William O. Douglas Quote

"Where suspicion fills the air and holds scholars in line for fear of their jobs, there can be no exercise of the free intellect. Supineness and dogmatism take the place of inquiry. A problem can no longer be pursued to its edges. Fear stalks the classroom. The teacher is no longer a stimulant to adventurous thinking; she becomes instead a pipe line for safe and sound information. A deadening dogma takes the place of free inquiry. Instruction tends to become sterile; pursuit of knowledge is discouraged; discussion often leaves off where it should begin."

By:	William O. Douglas (more quotes by William O. Douglas or books by/about William O. Douglas)
	(1898-1980), U. S. Supreme Court Justice
Source:	Adler v. Board of Education, 1951
Categories:	Education, Fear, Freedom, Knowledge
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