Quotes about higher education are lines on the purpose of college, the value of a degree, and what a university is for, useful for a graduation card, a commencement speech, an application essay, or a slide. This collection sorts them by theme and attributes each to its real source. Where a line is commonly misattributed, the note says so.
Quotes about the purpose of education
For what an education is actually meant to do.
“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”
— Nelson Mandela, address at the University of the Witwatersrand, 2003
“The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character — that is the goal of true education.”
— Martin Luther King Jr., “The Purpose of Education,” 1947
“The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows.”
— Sydney J. Harris
Quotes about the university
For what a college or university is supposed to be.
“A university should be a place of light, of liberty, and of learning.”
— Benjamin Disraeli, speech in the House of Commons, 1873
“The true college will ever have one goal — not to earn meat, but to know the end and aim of that life which meat nourishes.”
— W.E.B. Du Bois, “The Souls of Black Folk”
“Education is the development of power and ideal.”
— W.E.B. Du Bois
Quotes about the value of a degree
For the payoff of higher education, and its limits.
“Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.”
— commonly attributed to Malcolm X; the wording is drawn from his speeches on education
“An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.”
— commonly attributed to Benjamin Franklin; the attribution is traditional and not found in his own writing
“Wisdom is not a product of schooling but of the lifelong attempt to acquire it.”
— Albert Einstein, in a 1954 letter
Quotes for college students and graduates
For a card, a speech, or a note at the end of a degree.
“Your education is a dress rehearsal for a life that is yours to lead.”
— Nora Ephron, commencement address at Wellesley College, 1996
“The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet.”
— commonly attributed to Aristotle; the attribution is traditional and unverified
How to use these quotes
For a graduation card or a speech, choose one line and name its source. A higher-education quote carries more weight when the reader can trust the attribution, and several of the most-shared lines are wrongly assigned. If you are quoting one in an application or academic essay, see how to introduce a quote in an essay.
For related sets, see college quotes and education quotes.
FAQ
What is a good quote about higher education?
Nelson Mandela’s “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world” is verified and widely used for college and university contexts.
What did W.E.B. Du Bois say about college?
In “The Souls of Black Folk,” Du Bois wrote that the true college aims “not to earn meat, but to know the end and aim of that life which meat nourishes.”
Did Benjamin Franklin say “an investment in knowledge pays the best interest”?
The line is traditionally credited to Franklin but does not appear in his own writing. Treat the attribution as unverified.
What is a short higher education quote for a card?
“A university should be a place of light, of liberty, and of learning,” from Benjamin Disraeli, is short and well documented.
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