Thomas Frank

The more you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.

[On school] Not only did I know that I wasn’t one of the smart kids in the class, but so did everyone else.

Learn something new every day.

What I’m learning is that there is so much to unlearn.

Many of my students don’t know that I’m second lady of the United States… because, you know, it’s a community college.

We are now embarked on another venture to put the American dream to work in meeting the new demands of a new day. Once again we must start where men would improve their society have always known they must begin – with an educational system restudied, reinforced, and revitalized.

An education obtained with money is worse than no education at all.

To educate the peasantry, three things are needed: schools, schools and schools.

Studying in countries like China isn’t only about your prospects in the global marketplace. It’s not just about whether you can compete with your peers in other countries to make America stronger. It’s also about whether you can come together and work together with them to make our world stronger. It’s about the friendships you make, the bonds of trust you establish and the image of America that you project to the rest of the world.

There is no education like adversity.

Higher education cannot be a luxury reserved just for a privileged few. It is an economic necessity for every family. And every family should be able to afford it.

[On his donation of $100 million to UCLA in 2012 adding to the $200 million he donated in 2002] The cost of a world-class medical education should not deter our future innovators, doctors and scientists from the path they hope to pursue. We need the students at this world-class institution to be driven by determination and the desire to do their best work and not by the fear of crushing debt. I hope in doing this that others will be inspired to do the same.

Poorer students take out larger loans and will have to contribute more to the cost of higher education.

Women who are interested in pursuing bachelor’s and master’s degrees – especially in STEM fields – benefit from starting at a community college. They offer an affordable education, with flexible schedules and degrees close to home.

No task before our nation is more important than expanding and improving the educational opportunities of all our people. The concept that every American deserves the opportunity to attain the highest level of education of which he is capable is not new to this Administration – it is a traditional ideal of democracy. But it is time that we moved toward the fulfillment of this ideal with more vigor and less delay. For education is both the foundation and the unifying force of our democratic way of life – it is the mainspring of our economic and social progress – it is the highest expression of achievement in our society, ennobling and enriching human life. In short, it is at the same time the most profitable investment society can make and the richest reward it can offer.