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John Lubbock

John Lubbock Quotes

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Famous John Lubbock Quotes

“What we do see depends mainly on what we look for. ... In the same field the farmer will notice the crop, the geologists the fossils, botanists the flowers, artists the colouring, sportmen the cover for the game. Though we may all look at the same things, it does not all follow that we should see them.”

InspirationalSeeingPerspectiveSightFlowersFossilsArtistsGameFarmerGeologistsBotanistsSportsmen
Book:The beauties of nature and the wonders of the world we live in
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“Our great mistake in education is, as it seems to me, the worship of book-learning–the confusion of instruction and education. We strain the memory instead of cultivating the mind. The children in our elementary schools are wearied by the mechanical act of writing, and the interminable intricacies of spelling; they are oppressed by columns of dates, by lists of kings and places, which convey no definite idea to their minds, and have no near relation to their daily wants and occupations; while in our public schools the same unfortunate results are produced by the weary monotony of Latin and Greek grammar. We ought to follow exactly the opposite course with children–to give them a wholesome variety of mental food, and endeavor to cultivate their tastes, rather than to fill their minds with dry facts. The important thing is not so much that every child should be taught, as that every child should be given the wish to learn. What does it matter if the pupil know a little more or a little less? A boy who leaves school knowing much, but hating his lessons, will soon have forgotten almost all he ever learned; while another who had acquired a thirst for knowledge, even if he had learned little, would soon teach himself more than the first ever knew.”

MindFactsScienceHateForgetMistakeEducationKnowledgeLearningTeachingBooksLessonsWorshipImportanceMemoryConfusionInstructionStrainCultivationTastesBook LearningPupilDry FactsMental Food
Book:The Pleasures of Life
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“Our great mistake in education is ... the worship of book-learning-the confusion of instruction and education. We strain the memory instead of cultivating the mind. ... We ought to follow exactly the opposite course with children-to give them a wholesome variety of mental food, and endeavour to cultivate their tastes, rather than to fill their minds with dry facts.”

GivingMindChildrenBookFactsScienceCoursesMemoriesMistakeEducationOughtTasteWorshipOppositesConfusionVarietyDryInstructionStrainEndeavourCultivatingGreat MistakesBook Learning
Author:John Lubbock
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“The important thing is not so much that every child should be taught, as that every child should have the opportunity of teaching itself. What does it matter if the pupil know a little more or a little less? A boy who leaves school knowing much, but hating his lessons, will soon have forgotten all he ever learned; while another who had acquired a thirst for knowledge, even if he had learned little, would soon teach himself more than the first ever knew.”

IfsKnowsShouldFirstsChildrenLittlesDoeImportantMatterSchoolScienceHateOpportunityEducationBoysTeachKnowingTeachingTaughtLessonsShould HaveImportant ThingsForgottenThirstPupilsDoes It MatterThirst For Knowledge
Author:John Lubbock
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“Savages have often been likened to children, and the comparison is not only correct but also highly instructive. Many naturalists consider that the early condition of the individual indicates that of the race,-that the best test of the affinities of a species are the stages through which it passes. So also it is in the case of man; the life of each individual is an epitome of the history of the race, and the gradual development of the child illustrates that of the species.”

MenChildrenScienceIndividualRaceCasesConditionsStageDevelopmentTestsSpeciesComparisonSavagesAffinityNaturalistEpitome
Book:Pre-historic Times: As Illustrated by Ancient Remains and the Manners and Customs of Modern Savages
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“We often hear of bad weather, but in reality no weather is bad. It is all delightful, though in different ways. Some weather may be bad for farmers or crops, but for man all kinds are good. Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating.”

MenWayKindMayDifferentRealityWindRainSnowWeatherAll KindsDifferent WaysSunshineFarmersDifferent KindsDelightfulDeliciousCropsExhilaratingRefreshingBracesBad WeatherGood WeatherRainy Weather
Author:John Lubbock
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“Happy indeed is the naturalist: to him the seasons come round like old friends; to him the birds sing: as he walks along, the flowers stretch out from the hedges, or look up from the ground, and as each year fades away, he looks back on a fresh store of happy memories.”

YearsLooksMemoriesWalksFlowerBirdSeasonsRoundsStoresLook UpFadesOld FriendsFade AwayNaturalistHappy Memories
Book:The beauties of nature and the wonders of the world we live in
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