Training and Education
(Wise Sayings of Imam Khomeini)
o The initial point of any reform is man himself. If man is not educated
properly he cannot educate others.
o If man is reared and educated properly, all things in the world will be set
right.
o No other creature on earth makes as much trouble and mischief as man,
this biped being. And no other being needs training and education as much
as this biped beast does!
o Just as every person and individual is obliged to correct himself, he is also
obliged to correct others.
o All the divine scriptures were revealed to the prophets for educating this
being which, if left alone, will be the most dangerous creature; to place
him under divine training and education so that he may become the finest,
noblest and most superior being.
o The world is but a school and the prophets and saints [awliya'] are its
teachers.
o In Islam all things are preliminary to man's cultivation and development.
o With proper education and upbringing of men, the whole world will be
reformed.
o The foundation of the world is geared toward the proper rearing and
education of the human being.
o Learning per se is of no use; sometimes it is even harmful.
o The harms that befall the country are mostly from untutored thinkers and
unrefined teaching. They acquire knowledge but lack piety.
o The best and most effective way to combat the aliens is to be armed with
the knowledge of religion and the world. Vacating this bastion and
suggesting to lay down this weapon is treason to Islam and the Islamic
country.
o Train! That which is impotant is training. Knowledge alone is of no use;
knowledge alone is harmful.
o Training and purification take precedence over learning. o Try to make your teaching the people to have purpose.
o The class of people who want to guide the people should act in conformity
with their speech.
o You who rose up to train teachers and anyone who have isen up to train
teachers should know that in the first place, the profession is divine. God,
the Blessed and Exalted, is the Instructor of teachers who are the prophets.
Secondly, training and puification take precedence over teaching.
o Laxity and negligence in education is treason to Islam, the Islamic
Republic and the cultural independence of a nation and a country, and it
must be avoided.
o The most honorable occupation in the world is breeding and reaing a
child and offeing (an upright) man to the society.
o From today's infants will emerge tomorrow's worthy men and scholars.
o No one can claim that he no longer needs further education and training;
the Messenger of God, too, had this need to the end but God catered to his need. We all need (futher education).
o The Majlis, the nation and the dedicated thinkers must believe in this truth
and seriously undertake the reformation of culture (education), including schools from the elementary school to the university and block off deviation and perversion by all means.
o Take note that the pre-university period is more important than that of the
university because children's rational growth takes place in this period.
o Reform of the university is easy if our children have been supervised since
high school days.
o School propagation programs should include language””the world's living
languages; those that are more widely used in the world.
o Let the dedicated educational institutions that care for the salvation of the
country, afford paticular importance to the dear children and youth on whose sound upbringing and education depends the future independence and freedom of the country.
Source: 'Wise Sayings of Imam Khomeini" book
