed that the ancient civilizations all developed independent of one another. Mesopotamia, the Indus Valley, China, Egypt—all crossed a threshold into civilization about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-doherty/isolationists-believed-that-the-ancient-civilizations-all-developed/) Robert Doherty > [I am studying ancient civilizations, trying to find what happened to them, finding out why they went into a decline, why they died.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-ron-hubbard/i-am-studying-ancient-civilizations-trying-to-find-what-happened-to/) [L. Ron Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-ron-hubbard/) > [Education is a lifelong experience. Experience is a lifelong education. Education plus experience equals expertise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bugeja/education-is-a-lifelong-experience-experience-is-a-lifelong-education/) Michael Bugeja > [Jack, my 16 year old, was in knots a couple of months back, studying for Latin. I said, "Mate, you've got no interest in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-ramsay/jack-my-16-year-old-was-in-knots-a-couple-of-months-back-studying-for/) [Gordon Ramsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-ramsay/) > [Education - lifelong education for everyone - from toddlers to workers well advanced in their careers - is indeed an excellent investment for individuals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-bernanke/education-lifelong-education-for-everyone-from-toddlers-to-workers/) [Ben Bernanke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-bernanke/) > [Would you trust the linguistic intuitions of someone who has been studying Latin or Greek for three days?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-wall/would-you-trust-the-linguistic-intuitions-of-someone-who-has-been/) [Larry Wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-wall/) > [“The Sphinx, so old that it had watched the childhood of the world, plunged in unbroken contemplation, had seen civilizations rise to glory and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-brunton/the-sphinx-so-old-that-it-had-watched-the-childhood-of-the-world/) [Paul Brunton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-brunton/) > [Here the artist is, as it were, an archaeologist, uncovering deeper and deeper strata as he works, recovering not an ancient civilization, but something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-nachmanovitch/here-the-artist-is-as-it-were-an-archaeologist-uncovering-deeper-and/) [Stephen Nachmanovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-nachmanovitch/) > [If we're thinking about old civilizations, those that formed a long time ago and there were stars and planets around long before Earth even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-davies/if-we-re-thinking-about-old-civilizations-those-that-formed-a-long/) [Paul Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-davies/) > [The fast paced nature of our technologically-driven world seems to create issues that would appear to be foreign to ancient civilization.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-kim/the-fast-paced-nature-of-our-technologically-driven-world-seems-to/) [David Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-kim/) > [“The ancient bones of our ancestors are like the roots of a great tree, reminding us to stay firmly grounded in our history. Yet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raigon-stanley/the-ancient-bones-of-our-ancestors-are-like-the-roots-of-a-great-tree/) [Raigon Stanley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raigon-stanley/) > [Pride in one's own race - and that does not imply contempt for other races - is also a normal and healthy sentiment. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/pride-in-one-s-own-race-and-that-does-not-imply-contempt-for-other/) [Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/) > [“Secundus might lie rotting in his grave, but his relatives and followers yet lived. They believed the lies that held Gwenwhyfar responsible for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-mckeithen/secundus-might-lie-rotting-in-his-grave-but-his-relatives-and/) [Jennifer McKeithen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-mckeithen/) > [“Legends and folklores are the memories of ancient civilizations.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ninotaziz/legends-and-folklores-are-the-memories-of-ancient-civilizations/) ninotaziz > [“A belief that the ancients held unusual scientific knowledge, of which only fragments remain today, was held by many great philosophers and scientists who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-flynn/a-belief-that-the-ancients-held-unusual-scientific-knowledge-of-which/) [David Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-flynn/) ## More by Tim Blake Nelson > [Really, life is full of contradictions. Life is messy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-blake-nelson/really-life-is-full-of-contradictions-life-is-messy/) [Tim Blake Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-blake-nelson/) > [I think we all live dichotomies. I'm a father of three boys and a loyal homebody sort of husband and father. And yet I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-blake-nelson/i-think-we-all-live-dichotomies-i-m-a-father-of-three-boys-and-a/) [Tim Blake Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-blake-nelson/) > [I am not a natural singer, but I can sing, and probably the way I sing is more imitative than from myself, which is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-blake-nelson/i-am-not-a-natural-singer-but-i-can-sing-and-probably-the-way-i-sing/) [Tim Blake Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-blake-nelson/) > [I've done about every kind of fishing you can imagine, but I've never noodled. And the reason I've never noodled is because I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-blake-nelson/i-ve-done-about-every-kind-of-fishing-you-can-imagine-but-i-ve-never/) [Tim Blake Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-blake-nelson/) > [I started writing 'Leaves Of Grass' when my professional life was falling apart somewhat. I just had a movie implode in pre-production. And so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-blake-nelson/i-started-writing-leaves-of-grass-when-my-professional-life-was/) [Tim Blake Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-blake-nelson/) > [When I'm in a movie, what I always do, instead of sitting in a trailer or watching a DVD, is I go on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-blake-nelson/when-i-m-in-a-movie-what-i-always-do-instead-of-sitting-in-a-trailer/) [Tim Blake Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-blake-nelson/) > [I frankly encountered more anti-Semitism in the northeast than I did in Oklahoma, but not much either place. Anti-Semitism is not part of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-blake-nelson/i-frankly-encountered-more-anti-semitism-in-the-northeast-than-i-did/) [Tim Blake Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-blake-nelson/) > [Drama and comedy, to me ,are all about being surprising, coherent, and true, all at once.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-blake-nelson/drama-and-comedy-to-me-are-all-about-being-surprising-coherent-and/) [Tim Blake Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-blake-nelson/) > [We approach life not just to be able to think about it and talk about it and discover its truths, but also to enjoy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-blake-nelson/we-approach-life-not-just-to-be-able-to-think-about-it-and-talk-about/) [Tim Blake Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-blake-nelson/) > [I tried to film 'Leaves of Grass' in Oklahoma, but it was literally about a million dollars less to shoot in Louisiana.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-blake-nelson/i-tried-to-film-leaves-of-grass-in-oklahoma-but-it-was-literally/) [Tim Blake Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-blake-nelson/) > [I love writing about Oklahoma. I love writing Oklahoma characters; I love playing Southwestern characters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-blake-nelson/i-love-writing-about-oklahoma-i-love-writing-oklahoma-characters-i/) [Tim Blake Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-blake-nelson/) > ['O Brother, Where Art Thou?' was this role that utterly fell into my lap and changed my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-blake-nelson/o-brother-where-art-thou-was-this-role-that-utterly-fell-into-my-lap/) [Tim Blake Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-blake-nelson/) [Explore all 13 Tim Blake Nelson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-blake-nelson/) ## More Ancient quotes > [“We ought to know the history of our ancient ancestors.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/we-ought-to-know-the-history-of-our-ancient-ancestors/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [In ancient times, those who wished to illuminate the world with virtue first brought order to their nations. 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I feel shrunken, as if there's a tiny ancient Oliver Tate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-dunthorne/i-don-t-know-if-i-ve-come-of-age-but-i-m-certainly-older-now-i-feel/) [Joe Dunthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-dunthorne/) > [Tentatively I stood a great lump of wood on the chopping block and bought the axe down on it. It flew into two perfect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-garner/tentatively-i-stood-a-great-lump-of-wood-on-the-chopping-block-and/) [Helen Garner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-garner/) > [Men must speak English who can write Sanskrit; they must speak a modern language who write, perchance, an ancient and universal one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/men-must-speak-english-who-can-write-sanskrit-they-must-speak-a/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [The Tao is the center of the universe, the good man's treasure, the bad man's refuge. Honors can be bought with fine words, respect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/the-tao-is-the-center-of-the-universe-the-good-man-s-treasure-the-bad/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [So too, monks, I saw the ancient path, the ancient road traveled by the Perfectly Enlightened Ones of the past. And what is that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gautama-buddha/so-too-monks-i-saw-the-ancient-path-the-ancient-road-traveled-by-the/) [Gautama Buddha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gautama-buddha/) > [Ancient societies had anthropomorphic gods: a huge pantheon expanding into centuries of dynastic drama; fathers and sons, martyred heroes, star-crossed lovers, the deaths of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hiddleston/ancient-societies-had-anthropomorphic-gods-a-huge-pantheon-expanding/) [Tom Hiddleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hiddleston/) > [My life shall be free and broad and great, and I will not be the slave to the sense delights which chained my ancient…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/my-life-shall-be-free-and-broad-and-great-and-i-will-not-be-the-slave/) [Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/) > [Those of us with this ancient compulsion to tell stories sometimes start with a single kernel of something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-p-jones/those-of-us-with-this-ancient-compulsion-to-tell-stories-sometimes/) [Edward P. Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-p-jones/) > [All the stories I have told you are finally as useless as all ancient knowledge is to man and to us. Its images and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/all-the-stories-i-have-told-you-are-finally-as-useless-as-all-ancient/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) > [So what if I'm ninety-three? So what if I'm ancient and cranky and my body's a wreck? If they're willing to accept me and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-gruen/so-what-if-i-m-ninety-three-so-what-if-i-m-ancient-and-cranky-and-my/) [Sara Gruen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-gruen/) > [Science has revealed a universe that is vast, ancient, violent, strange, and beautiful, a universe of almost infinite variety and possibility one in which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-mlodinow/science-has-revealed-a-universe-that-is-vast-ancient-violent-strange/) [Leonard Mlodinow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-mlodinow/) [Browse all 2,415 Ancient quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ancient/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I wanted to get the most broad foundation for a lifelong education that I could find, and that was studying Latin and the classics. 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