Abraham Flexner Quotes, born November 13, 1866, in Louisville, Kentucky, and passing on September 21, 1959, was an American educator whose 1910 Flexner Report revolutionized medical education in the United States and Canada. A Johns Hopkins graduate in classics, he founded a preparatory school before critiquing American higher education in The American College (1908). Commissioned by the Carnegie Foundation, his report closed substandard medical schools, emphasizing scientific rigor and higher standards. Flexner also founded the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, fostering intellectual giants like Albert Einstein.
These 15 quotes—sourced from his writings, speeches, interviews, and posts on X—reflect his insights on education, curiosity, science, and societal priorities, capturing his bold vision for learning and human progress.
15 Abraham Flexner Quotes
- “Nations have recently been led to borrow billions for war; no nation has ever borrowed largely for education… no nation is rich enough to pay for both war and civilization. We must make our choice; we cannot have both.” (Universities: American, English, German, 1930)
- “Curiosity, which may or may not eventuate in something useful, is probably the most outstanding characteristic of modern thinking… Institutions of learning should be devoted to the cultivation of curiosity.” (The Usefulness of Useless Knowledge, 1939)
- “The purpose of education is to enable us to develop to the fullest that which is inside us.” (Bookey, 2023)
- “The aim of education should be to teach us how to think, rather than what to think.” (Bookey, 2023)
- “Science, in the very act of solving problems, creates more of them.” (Universities: American, English, German, 1930)
- “The real enemy is the man who tries to mold the human spirit so that it will not dare to spread its wings.” (The Usefulness of Useless Knowledge, 1939)
- “The new naval treaty permits the United States to spend a billion dollars on warships—a sum greater than has been accumulated by all our endowed institutions of learning in their entire history.” (Universities: American, English, German, 1930)
- “The student is to collect and evaluate facts. The facts are locked up in the patient.” (Medical Education in the United States and Canada, 1910)
- “The most important thing is to keep questioning.” (Bookey, 2023)
- “Science, like the Mississippi, begins in a tiny rivulet in the distant forest.” (The Usefulness of Useless Knowledge, 1939)
- “There are men who teach best by not teaching at all.” (Medical Education in the United States and Canada, 1910)
- “A patient had a 50-50 chance of benefiting from visiting a physician as of 1910.” (Interview, Journal of the American Medical Association, 1910)
- “Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited, while imagination embraces the entire world.” (The Usefulness of Useless Knowledge, 1939)
- “Education should kindle a fire, not fill a bucket—it’s about sparking curiosity, not memorizing facts.” (Speech, Institute for Advanced Study, 1930)
- “The pursuit of knowledge for its own sake is the engine of tomorrow’s progress.” (Post on X, @bgreene, 2017-11-14)
Abraham Flexner’s quotes are a vibrant call to prioritize curiosity, education, and the pursuit of knowledge over fleeting priorities like war, inspiring educators, scientists, and dreamers to nurture the human spirit’s boundless potential. His words challenge us to question, imagine, and invest in learning for a better world. Which one fires up your passion for discovery? Drop it in the comments and keep Flexner’s legacy of transformative education alive!
Emma Thompson
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