Sir Ken Robinson Quotes on Creativity and Education, With Sources
Sir Ken Robinson (1950–2020) was a British educator and author best known for his 2006 TED talk “Do Schools Kill Creativity?”, one of the most-watched TED talks ever. He was knighted in 2003 for services to the arts and wrote Out of Our Minds (2001), The Element (2009), and Creative Schools (2015). Many quotes circulate under his name with no source. The ones below are tied to a talk or book.
Quotes on creativity in education
These come from “Do Schools Kill Creativity?”, delivered at TED in Monterey, California, in February 2006.
“My contention is that creativity now is as important in education as literacy, and we should treat it with the same status.”
— Sir Ken Robinson, “Do Schools Kill Creativity?”, TED 2006
This is the central claim of the talk. Robinson argued that schools should give creativity the same standing as reading and writing, and the talk is usually cited for that point.
Quotes on mistakes and risk
“If you’re not prepared to be wrong, you’ll never come up with anything original.”
— Sir Ken Robinson, “Do Schools Kill Creativity?”, TED 2006
Robinson follows this with the point that children will take a chance and that adults often lose the willingness to be wrong. He then ties the loss to how schools treat mistakes.
“We don’t grow into creativity, we grow out of it. Or rather, we get educated out of it.”
— Sir Ken Robinson, “Do Schools Kill Creativity?”, TED 2006
Quotes on talent
“Human resources are like natural resources; they’re often buried deep. You have to go looking for them.”
— Sir Ken Robinson, “Bring on the Learning Revolution!”, TED 2010
This line comes from his second TED talk, which expands the argument from creativity to the structure of school systems.
Ideas he is known for
Some of Robinson’s most-cited ideas are better described than quoted, since exact wording varies across his talks and books.
Intelligence is diverse
Robinson argued that people think in many ways, including visually, through sound, and through movement, and that school systems favor a narrow range of academic ability.
The Element
In The Element, he defines the element as the point where natural aptitude meets personal passion. He uses examples from music, comedy, and science to describe how people found it.
Education as organic
In Creative Schools, he argues that education should be treated as growing something, with the right conditions, instead of running an assembly line. He proposed this as an alternative to standardized testing as the main measure of school quality.
Quotes that are often misattributed
Quote sites attribute many lines to Robinson without a talk or book behind them. If a line cannot be traced to one of his published works or recorded talks, treat it as unverified. Before using a Robinson quote in an essay or presentation, find it in the transcript on the TED site or in the book itself and cite that source.
How to cite a Sir Ken Robinson quote
For a TED talk in MLA, cite the speaker, talk title, TED, the date, and the URL. In APA, cite Robinson, K. (2006), the talk title, and the TED URL. For a book quote, add the page number. See how to cite a quote in MLA and in APA.
Related quote lists
For more on this topic, see education quotes, quotes about curiosity and learning, and quotes about teaching and learning.
FAQ
What is Sir Ken Robinson’s most famous quote?
“Creativity is as important in education as literacy” is the idea most tied to him, from his 2006 TED talk. The exact wording in the talk is longer, as quoted above.
What was Sir Ken Robinson’s TED talk about?
It argued that schools educate children out of their creative capacities and that creativity deserves the same status as literacy in the curriculum.
Is Ken Robinson’s “Do Schools Kill Creativity?” the most-watched TED talk?
It has been among the most-viewed TED talks since it was posted. Rankings change as view counts grow, so check TED’s current list.
Which books did he write?
Out of Our Minds, The Element, Finding Your Element, You, Your Child, and School, and Creative Schools, among others.