--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I used to ask myself why American…" description: "\"I used to ask myself why American universities are financed through endowments. Now I know: During the early days of America, the state was poor and wh..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a5/zhang-xin-16964_america_i-used-to-ask-myself-why-american-univer_3168523.jpg" --- # I used to ask myself why American universities are… ![“I used to ask myself why American universities are financed through endowments. Now I know: During the early days of America, the state was poor and when citizens wanted to set something up, they needed to collect money themselves. Historically, this was different in Europe. There used to be a…” quote by Zhang Xin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a5/zhang-xin-16964_america_i-used-to-ask-myself-why-american-univer_3168523.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a5/zhang-xin-16964_america_i-used-to-ask-myself-why-american-univer_3168523.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a5/zhang-xin-16964_america_i-used-to-ask-myself-why-american-univer_3168523.jpg) > “I used to ask myself why American universities are financed through endowments. Now I know: During the early days of America, the state was poor and when citizens wanted to set something up, they needed to collect money themselves. Historically, this was different in Europe. There used to be a strong state, a monarch or a king. He provided money.” [Zhang Xin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhang-xin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. American universities rely on private endowments because early U.S. governments lacked funds, unlike European monarchies that financed institutions directly. **In simple terms:** U.S. schools use private money due to weak early government finances. Key Takeaway Consider how funding sources shape institutional priorities. Themes education finance history policy philanthropy Mood analytical critical Type explanatory informative When to use this quote - University budgeting - policy advocacy - donor engagement - comparative education research Key Concepts public vs private funding state capacity higher education economics Questions to Reflect On - How does funding source affect university autonomy? - What alternatives could reduce reliance on endowments? A Different Perspective Private funding can create inequities and dependence on donor interests. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [American universities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-universities/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Europe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/europe/) [Kings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kings/) [Monarchs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/monarchs/) [University](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/university/) ## Related quotes > [There cannot be a surer rule, nor a stronger exhortation to the observance of it, than when we are taught that all the endowments…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calvin/there-cannot-be-a-surer-rule-nor-a-stronger-exhortation-to-the/) [John Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calvin/) > [That Man indeed can never be good at heart, who is full of himself and his own Endowments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-astell/that-man-indeed-can-never-be-good-at-heart-who-is-full-of-himself-and/) [Mary Astell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-astell/) > [Without religion the highest endowments of intellect can only render the possessor more dangerous if he be ill disposed; if well disposed, only more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-southey/without-religion-the-highest-endowments-of-intellect-can-only-render/) [Robert Southey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-southey/) > [Believe me, when my ‘personal endowments’ are being discussed, I always pay attention.” ~ Cam Rohan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-kleypas/believe-me-when-my-personal-endowments-are-being-discussed-i-always/) [Lisa Kleypas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-kleypas/) > [“We may not have the power to profess our gifts as the artist does, and yet we come to recognize, and in a sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-hyde/we-may-not-have-the-power-to-profess-our-gifts-as-the-artist-does-and/) [Lewis Hyde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-hyde/) > [Enquire what the effect of large endowments are upon colleges.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-cornell/enquire-what-the-effect-of-large-endowments-are-upon-colleges/) [Ezra Cornell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-cornell/) > [“the Declaration of Independence does not mean we are equal in endowments, only in rights.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dinesh-d-souza/the-declaration-of-independence-does-not-mean-we-are-equal-in/) [Dinesh D'Souza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dinesh-d-souza/) > [Inquire what the effect of large endowments are upon colleges.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-cornell/inquire-what-the-effect-of-large-endowments-are-upon-colleges/) [Ezra Cornell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-cornell/) > [“Universities use their endowments to finance a range of activities, from scholarships to building projects. Harvard has promised to use its financial resources to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/universities-use-their-endowments-to-finance-a-range-of-activities/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The heads of leading American universities say that if they selected applicants based on grades alone, their student bodies would be 100 percent Asian.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-achleitner/the-heads-of-leading-american-universities-say-that-if-they-selected/) [Paul Achleitner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-achleitner/) > [If you don't have to pay for everything you're providing, why in the world should you cut the cost of it, when it's gonna…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/if-you-don-t-have-to-pay-for-everything-you-re-providing-why-in-the/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [Credentialing, not education, has become the primary business of North American universities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-jacobs/credentialing-not-education-has-become-the-primary-business-of-north/) [Jane Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-jacobs/) > [American university presidents are a nervous breed; I have never thought well of them as a class.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/american-university-presidents-are-a-nervous-breed-i-have-never/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [American universities have never considered academic merit the sole criterion for admittance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-knowles/american-universities-have-never-considered-academic-merit-the-sole/) [Michael J. Knowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-knowles/) > [Kennedy was significantly different than Eisenhower before him, and different from Johnson after him. So those three years were the beginning of a détente…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-stone/kennedy-was-significantly-different-than-eisenhower-before-him-and/) [Oliver Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-stone/) ## More by Zhang Xin > [But the higher our standard of living, the higher our levels of education, the further people will look around. And we can see which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhang-xin/but-the-higher-our-standard-of-living-the-higher-our-levels-of/) [Zhang Xin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhang-xin/) > [I'm very, very focused on my children. In fact, I'm very religious about having breakfast with them every morning, having dinner with them every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhang-xin/i-m-very-very-focused-on-my-children-in-fact-i-m-very-religious-about/) [Zhang Xin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhang-xin/) > [Because people along the route had realized that there was demand and quickly organized supply. That's so Chinese. In a well-organized country like Germany,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhang-xin/because-people-along-the-route-had-realized-that-there-was-demand-and/) [Zhang Xin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhang-xin/) > [Many years ago, we were only able to build boxes. Today, architects from all over the world are working with us - Zaha Hadid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhang-xin/many-years-ago-we-were-only-able-to-build-boxes-today-architects-from/) [Zhang Xin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhang-xin/) > [Many Chinese companies are run like military camps with military discipline. 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If the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhang-xin/investors-don-t-like-uncertainty-the-market-is-telling-us-that-they/) [Zhang Xin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhang-xin/) > [I find it hard to be labelled in this new 'super-rich' category because we all grew up with very little. The idea that 'to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhang-xin/i-find-it-hard-to-be-labelled-in-this-new-super-rich-category-because/) [Zhang Xin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhang-xin/) > [Quickly, after I landed in England, I found out ways to get scholarships. England turned out to be a very encouraging place for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhang-xin/quickly-after-i-landed-in-england-i-found-out-ways-to-get/) [Zhang Xin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhang-xin/) > [On the one hand the world is getting more integrated and we should not dismiss social values as "Western" when they are actually modern…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhang-xin/on-the-one-hand-the-world-is-getting-more-integrated-and-we-should/) [Zhang Xin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhang-xin/) > [When we started out, we were among the first. Beijing had no and Shanghai had very few large buildings. At that time, it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhang-xin/when-we-started-out-we-were-among-the-first-beijing-had-no-and/) [Zhang Xin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhang-xin/) > [Our company has only been active in Beijing and Shanghai, two very market-dominated cities. This was an advantage. Land is purchased here in public…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhang-xin/our-company-has-only-been-active-in-beijing-and-shanghai-two-very/) [Zhang Xin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhang-xin/) > [China's economy became more complex. By now there is a large number of small- and medium-sized companies that work quite differently from big, state-owned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhang-xin/china-s-economy-became-more-complex-by-now-there-is-a-large-number-of/) [Zhang Xin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhang-xin/) > [Many Chinese entrepreneurs are now donating for education; others support foundations in health care and research. None of us wants to be the richest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhang-xin/many-chinese-entrepreneurs-are-now-donating-for-education-others/) [Zhang Xin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhang-xin/) [Explore all 38 Zhang Xin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhang-xin/) ## More America quotes > [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [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/) > [Well, The Day the Earth Caught Fire was a story... I don't if anybody knows what it is but it was about... in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-guest/well-the-day-the-earth-caught-fire-was-a-story-i-don-t-if-anybody/) [Val Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-guest/) > [So here's what I want you to know, and here's what I want all our men and women in uniform to know: Because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-here-s-what-i-want-you-to-know-and-here-s-what-i-want-all-our-men/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Today, the world looks to America for leadership. And America looks to its Corps of Marines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/today-the-world-looks-to-america-for-leadership-and-america-looks-to/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. 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Thank you America. \[salutes\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/i-ll-smoke-i-ll-cough-i-ll-get-the-tumors-i-ll-die-deal-thank-you/) [Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/) > [America is a democracy and has no Hitler, but I am afraid for her future; there are hard times ahead for the American people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/america-is-a-democracy-and-has-no-hitler-but-i-am-afraid-for-her/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [I'm gonna bring America together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-m-gonna-bring-america-together/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [In the nineteenth century some parts of the world were unexplored, but there was almost no restriction on travel.:; Up to 1914 you did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/in-the-nineteenth-century-some-parts-of-the-world-were-unexplored-but/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [We need a system that serves our needs, not the needs of others. 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