The things taught in schools and colleges are not an education, but a means to an education. - Ralph Waldo Eme

Question

what does the quote "The things taught in schools and colleges are not an education, but a means to an education." - Ralph Waldo Emerson mean?

Answer 1

Schooling gives one the tools to think for oneself.

Answer 2

Yeah .Education equips a person to rise to their best........
America needs to be aware of this....
We are no longer an educated community.
Our system allows for the easy way out......
Just look at the rest of the world...
We cannot compete with the education system as it is.......
the world has gotten smaller.......
America is ill equipped ......
This is not the teacher's problem......
it's the problem of parents and others who do not demand excellence........
I was a tutor at a local university for a long time teaching in-coming freshmen to READ, and how to write a simple composition .....
America can no longer accept mediocrity, this position has crippled us both economically and politically........

Answer 3

think of it this way

lets say you studied Chemistry, you are not actually going to be in a laboratory when you have to make a decision about buying a house or a car for example

however, as a Chemist, you have devised a personal equation for which you solve most of your problems/issues

so the education in chemistry, when applied outside of the chemical world, is when you have achieved the means to an education

Answer 4

I believe that Emerson means that in school we are taught how to think and reason, so that we will be able figure out problems for ourselves.

Answer 5

A person can be provided with all the proper tools and information to learn, but it is up to that person to obtain and use that information.