Singapore is now in the top five. Its income per person even tops oil-rich and scarcely populated Kuwait. Having realized that the country had no natural resources, the government of founding father Lee Kuan Yew directed massive investment in human capital. Kids who were eight or ten or thirteen several decades ago are now some of the most productive citizens of today's economy. A tiny nation-state with no natural resources and a large number of people living in a relatively small physical space has managed to outearn a country with some of the largest oil deposits ever found. That is the power of investing in and nurturing young brains. Education alone may not be enough to guarantee economic success. There are other success factors that matter, like good governance, rule of law, and access to trading routes and partners. But if you were challenged to assemble a prosperous society from scratch, education would be the first building block you'd want to develop. John Wood
About This Quote

The quote I chose is a great example of how far education can take you. Knowing something is important, but the knowledge is useless if you cannot apply it in real life. While all other countries are experiencing financial crises, Singapore has been one of the richest countries in the world for many years. This quote shows us that education is more than just learning facts and figures. It can be used to improve your life and give you opportunities that you currently would not be able to get without it.

Source: Creating Room To Read

Some Similar Quotes
  1. I do not think I ever opened a book in my life which had not something to say upon woman's inconstancy. Songs and proverbs, all talk of woman's fickleness. But perhaps you will say, these were all written by men."" Perhaps I shall. Yes, yes,... - Jane Austen
  2. What it means to be human is to bring up your children in safety, educate them, keep them healthy, teach them how to care for themselves and others, allow them to develop in their own way among adults who are sane and responsibile, who know... - Jeanette Winterson
  3. The more I live, the more I learn. The more I learn, the more I realize, the less I know. - Michel Legrand
  4. Cinema is the ultimate pervert art. It doesn't give you what you desire - it tells you how to desire. - Unknown
  5. Being vegan is easy. Are there social pressures that encourage you to continue to eat, wear, and use animal products? Of course there are. But in a patriarchal, racist, homophobic, and ableist society, there are social pressures to participate and engage in sexism, racism, homophobia,... - Gary L. Francione
More Quotes By John Wood
  1. ...talent is evenly distributed. You never know how many talented people are out there until you invite and inspire them to be creative.
  2. My view of the charity world is that compared with business, there is too much talk, way too many meetings and expert panels and blue-ribbon commissions, and not enough action. Or as an Australian friend of mine once opined: "Sometimes you just have to have...
  3. The only thing we wanted our young organization to give was an opportunity. We would say to children and to their families: "If you are willing to work hard and make sacrifices and think long term, then Room to Read is the best organization for...
  4. We had a policy of "no looking back". Once a decision was made, all members of our team were expected to stop talking about obstacles and instead focus intensely on solutions." Don't tell us all the reasons this might not work. Tell us all the...
  5. ..literacy is as vital as food, security, limiting population growth, and control of the environment. Education, after all, is the one issue that affects every other one. I think of it in the same way as dropping a pebble into a pond and getting a...
Related Topics