“The primary purpose of a liberal education is to make one's mind a pleasant place in which to spend one's time.”

—  Thomas Henry Huxley

Sydney J. Harris, as quoted in The Routledge Dictionary of Quotations (1989) by Robert Andrews; also quoted as: "...a pleasant place in which to spend one's leisure."
Misattributed

Adopted from Wikiquote. Last update June 3, 2021. History

Help us to complete the source, original and additional information

Do you have more details about the quote "The primary purpose of a liberal education is to make one's mind a pleasant place in which to spend one's time." by Thomas Henry Huxley?
Thomas Henry Huxley photo
Thomas Henry Huxley127
English biologist and comparative anatomist 1825–1895

Related quotes

Ernest Bramah photo

“It is a mark of insincerity of purpose to spend one's time in looking for the sacred Emperor in the low-class tea-shops.”

Ernest Bramah book The Wallet of Kai Lung

The Transmutation of Ling
The Wallet of Kai Lung (1900)

Seneca the Younger photo

“The primary indication, to my thinking, of a well-ordered mind is a man’s ability to remain in one place and linger in his own company.”

Seneca the Younger book Epistulae morales ad Lucilium

Epistulae Morales ad Lucilium (Moral Letters to Lucilius), Letter II: On discursiveness in reading

Everett Dean Martin photo

“Animal training may give one the means to make a living; liberal education gives living a meaning.”

Everett Dean Martin (1880–1941)

Source: The Meaning of a Liberal Education (1926), p. 44

Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar photo

“Education has a great part to play in assuring the intellectual and moral basis not only for citizenship of the state but also for that world citizenship which is the imperative need of the time. For education to serve the purposes of democracy and world citizenship it should it should be in a real sense “liberal.””

Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar (1919–1974) Indian writer

During his scholarly lecture tours as a philosopher, in Ghana, quoted in "Jayachamaraja Wodeyar – A Princely scholar".

John Adams photo

“Laws for the liberal education of youth, especially of the lower class of people, are so extremely wise and useful, that, to a humane and generous mind, no expense for this purpose would be thought extravagant.”

John Adams (1735–1826) 2nd President of the United States

1770s, Thoughts on Government (1776)

Sadhguru photo

“The basic purpose of life and the basic purpose of education is to enhance one’s boundaries of perception.”

Sadhguru (1957) Yogi, mystic, visionary and humanitarian

Isha Insights Magazine, Spring Edition 2009
Sourced from newspapers and magazines
Context: The basic purpose of life and the basic purpose of education is to enhance one’s boundaries of perception. I don’t want the children to just survive after ten years of schooling here. They must blossom and flower wherever they go. -Sadhguru (on Isha Vidhya rural education project)

Harper Lee photo

“In Maycomb, if one went for a walk with no definite purpose in mind, it was correct to believe one's mind incapable of definite purpose.”

Harper Lee book To Kill a Mockingbird

Source: To Kill a Mockingbird

Saddam Hussein photo

“Women make up one half of society. Our society will remain backward and in chains unless its women are liberated, enlightened and educated.”

Saddam Hussein (1937–2006) Iraqi politician and President

&quot; Women: One Half of Our Society http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Women_-_One_half_of_our_society&quot; (1981). <br class="br">Source: The Revolution and Woman in Iraq <br class="br">Context: The complete emancipation of women from the ties which held them back in the past, during the ages of despotism and ignorance, is a basic aim of the Party and the Revolution. Women make up one half of society. Our society will remain backward and in chains unless its women are liberated, enlightened and educated.

Mike Rosen photo

“Conservatives believe in individual freedom and responsibility. Liberals believe in sacrificing individual freedom for socially desirable outcomes. Liberals believe that one of government's primary roles is social engineering.”

Mike Rosen (1944) American political pundit

Rocky Mountain News column, 2000

“Knowledge workers have high degrees of expertise, education, or experience, and the primary purpose of their jobs involves the creation, distribution or application of knowledge.”

Thomas H. Davenport (1954) American academic

Source: Thinking for a Living, 2005, p. 9

Related topics