The progress of the world depends almost entirely upon education.

“The progress of the world depends almost entirely upon education.” Thus spoke George Eastman, the visionary who gave light to the world through the lens of the camera, and who believed that enlightenment of the mind was far greater than the invention of any machine. These words, though brief, carry the weight of civilization itself. For what is progress but the flowering of knowledge? And what is education but the seed from which all progress grows? Without it, the world drifts in darkness, repeating its mistakes like a blind traveler lost in the wilderness.

Eastman, founder of Kodak, was not only an inventor but a philanthropist whose life embodied this truth. He understood that education is not the privilege of a few, but the birthright of all. His fortune was poured into schools, universities, and institutes of learning — for he knew that no empire built on ignorance could stand. Machines rust, buildings crumble, but the mind, once awakened, endures through generations. To invest in the education of one child is to invest in the dawn of a thousand tomorrows.

The ancients, too, knew this wisdom. Plato wrote that “the direction in which education starts a man will determine his future life.” The Greeks built their civilization not upon gold or conquest, but upon the teaching of virtue, philosophy, and reason. From the Academy of Athens came thinkers who shaped the destiny of the Western world. Their stones may now be dust, yet their thoughts remain alive, guiding us still. Thus it is shown that education alone has the power to transcend time — it is the torch passed from one age to another, keeping the flame of humanity burning bright.

But consider the world before the light of learning reached all people. In the Middle Ages, knowledge was hoarded by the few, written in languages the common man could not read. Darkness ruled not because the sun was gone, but because minds were unlit. Then came those who broke the chains — Johannes Gutenberg, who gave the printing press to the world; Martin Luther, who cried that every soul has the right to read; and countless teachers, reformers, and scholars who risked their lives to spread the written word. From their courage came the Renaissance, that great rebirth of human spirit. Thus, history proves Eastman’s wisdom: when education advances, civilization awakens.

Look also to Eastman’s own century, when the power of learning transformed the world beyond imagining. The age of steam, electricity, medicine, and photography was not born of chance, but of study — of human minds trained to question and create. Every bridge, every cure, every art and science arose because someone, somewhere, was taught to think. Progress is no miracle of destiny; it is the harvest of education tended through patience, sacrifice, and vision. Without it, even the mightiest nations decay, for ignorance corrodes the pillars of society from within.

Yet, my children, let us remember that education is not merely the gathering of facts or the passing of examinations. It is the awakening of the spirit to truth, the training of the heart toward goodness, and the sharpening of the mind toward understanding. A learned fool is no gift to the world; but an educated soul — wise, compassionate, and curious — is the very foundation of peace and progress. As Eastman knew, education must lift both the intellect and the conscience, else it builds clever monsters instead of wise men.

So take this teaching to heart: if you would change the world, begin with education — your own, and that of others. Teach not only with words, but with example. Let your curiosity be tireless, your pursuit of truth humble, and your generosity boundless. Support schools, uplift teachers, share knowledge freely, for each act of learning kindles another flame. A nation that forgets its teachers forgets its future.

And in the end, remember this: every advance in human history — every right won, every disease cured, every barrier broken — was born in the classroom of the human spirit. The progress of the world does not depend upon kings or armies, but upon minds enlightened and hearts awakened. To educate is to build eternity; to remain ignorant is to fall into the abyss. Therefore, learn deeply, teach generously, and guard the flame of knowledge, for it is the fire by which humanity ascends to the light.