Irish Sayings About Education

Wise old words from Ireland abound including advice on the importance of education.

Our ancestors held plenty of opinions and their respect for a good education is clearly evident in some old Irish sayings.

Back to School Sayings
Education Quotations from Great Irish Writers
The Triads Of Ireland
Sayings And Proverbs From Ireland About Education
Irish American Quotations About Education
A Little Levity To Close

Back to School Sayings

Back to school time is upon us. Kentucky kids are already waiting in line for school buses every morning, and in the evenings knuckling down to their homework.

Kids in Ireland and some of the states in the northeast still have one last week of freedom before returning to the books. But to help us all prepare for the school year ahead, I thought I might put together a list of sayings from Ireland about education.

This post is for parents, teachers and students the world over. Here you will find a little wisdom about why learning sets us on the road to success.

And as with all things Irish, there's a little levity, but above all you will find, a deep seated respect for the importance of a good education.

So here's my collection of Irish quotations, blessings, and sayings for back-to-schoolers everywhere, both young and old, and in between.

Education Quotations from Great Irish Writers

First lets take a look at some wise words penned by world famous Irish writers. Here you'll find some wonderful words from Yeats, Shaw, Wilde and McCourt.

"Education is not the filling of a pail,

but the lighting of a fire."

~ William Butler Yeats (1865–1939)

"He says, you have to study and learn

so that you can make up your own mind

about history and everything else,

but you can’t make up an empty mind.

Stock your mind, stock your mind.

You might be poor,

your shoes might be broken,

but your mind is a palace."

~ Frank McCourt, Writer

''What we want is to see the child in pursuit of knowledge,

and not knowledge in pursuit of the child.''

~ George Bernard Shaw, Irish writer

"Beware of false knowledge;

it is more dangerous than ignorance.''

~ George Bernard Shaw, Irish writer

"Education is an admirable thing,

but it is well to remember from time to time

that nothing that is worth knowing can be taught."

~Oscar Wilde, Writer

The Triads Of Ireland

The Triads of Ireland are a collection of early Irish proverbs compiled in the 9th century. These wise old words of our ancestors comprised three items that share a memorable trait. Here are three examples dealing with education ...

Triad 177 -

Three glories of speech:

steadiness, wisdom, brevity.

Triad 210 -

Three candles that illumine every darkness:

truth, nature, knowledge.

Triad 245 -

Three things that ruin wisdom:

ignorance, inaccurate knowledge, forgetfulness.

Sayings And Proverbs From Ireland About Education

Next, let's explore some of the old proverbs that have been handed down from generation to generation, encouraging young people to study, and 'stick to the books', as my granny used to say....

"Wisdom is what makes a poor man a king,

a weak person powerful,

a good generation of a bad one,

a foolish man reasonable."

~ Old Irish Saying

"A little of anything isn't worth a pin;

but a wee bit of sense is worth a lot."

~ Wise Old Words from Ireland

Castles were built a stone at a time.

~ Old Irish Saying

"Praise the young and they will make progress."

~ Old Irish Saying

"Sense doesn't come before age."

~ Irish Proverb

"Food is no more important than wisdom.

The beginning of wisdom is the fear of God."

~ Old Irish Saying

It destroys the craft not to learn it.

~ Irish Proverb

"Speed and accuracy do not agree.

~ Irish Words of Wisdom

"The stars make no noise."

~ Irish Saying

"The youngest thorns are the sharpest."

~ Irish Saying

"Though wisdom is good in the beginning,

it is better at the end."

"The young shed many skins."

~ Irish Proverb

"'Tis afterwards that everything is understood."

~ Irish Words of Wisdom

"Watching is a part of good play."

~ Old Irish Saying

"The slow hound often has good qualities."

~ Old Irish Proverb

"A scholar's ink lasts longer than a martyrs blood."

~ Sage Words from Ireland

"The bird that can sing and won't sing,

should be made to sing."

~ Irish Saying About Talents

"Time and patience would bring a snail to Jerusalem."

~ Words of Wisdom from Ireland

"The seeking for one thing will find another."

~ Irish Saying About Learning and Development

Irish American Quotations About Education

From the mouth of JFK, the 35th American President, to the words of the great southern writer Flannery O'Connor, here are a few of my favorite Irish American quotations ...

''All of us do not have equal talents,

but all of us should have an

equal opportunity to develop our talents.''

~ John Fitzgerald Kennedy, 35^th President of U.S.A.

"Our progress as a nation can be

no swifter than our progress in education."

~ US President John F. Kennedy (1917-1963)

“The only real mistake

is the one from which we learn nothing."

~ Henry Ford (1863-1947)

"Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty.

Anyone who keeps learning stays young."

~ Henry Ford (1863-1947)

“There is no man living who isn't capable of doing more than he thinks he can do.”

~ Henry Ford (1863-1947)

“Everywhere I go I’m asked if I think the university stifles writers.

My opinion is that they don’t stifle enough of them.

There’s many a best-seller that could have been prevented by a good teacher.”

~ Flannery O’Connor

A Little Levity To Close

And for all who feel like they are returning to prison after their free wheeling summer days of fun, here's one of my favorite quotations from Irish comedian, Tommy Tiernan.

"And do you remember those essays

you’d have to write every September?

'What I did on my summer holidays?'

Like they were only letting you out on parole or something!

~ Tommy Tiernan, Irish Comedian

And so, with these quotations I say to students everywhere, welcome back to school after two long months or more of parole. Start sharpening your pencils and writing those essays.

Wishing everyone a happy and successful school year from parents coaching their kids through homework, students diligently trying to pay attention, to the back bone of every nation, our teachers.

Happy school year everyone.

Here are some more ramblings featuring Irish blessings and sayings.

Saint Brigid’s Blessing For The Home Framed Printable

Irish Sayings And Blessings For Troubled Times

Inspirational Irish Words And Sayings

Irish Blessings And Sayings About Faith

Irish Wedding Blessings

Thanks for following my recipes and ramblings.