--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A proper education enables young people…" description: "\"A proper education enables young people to put their lives in order, which means knowing what things are more important than other things; it means put..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/67a/wendell-berry-236_education_a-proper-education-enables-young-people_1155079.jpg" --- # A proper education enables young people to put their lives… ![“A proper education enables young people to put their lives in order, which means knowing what things are more important than other things; it means putting first things first.” quote by Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/67a/wendell-berry-236_education_a-proper-education-enables-young-people_1155079.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/67a/wendell-berry-236_education_a-proper-education-enables-young-people_1155079.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/67a/wendell-berry-236_education_a-proper-education-enables-young-people_1155079.jpg) > “A proper education enables young people to put their lives in order, which means knowing what things are more important than other things; it means putting first things first.” [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) ## 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 prioritize essential values and teach people to order their lives by importance. **In simple terms:** Learn to focus on what truly matters first. Key Takeaway Teach prioritization and value-based decision making. Themes education values prioritization life management personal development Mood thoughtful instructive Type philosophical practical When to use this quote - curriculum design - parental guidance - career counseling Key Concepts hierarchy of needs critical thinking goal setting Questions to Reflect On - What criteria determine "first things"? - How can schools teach this without neglecting other subjects? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on facts can neglect emotional intelligence. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [First things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-things/) [First things first](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-things-first/) [Important things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/important-things/) [Order](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/order/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Young people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/young-people/) ## Related quotes > [“The complexity of our present trouble suggests as never before that we need to change our present concept of education. Education is not properly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/the-complexity-of-our-present-trouble-suggests-as-never-before-that/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [Effective leadership is putting first things first. Effective management is discipline, carrying it out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/effective-leadership-is-putting-first-things-first-effective/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Best start putting first things first.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-chesney/best-start-putting-first-things-first/) [Kenny Chesney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-chesney/) > [Observe your cat. It is difficult to surprise him. Why? Naturally his superior hearing is part of the answer, but not all of it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-cooper/observe-your-cat-it-is-difficult-to-surprise-him-why-naturally-his/) [Jeff Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-cooper/) > [Putting first things first means organizing and executing around your most important priorities. It is living and being driven by the principles you value…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-covey/putting-first-things-first-means-organizing-and-executing-around-your/) [Stephen Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-covey/) > [You can’t get second things by putting them first. You get second things only by putting first things first.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/you-can-t-get-second-things-by-putting-them-first-you-get-second/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [One of the most compelling arguments for encouraging the education of girls, particularly in developing countries, is this: Education enables jobs, jobs are a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tae-yoo/one-of-the-most-compelling-arguments-for-encouraging-the-education-of/) [Tae Yoo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tae-yoo/) > [Education enables people and societies to be what they can be. It is education that allows us to see that we are in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-richardson/education-enables-people-and-societies-to-be-what-they-can-be-it-is/) [Bill Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-richardson/) > [Education enables people and societies to be what they can be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-richardson/education-enables-people-and-societies-to-be-what-they-can-be/) [Bill Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-richardson/) > [Intelligence appears to be the thing that enables a man to get along without education. Education enables a man to get along without the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-edward-wiggam/intelligence-appears-to-be-the-thing-that-enables-a-man-to-get-along/) Albert Edward Wiggam > [Education develops the intellect; and the intellect distinguishes man from other creatures. It is education that enables man to harness nature and utilize her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haile-selassie/education-develops-the-intellect-and-the-intellect-distinguishes-man-2/) [Haile Selassie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haile-selassie/) > [If there is something I would like to do as President of the General Assembly, it is to place more emphasis on the issue…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harri-holkeri/if-there-is-something-i-would-like-to-do-as-president-of-the-general/) [Harri Holkeri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harri-holkeri/) > [I've seen how difficult it is for a lot of kids around the world to go to school and get a proper education, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefanos-tsitsipas/i-ve-seen-how-difficult-it-is-for-a-lot-of-kids-around-the-world-to/) [Stefanos Tsitsipas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefanos-tsitsipas/) > [“Change will come, but only following a proper education of the children.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/general-patrick-henry-brady/change-will-come-but-only-following-a-proper-education-of-the-children/) General Patrick Henry Brady > [The proper education of a man decides his welfare, but the interests of a whole family are secured by the correct education of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-q-cannon/the-proper-education-of-a-man-decides-his-welfare-but-the-interests/) [George Q. Cannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-q-cannon/) ## More by Wendell Berry > [During the last 17 years... I have been working at the restoration of a once exhausted hillside. Its scars are now healed over, though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/during-the-last-17-years-i-have-been-working-at-the-restoration-of-a/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [Like the water of a deep stream, love is always too much. We did not make it. Though we drink till we burst, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/like-the-water-of-a-deep-stream-love-is-always-too-much-we-did-not/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [To husband is to use with care, to keep, to save, to make last, to conserve. Old usage tells us that there is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/to-husband-is-to-use-with-care-to-keep-to-save-to-make-last-to/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [“The two families, sundered in the ruin of a friendship, were united again first in new friendship and then in mariage. My grandfather made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/the-two-families-sundered-in-the-ruin-of-a-friendship-were-united/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [The living can't quit living because the world has turned terrible and people they love and need are killed. They can't because they don't.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/the-living-can-t-quit-living-because-the-world-has-turned-terrible/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [“I knew a man who, in the age of chain-saws, went right on cutting his wood with a handsaw and an axe. 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Time does not stop for love, but it does not stop for death and grief, either.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/the-mercy-of-the-world-is-time-time-does-not-stop-for-love-but-it/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [The soil is the great connector of our lives, the source and destination of all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/the-soil-is-the-great-connector-of-our-lives-the-source-and/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [I dislike the thought that some animal has been made miserable to feed me. If I am going to eat meat, I want it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/i-dislike-the-thought-that-some-animal-has-been-made-miserable-to/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [Laughter is immeasurable. Be joyful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/laughter-is-immeasurable-be-joyful/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [These are people who are capable of devotion, public devotion, to justice. They meant what they said and every day that passes, they mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/these-are-people-who-are-capable-of-devotion-public-devotion-to/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) [Explore all 847 Wendell Berry quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) ## More Education quotes > [I put myself in the student's place and remember the frustrations, doubts, determination, and desires I felt when I was going through the initial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-martinez/i-put-myself-in-the-student-s-place-and-remember-the-frustrations/) Ted Martinez > [“In school you are taught to obey and not to think straight for your own good. 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But when I got to school and tried to share learning with other students that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/where-i-grew-up-learning-was-a-collective-activity-but-when-i-got-to/) [Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/) > [There's no authoritarian structure at Reed College, but the education is conservative. So what you have is a lot of students who are very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-miller/there-s-no-authoritarian-structure-at-reed-college-but-the-education/) [Donald Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-miller/) > [“What's the best thing about being in college? Good teachers. They inspire you, they entertain you, and you end up learning a ton even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/what-s-the-best-thing-about-being-in-college-good-teachers-they/) [Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/) > [“If one has not a head of steel it will burst; if he has not within it a brain of liquid quicksilver, he will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ioannes-amos-commenius/if-one-has-not-a-head-of-steel-it-will-burst-if-he-has-not-within-it/) Ioannes Amos Commenius > [“let us not teach / what we have learned badly / and not profited by”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-d-hilda-doolittle/let-us-not-teach-what-we-have-learned-badly-and-not-profited-by/) H.D. (Hilda Doolittle > [“It took me years to learn to sit at my desk for more than two minutes at a time, to put up with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/it-took-me-years-to-learn-to-sit-at-my-desk-for-more-than-two-minutes/) [Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/) > [According to Plato, we don't learn anything. Our soul has lived so many lives that we know everything. Teachers and education can only remind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/according-to-plato-we-don-t-learn-anything-our-soul-has-lived-so-many/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [“I only began to enjoy studying after I got through the educational system and became a so-called member of society. If something interested me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-only-began-to-enjoy-studying-after-i-got-through-the-educational/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If you had made the acquiring of ignorance the study of your life, you could not have graduated with higher honor than you could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/if-you-had-made-the-acquiring-of-ignorance-the-study-of-your-life-you/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [How wonderful it would be, I thought, if only we could practice the teachings of the Buddha as he really taught them from his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dzogchen-ponlop-rinpoche/how-wonderful-it-would-be-i-thought-if-only-we-could-practice-the/) [Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dzogchen-ponlop-rinpoche/) > [English teachers tend to put more thought in the books than the author did](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/english-teachers-tend-to-put-more-thought-in-the-books-than-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When will society, like a mother, take care of all her children?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-mann/when-will-society-like-a-mother-take-care-of-all-her-children/) [Horace Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace-mann/) [Browse all 37,666 Education quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A proper education enables young people to put their lives in order, which means knowing what things are more important than other things; it means putting first things first.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Wendell Berry" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/a-proper-education-enables-young-people-to-put-their-lives-in-order/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Education" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/a-proper-education-enables-young-people-to-put-their-lives-in-order/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/67a/wendell-berry-236_education_a-proper-education-enables-young-people_1155079.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/67a/wendell-berry-236_education_a-proper-education-enables-young-people_1155079.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/67a/wendell-berry-236_education_a-proper-education-enables-young-people_1155079.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A proper education enables young people to put their lives in order, which means knowing what things are…” — Wendell Berry", "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": "Wendell Berry", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A proper education enables young people...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/a-proper-education-enables-young-people-to-put-their-lives-in-order/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/a-proper-education-enables-young-people-to-put-their-lives-in-order/#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 } } ] } ```