The greatest resource that humankind has is to be found within human life itself. This treasure can be endlessly mined and developed. To believe in and encourage youth, bringing out their wisdom and strength, this is the challenge and purpose of education.
True religious commitment and the true spirit of education are actually two manifestations of the same ideal of the complete liberation of the human being.
Education is not simply the transmission of knowledge. It is not simply the development of talent. Education is the great enterprise of steadily and surely passing on the fullness of humanity from the past to the future.
Education at its best is a process of liberation from prejudice which frees the human heart from its violent passions. Through education people can be delivered from powerlessness, from the burden of mistrust directed against themselves. And those who have learned to trust in themselves are then naturally able to believe in the latent capacities of others.
The relationship between teacher and pupil can be a vital link through which new horizons are opened up and life develops. To me, the essence of education is this process whereby one person's character inspires another.
The more knowledge one gains, the more important becomes the question of what that knowledge will be used for. Knowledge without wisdom and philosophy produces nothing more than talented beasts.
Universities exist to benefit those who are unable to attend them.
There is no genuine education without earnest life-to-life interaction and inspiration. People grow through their interaction with people.
Knowledge alone cannot give rise to value. It is only when knowledge is guided by wisdom that value is created. The font of wisdom is found in the following elements: an overarching sense of purpose, a powerful sense of responsibility and, finally, the compassionate desire to contribute to the welfare of humankind.
Believing in people, believing in some rich unknown something and drawing it out-that is the vigorous spirit of education.
Education must be based on the fundamental rhythm of life itself-the wish to grow, to extend oneself, to break out of one's shell. It must seek to place people on the track to self-improvement. It cannot be authoritarian; it must seek to enhance a person's progress with his agreement and to his satisfaction.
Unlike political and economic concerns educational programs do not bear fruit immediately; thus it is hard to convince people of their importance. But in the long term, education cannot be overlooked as a key to bringing stability and prosperity to society.
The genuine goal of education must be the life-long happiness of those who learn. Education should never be subordinated to the demands of national ego, or of corporations searching for profit-generating employees. Human beings, human happiness, must always be the goal and objective.
Knowledge itself is a neutral tool that can be used for good or evil. Wisdom, in contrast, always directs us toward happiness. The task of education must be to stimulate and unleash the wisdom that lies dormant in the lives of all young people. This is not a forced process, like pressing something into a preformed mold, but rather drawing out the potential which exists within.
To me, the essence of education is this process whereby one person's character inspires another. Once children feel that their teachers are genuinely concerned for their individual welfare, they will begin to trust them and open up to them.
Education should not be based on or limited by a nationalist agenda. Education must cultivate the wisdom to reject and resist violence in all its forms. It must foster people who intuitively understand and know-in their mind, in their heart, with their entire being-the irreplaceable value of human beings and the natural world. I believe such education embodies the timeless struggle of human civilization to create an unerring path to peace.
Education must inspire the faith that each of us has both the power and the responsibility to effect positive change on a global scale.
Nothing is more crucially important today than the kind of humanistic education that enables people to sense the reality of interconnectedness, to appreciate the infinite potential in each person's life, and to cultivate that dormant human potential to the fullest.
Education makes us free. The world of knowledge and of the intellect is where all people can meet and converse. Education liberates people from prejudice. It frees the human heart from its violent passions
It is through education that we are liberated from powerlessness, from the burden of mistrust directed against ourselves. To awaken the abilities that have been lying dormant within. To arouse and extend the soul's aspiration to become full and complete. Can there be any more sublime experience in life?
The task of education must be fundamentally to ensure that knowledge serves to further the cause of human happiness and peace.
The proud mission of those who have been able to receive education must be to serve, in seen and unseen ways, the lives of those who have not had this opportunity.
Education is to ignite a flame. When teachers burn with a passion for truth, the desire to learn will be ignited in their students' hearts. When teachers are excited about culture and beauty, the creativity of their students will leap up like a bright flame.
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