13+ William Deresiewicz Quotes On Education, Religion

William Deresiewicz is an American author, essayist, and literary critic. He is the author of the New York Times best-selling book Excellent Sheep: The Miseducation of the American Elite and the Way to a Meaningful Life. He is a contributing writer for The Nation, where he has written extensively on higher education and culture. Following is our collection on famous quotes by William Deresiewicz on education, religion, love.

Autonomy, adventure, imagination: entrepreneurshi p comprehends all this and more for us. The characteristic art form of our age may be the business plan. — William Deresiewicz

Thinking means concentrating on one thing long enough to develop an idea about it. Not learning other people's ideas, or memorizing a body of information, however much those may sometimes be useful. Developing your own ideas. In short, thinking for yourself. — William Deresiewicz

If you're oblivious to other people, chances are pretty good that you're going to hurt them. — William Deresiewicz

People’s stories are the most personal thing they have, and paying attention to those stories is just about the most important thing you can do for them. — William Deresiewicz

Hence the vogue for double majors. It isn’t enough anymore to take a bunch of electives in addition to your primary focus, to roam freely across the academic fields, making serendipitous connections and discoveries, the way that American higher education was designed (uniquely, among the world’s systems) to allow you to do. — William Deresiewicz

People don't mind being in prison as long as no one else is free. But stage a jailbreak, and everybody else freaks out. — William Deresiewicz

Posting information is like pornography, a slick, impersonal exhibition. — William Deresiewicz

We proceed by doubt, by trial and error, by resisting the impulse to lunge after certainty. — William Deresiewicz

As some people say, we're already in a Singularity relative to ancient Grecians, inasmuch as they couldn't understand our world at all... and I think it's true in the opposite direction, too. — William Deresiewicz

Don't play it safe. Resist the seductions of the cowardly values our society has come to prize so highly: comfort, convenience, security, predictability, control. These, too, are nets. Above all, resist the fear of failure. Yes, you will make mistakes. But they will be your mistakes, not someone else's. And you will survive them, and you will know yourself better for having made them, and you will be a fuller and a stronger person. — William Deresiewicz

But it is not the job of truth to make us feel good. It is the job of truth to be true, and it is our job to deal with it. — William Deresiewicz

Life, if you live it right, keeps surprising you, and the thing that keeps surprising you the most…is yourself — William Deresiewicz

If you want others to follow, learn to be alone with your thoughts. — William Deresiewicz

Life Lessons by William Deresiewicz

1. William Deresiewicz emphasizes the importance of self-reflection and personal growth, encouraging readers to think deeply about their lives and strive for meaningful experiences.
2. He also encourages readers to look beyond the traditional paths of success and to create their own paths, rather than relying on external validation or material success.
3. Finally, he stresses the importance of taking risks and learning from failure, as it can lead to greater self-discovery and personal growth.