Education is the most important thing you can have.

In the words of Torrey Smith: “Education is the most important thing you can have.” This saying, though simple, strikes with the weight of eternal truth. For kingdoms may fall, wealth may vanish, and even health may wither with time, but education endures like a flame within the soul, lighting the path of one’s journey through darkness and storm. What we carry in our minds and hearts can never be stolen, for it becomes part of our very being. Thus, to possess education is to possess the keys to freedom, dignity, and purpose.

The ancients themselves honored this truth. In Egypt, the scribes were revered above warriors, for while the soldier’s strength faded, the words of the learned outlived dynasties. In Greece, Socrates declared that the greatest wealth was wisdom, urging men to seek truth above gold. And in China, it was said that the pen could elevate even the lowliest farmer’s son to the heights of imperial service. Across civilizations, the lesson was the same: education is the foundation upon which lives and nations are built.

Consider the story of Frederick Douglass, born into slavery, denied the right to learn. Yet through sheer determination, he taught himself to read and write. In those stolen words, he discovered his freedom long before his chains were broken. Later, through his speeches and writings, he inspired countless others to fight for liberty. What Douglass possessed was not gold, nor power, but the treasure of education, which gave him the strength to rise above oppression and change the course of history.

Torrey Smith’s words also remind us that education is not only about books and schools; it is the lifelong pursuit of knowledge in all its forms. To learn is to grow, and to grow is to live fully. The athlete who studies his craft, the mother who learns to guide her child, the worker who gains new skills—all prove that education is not confined to classrooms, but is the very act of sharpening the mind and spirit against the whetstone of experience.

Yet, let us not mistake education as something given freely without effort. It demands sacrifice, discipline, and humility. It asks the learner to admit ignorance, to labor for understanding, to endure the struggles of growth. But what greater prize can one seek? For when hardships arise, knowledge becomes armor; when opportunities appear, learning becomes the bridge. Without education, even wealth and power crumble. With it, even the humble may rise to greatness.

The lesson is clear: do not neglect the pursuit of education. Invest in it for yourself, and for the generations who follow. Support schools, encourage curiosity, honor teachers, and never cease to learn, no matter your age or station. Seek out wisdom in books, in elders, in experience, in the wonders of the world around you. For the one who ceases to learn has already ceased to grow, but the one who continues to learn walks always toward the horizon of possibility.

Therefore, O listener, hold fast to this truth: all possessions may pass away, but education is the treasure that endures. Cherish it as your most sacred inheritance. Give it as your most precious gift. And let it guide you, as it guided sages, liberators, and leaders before you, toward a life not only of success, but of meaning. For as Torrey Smith declares, it is indeed the most important thing you can have—and in having it, you will never be poor.