Education is an admirable thing, but it is well to remember from time to time that nothing that is worth knowing can be taught.
Genuine
Yes. In Intentions (1891), The Critic as Artist, Part I (With Some Remarks upon the Importance of Doing Nothing), Gilbert and Ernest on Greek criticism, said by Gilbert. These are the character’s words, not a statement in Wilde’s own voice.
Found word for word by program in the full text.
- Work
- Intentions, 1891
- Where
- The Critic as Artist, Part I (With Some Remarks upon the Importance of Doing Nothing), Gilbert and Ernest on Greek criticism
- Found at
- Paragraph 179 of the text
Researched by AI; checked by program against the full text on 31 October 2026. Editorial review: pending. How we check
On the page
ERNEST. Really?
[…] Don’t let us discuss anything solemnly. I am but too conscious of the fact that we are born in an age when only the dull are treated seriously, and I live in terror of not being misunderstood. Don’t degrade me into the position of giving you useful information. Education is an admirable thing, but it is well to remember from time to time that nothing that is worth knowing can be taught.1 Through the parted curtains of the window I see the moon like a clipped piece of silver. Like gilded bees the stars cluster round her. The sky is a hard hollow sapphire. Let us go out into the night. […]
ERNEST. You are horribly wilful. I insist on your discussing this matter with me. You have said that the Greeks were a nation of art-critics. What art-criticism have they left us?
GILBERT. […]
The scene
Ernest has questioned Gilbert’s claim that the Greeks were a nation of art-critics. Rather than supply the requested explanation, Gilbert jokes about learned conversation, offers to play Dvorák, and urges an excursion into the night. Ernest insists, and Gilbert then goes on to defend his claim about Greek criticism at length.
What it means
Gilbert distinguishes the most valuable kinds of understanding from information that can be delivered by instruction, while mischievously refusing to give a lesson.
Often misread
Not a simple programme against education: the opening concedes its value, and Gilbert proceeds to give the intellectual discussion he pretends to refuse. The aphorism is part of a playful critical dialogue.
Topics
Related quotes
- Women are meant to be loved, not to be understood.
- You can never be overdressed or overeducated. (paraphrase)
- I have never let my schooling interfere with my education. (misattributed) Mark Twain
- The truth is rarely pure and never simple.
- Better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid than to open it and remove all doubt. (misattributed) Mark Twain
Cite it
Oscar Wilde, Intentions (1891), The Critic as Artist, Part I (With Some Remarks upon the Importance of Doing Nothing), Gilbert and Ernest on Greek criticism. Spoken by Gilbert. Checked at Quotogeny, https://quotogeny.com/q/nothing-worth-knowing-can-be-taught/ (31 October 2026).
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Checked by people
People who checked this entry against its source, under their own names. Their checks do not change the verdict: an editor reviews every entry.
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