"Anyone who has passed though the regular gradations of a classical education, and is not made a fool by it, may consider himself as having had a very narrow escape"
- William Hazlitt
About this Quote
This quote by William Hazlitt recommends that a classical education can be an unsafe thing. It suggests that those who have actually gone through the traditional actions of a classical education and have actually not been made a fool by it, have actually been lucky to have actually prevented the mistakes of such an education. Hazlitt is suggesting that a classical education can be a limitation to one's development, as it can result in a narrow-mindedness and an absence of imagination. He is warning that a classical education can result in a person becoming a fool, as it can result in an individual ending up being too concentrated on the traditional and the accepted, and not open to new ideas and perspectives. Hazlitt is suggesting that a classical education can be a trap, which those who have actually handled to escape it ought to be thankful.
"I spent three days a week for 10 years educating myself in the public library, and it's better than college. People should educate themselves - you can get a complete education for no money. At the end of 10 years, I had read every book in the library and I'd written a thousand stories"