"Men may be spoiled by education, even as they are spoiled by illiteracy. Education is the preparation of the mind for future work, hence men should be educated with special reference to the work"
About this Quote
The second sentence tightens into a utilitarian definition that sounds almost mechanical, and that’s the point. Fortune isn’t praising education as self-cultivation; he’s stripping it of romance and demanding accountability. “Preparation… for future work” frames schooling as infrastructure. The subtext is social and political: a society that offers education without pathways to meaningful labor is courting disillusionment and instability, while a society that educates people “wrong” risks manufacturing a class of frustrated elites - literate, articulate, and alienated.
Context matters. Fortune, a prominent Black journalist in the post-Reconstruction era, wrote amid fierce debates over Black education: classical curricula versus industrial training, uplift rhetoric versus economic reality, opportunity promised versus jobs denied. Read there, his line isn’t a scold against learning; it’s a warning about mismatch. Education can “spoil” when it raises expectations the labor market (and racial hierarchy) refuses to meet, or when it becomes a status badge instead of a tool for autonomy. It’s a pragmatic, almost bracing plea: teach people with the actual work - and the actual barriers - in view.
Quote Details
| Topic | Learning |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Fortune, Timothy Thomas. (2026, January 16). Men may be spoiled by education, even as they are spoiled by illiteracy. Education is the preparation of the mind for future work, hence men should be educated with special reference to the work. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/men-may-be-spoiled-by-education-even-as-they-are-82580/
Chicago Style
Fortune, Timothy Thomas. "Men may be spoiled by education, even as they are spoiled by illiteracy. Education is the preparation of the mind for future work, hence men should be educated with special reference to the work." FixQuotes. January 16, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/men-may-be-spoiled-by-education-even-as-they-are-82580/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"Men may be spoiled by education, even as they are spoiled by illiteracy. Education is the preparation of the mind for future work, hence men should be educated with special reference to the work." FixQuotes, 16 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/men-may-be-spoiled-by-education-even-as-they-are-82580/. Accessed 6 Feb. 2026.
