--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Education, if it means anything, should…" description: "\"Education, if it means anything, should not take people away from the land, but instill in them even more respect for it, because educated people are i..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/553/wangari-maathai-2479_concern_education-if-it-means-anything-should-no_2747201.jpg" --- # Education, if it means anything, should not take people… ![“Education, if it means anything, should not take people away from the land, but instill in them even more respect for it, because educated people are in a position to understand what is being lost. The future of the planet concerns all of us, and all of us should do what we can to protect it. As I…” quote by Wangari Maathai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/553/wangari-maathai-2479_concern_education-if-it-means-anything-should-no_2747201.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/553/wangari-maathai-2479_concern_education-if-it-means-anything-should-no_2747201.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/553/wangari-maathai-2479_concern_education-if-it-means-anything-should-no_2747201.jpg) > “Education, if it means anything, should not take people away from the land, but instill in them even more respect for it, because educated people are in a position to understand what is being lost. The future of the planet concerns all of us, and all of us should do what we can to protect it. As I told the foresters, and the women, you don't need a diploma to plant a tree.” [Wangari Maathai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wangari-maathai/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Education should deepen respect for the earth, not detach people from it, because informed citizens can protect the planet. **In simple terms:** Learning must connect us to nature and stewardship. Key Takeaway Teach and act to safeguard the environment. Themes environment education stewardship justice Mood hopeful determined Type activist inspirational When to use this quote - school curricula - community workshops - policy advocacy - tree planting Key Concepts ecological literacy social responsibility Questions to Reflect On - How can curricula integrate ecological respect? - What actions can educated people take now? A Different Perspective Education alone cannot fix systemic environmental damage. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Concern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/concern/) [Concerns Protect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/concerns-protect-3072033/) [Diploma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/diploma/) [Educated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/educated/) [Educated people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/educated-people/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Education Means](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education-means/) [Environment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/environment/) [Land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/land/) [Lost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lost/) [Mean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mean/) [Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Planets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/planets/) [Plant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plant/) [Plant a tree](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plant-a-tree/) [Position](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/position/) [Protect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/protect/) [Respect Educated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/respect-educated-3072031/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Told Foresters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/told-foresters-3072032/) [Tree](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tree/) ## Related quotes > [But I look at failure as education. In that respect, I am so well-educated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-ireland/but-i-look-at-failure-as-education-in-that-respect-i-am-so-well/) [Kathy Ireland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-ireland/) > [That's the way I do things when I want to celebrate, I always plant a tree. And so I got an indigenous tree, called…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangari-maathai/that-s-the-way-i-do-things-when-i-want-to-celebrate-i-always-plant-a-2/) [Wangari Maathai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wangari-maathai/) > [Until you dig a hole, you plant a tree, you water it and make it survive, you haven't done a thing. You are just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangari-maathai/until-you-dig-a-hole-you-plant-a-tree-you-water-it-and-make-it/) [Wangari Maathai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wangari-maathai/) > [You can make a lot of speeches, but the real thing is when you dig a hole, plant a tree, give it water, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangari-maathai/you-can-make-a-lot-of-speeches-but-the-real-thing-is-when-you-dig-a/) [Wangari Maathai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wangari-maathai/) > [That's the way I do things when I want to celebrate, I always plant a tree.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangari-maathai/that-s-the-way-i-do-things-when-i-want-to-celebrate-i-always-plant-a/) [Wangari Maathai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wangari-maathai/) > [Anybody can dig a hole and plant a tree. But make sure it survives. You have to nurture it, you have to water it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangari-maathai/anybody-can-dig-a-hole-and-plant-a-tree-but-make-sure-it-survives-you/) [Wangari Maathai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wangari-maathai/) > [I want to do the right things - I want to plant trees, I want to make sure that the indigenous forests are protected…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangari-maathai/i-want-to-do-the-right-things-i-want-to-plant-trees-i-want-to-make/) [Wangari Maathai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wangari-maathai/) > [When we plant trees, we plant the seeds of peace and seeds of hope.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangari-maathai/when-we-plant-trees-we-plant-the-seeds-of-peace-and-seeds-of-hope/) [Wangari Maathai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wangari-maathai/) > [There is a myth that the purpose of education is to give one the means for upward mobility and success. The plain truth is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-w-orr/there-is-a-myth-that-the-purpose-of-education-is-to-give-one-the/) [David W. Orr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-w-orr/) > [In the end, excellence in education means excellence in teaching, and if this country would give the status to first grade teachers that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-l-boyer/in-the-end-excellence-in-education-means-excellence-in-teaching-and/) [Ernest L. Boyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-l-boyer/) > [For me, education means to inspire people to live more abundantly, to learn to begin with life as they find it and make it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carter-g-woodson/for-me-education-means-to-inspire-people-to-live-more-abundantly-to/) [Carter G. Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carter-g-woodson/) > [“Education means to keep brain alive.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-poison-king-2/education-means-to-keep-brain-alive/) [Dr poison king](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-poison-king-2/) > [“Education means inspiring someone's mind, not just filling their head.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-lusk/education-means-inspiring-someone-s-mind-not-just-filling-their-head/) [Katie Lusk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-lusk/) > [Let us think of education as the means of developing our greatest abilities, because in each of us there is a private hope and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-us-think-of-education-as-the-means-of-developing-our-greatest/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Education, for most people, means trying to lead the child to resemble the typical adult of his society . . . but for me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-piaget/education-for-most-people-means-trying-to-lead-the-child-to-resemble/) [Jean Piaget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-piaget/) ## More by Wangari Maathai > [For us who are now in power, we need to be challenged to serve the people and ignore our own egos and personal interests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangari-maathai/for-us-who-are-now-in-power-we-need-to-be-challenged-to-serve-the/) [Wangari Maathai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wangari-maathai/) > [We cannot tire or give up. 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But I think its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangari-maathai/as-a-scientist-i-cannot-say-we-don-t-want-to-hear-anything-about-gmos/) [Wangari Maathai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wangari-maathai/) > [When I first started, it was really an innocent response to the needs of women in rural areas. When we started planting trees to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangari-maathai/when-i-first-started-it-was-really-an-innocent-response-to-the-needs/) [Wangari Maathai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wangari-maathai/) > [Monsanto will not come empty-handed. Monsanto will come with a big bag of money. And because these governments are poor, when they are shown…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangari-maathai/monsanto-will-not-come-empty-handed-monsanto-will-come-with-a-big-bag/) [Wangari Maathai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wangari-maathai/) > [Why has there been so much secrecy about AIDS? 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