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It is said that heaven does not create one man above or below another man. Any existing distinction between the wise and the stupid, between the rich and the poor, comes down to a matter of education.

— Fukuzawa Yukichi

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Education

More quotes by Fukuzawa Yukichi

Each individual man and each individual country, according to the principles of natural reason, is free from bondage.

We do not have time to wait for the enlightenment of our neighbors so that we can work together toward the development of Asia.

Seen in this light, civilization is an open-ended process. We cannot be satisfied with the present level of attainment of the West.

Bunmeiron no Gairyaku [An Outline of a Theory of Civilization (1875)

I think I have made it clear that I never intended to make enemies. But in an age when anti-foreign sentiment was running high, it was unavoidable that in my position as an advocate of open intercourse and free adoption of Western culture, I should make some adversaries.

The Autobiography of Fukuzawa Yukichi (1897)

Whatever happens in the country, whatever warfare harasses our land, we will never relinquish our hold on Western learning. As long as this school of ours stands, Japan remains a civilized nation of the world.

The Autobiography of Fukuzawa Yukichi (1897)

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All religions, arts and sciences are branches of the same tree. All these aspirations are directed toward ennobling man's life, lifting it from the sphere of mere physical existence and leading the individual towards freedom.

Albert Einstein Moral Decay (1937)

The greater part of humanity is too much harassed and fatigued by the struggle with want, to rally itself for a new and sterner struggle with error.

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Men are born ignorant, not stupid; they are made stupid by education.

Bertrand Russell

Attribution

Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Fukuzawa Yukichi (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.