A teacher must believe in the value and interest of his subject

In the ancient halls where wisdom was revered above gold, the teachers of old understood a truth that Gilbert Highet would one day speak aloud: “A teacher must believe in the value and interest of his subject as a doctor believes in health.” These words resound like a temple bell in the mind of all who would guide others along the path of learning. For to teach is not merely to speak facts—it is to kindle a flame, to breathe life into knowledge, to awaken wonder. Without faith in the worth of what one teaches, no lesson can truly live.

In this saying, Highet, the great scholar and humanist of the twentieth century, reminds us that teaching is not a trade but a calling. Just as a doctor must believe in the sacredness of health, so too must a teacher believe in the sacredness of truth and knowledge. The physician’s faith in healing drives him to labor through the night, to study endlessly, to comfort the suffering. In the same way, the teacher’s belief gives power to words, light to dull minds, and courage to the hearts of those who doubt their worth. Without such belief, both crafts lose their soul.

Consider the story of Socrates, the wise philosopher of Athens. He walked barefoot through the streets, questioning the mighty and the humble alike, not for fame, nor coin, but from an unshakable faith that wisdom itself was the path to virtue. He believed, with all his being, that knowledge could purify the soul and lead mankind closer to the divine. His belief was so deep that even when condemned to die for his teachings, he drank the hemlock calmly, proclaiming that death could not silence truth. That is what it means to believe in one’s subject as a doctor believes in health—to serve it with reverence, to defend it with one’s life.

When a teacher enters the classroom without conviction, the air grows cold. Words fall like ashes. But when one enters with faith and passion, knowledge transforms into fire—warm, radiant, alive. The students do not merely listen; they feel. They sense that their teacher is not reciting from memory but speaking from the heart, as a healer speaks of the miracle of the body restored. Such faith is contagious. It awakens curiosity in the weary, confidence in the uncertain, and purpose in the lost. It transforms the classroom into a sanctuary of the mind.

There is a tale from the life of Maria Montessori, the visionary educator who saw in every child a spark of divine potential. The world around her dismissed poor children as incapable of learning, but she refused to accept such blindness. She believed, as deeply as a doctor believes in health, that the mind of every child could flourish if nurtured with patience and love. Her faith gave birth to a movement that reshaped education itself. Because she believed, thousands of others learned to believe as well—and in that belief, humanity grew.

So it is with all true teachers. Whether they teach philosophy or farming, poetry or physics, they are custodians of a sacred trust. Their faith must never falter, for it is their faith that heals the ignorance of the world. To believe in one’s subject is to see it not as a collection of rules or data, but as a living force that shapes the destiny of humankind. To doubt it is to betray it, just as a doctor who doubts the value of health would abandon his patient to despair.

Therefore, let all who teach—whether in schools, workshops, or in the quiet example of daily life—remember this: belief is the soul of teaching. Study deeply, yes, but also love what you teach. See its beauty, its purpose, its connection to the greater whole. Speak of it as though it were a treasure entrusted to your care. For when your students see your eyes alight with conviction, they will know that knowledge is not a burden, but a gift.

And the lesson for all who listen is this: whatever your craft—teacher, artist, worker, or healer—believe in the good you serve. Let your passion be a light in the world’s confusion. Nurture your purpose as a gardener tends the seed. For faith gives life to labor, and belief gives meaning to all creation. Thus, as Highet taught, the teacher’s faith in knowledge is the beginning of wisdom, and from that belief flows the endless healing of the human spirit.