Teaching quotes

Welcome to the Teaching quotes page! Teaching is a noble profession that has the power to shape the minds and futures of generations to come. Whether you are an educator, a student, or simply someone who appreciates the value of education, this page is here to inspire and motivate you on your journey.

Within this collection of quotes, you will find wisdom and insights from renowned teachers, philosophers, and thought leaders throughout history. These quotes explore the transformative and impactful nature of teaching, while capturing the essence of the teaching experience. Whether you are looking for a dose of inspiration to start your day, a guiding principle to reinforce your teaching philosophy, or simply a reminder of the profound influence teachers have, you will find it here.

From quotes that emphasize the importance of lifelong learning and curiosity to those that celebrate the special bond between teacher and student, this page encompasses a wide range of perspectives on teaching. You will discover quotes that inspire creativity, resilience, and passion within the classroom, as well as quotes that highlight the responsibility and privilege of guiding others on their educational journey.

So, whether you are looking for quotes to share with your colleagues, to include in a presentation, or simply to reflect upon, we invite you to explore the Teaching quotes on this page. May these words of wisdom bring joy, motivation, and a renewed sense of purpose to all who embrace the art of teaching.

I don't teach literature from my perspective as 'Joyce Carol Oates.' I try to teach fiction from the perspective of each writer. If I'm teaching a story by Hemingway, my endeavor is to present the story that Hemingway wrote in its fullest realization.
I have preferred to teach my students not English literature but my love for certain authors, or, even better, certain pages, or even better than that, certain lines. One falls in love with a line, then with a page, then with an author. Well, why not? It is a beautiful process.
Paul Halmos
Paul Halmos
Influential Mathematician & Educator
A smooth lecture... may be pleasant; a good teacher challenges, asks, irritates and maintains high standards - all that is generally not pleasant.
D.T. Suzuki
D.T. Suzuki
Pioneer of Zen Buddhism in the West
Zen teaches nothing; it merely enables us to wake up and become aware. It does not teach, it points.
Mary Ellen Chase
Mary Ellen Chase
New England's Literary Voice
Of all the excellent teachers of college English whom I have known I have never discovered one who knew precisely what he was doing. Therein have lain their power and their charm.
Harvey Mackay
Harvey Mackay
Business Guru & Motivational Speaker
Happiness can be thought, taught and caught... but not bought.
Timothy Leary
Timothy Leary
American psychologist and author
When you teach someone how to perform creatively (ie, associate dead symbols in new combinations), you expand his potential for experiencing more widely and richly.
I am not conscious of working especially hard, or of 'working' at all. Writing and teaching have always been, for me, so richly rewarding that I don't think of them as work in the usual sense of the word.
Paul Halmos
Paul Halmos
Influential Mathematician & Educator
A clever graduate student could teach Fourier something new, but surely no one claims that he could teach Archimedes to reason better.
Anyone who teaches knows that you don't really experience a text until you've taught it, in loving detail, with an intelligent and responsive class.
Paul Halmos
Paul Halmos
Influential Mathematician & Educator
The mathematical fraternity is a little like a self-perpetuating priesthood. The mathematicians of today teach the mathematicians of tomorrow and, in effect, decide whom to admit to the priesthood.
My students often say, "My roommate read this story and really liked it", and it's hard to convince them that there are things wrong with it. I say, "well, people who love you want you to be happy. But I'm your professor and I'm supposed to be teaching you something."
As a teacher at Princeton, I'm surrounded by people who work hard so I just make good use of my time. And I don't really think of it as work - writing a novel, in one sense, is a problem-solving exercise.