As Christians, we are called to work heartily and serve the Lord, whatever our vocation (Colossians 3:23). This is especially true for teachers, who help guide the next generation of saints – teaching them to not only understand the world, but more importantly, to love the Lord. Whether you’re a teacher yourself, or have friends and loved ones who are, we hope you are encouraged by these words from the popes and saints about what it means to be a teacher.
In today’s post, we invite you to discover 10 quotes about the calling of teaching, the importance of fostering intellectual curiosity, and more.
The Calling of Teaching: A Great Privilege and a Great Responsibility
“What is nobler than to rule minds or to mold the character of the young? I consider that he who knows how to form the youthful mind is truly greater than all painters, sculptors, and all others of that sort.” – St. John Chrysostom
“All who undertake to teach must be endowed with deep love, the greatest patience and, most of all, profound humility. The Lord will find them worthy to become fellow workers with Him in the cause of truth.” – St. Joseph of Calasanz
“To touch the hearts of your students is the greatest miracle you can perform.”
– St. Jean-Baptiste de La Salle
How Teachers Lead By Example
“The first subject students learn is the teacher. Teachers offer themselves for imitation. This is the essence of what people call teaching.” – St. Augustine
“Truth does not spread through sounds, walls, and corridors, but in the profound encounter between people, without which any educational endeavor is doomed to fail.” – Pope Leo XIV
“You are called to lead the young to Christ… through the example of your own life. Through you, as through a clear window on a sunny day, students must come to see and know the richness and the joy of a life lived in accordance with his teaching, in response to his challenging demands. To teach means not only to impart what we know, but also to reveal who we are by living what we believe.”
– St. John Paul II
“Educators are called to a responsibility that goes beyond their work contract: their witness is worth as much as their lesson.”
– Pope Leo XIV
The Importance of Encouraging Intellectual Curiosity
“It is chiefly by asking questions and in provoking explanations that the master must open the mind of the pupil, make him work, and use his thinking powers, form his judgement, and make him find out for himself the answer.” – St. Jean-Baptiste de la Salle
“Teach that students may become their own teacher. Let us feed our pupils with the right food so that time will come when they will be able to provide their own food.” – St. Augustine
“As educators, you are called to nurture the desire for truth, goodness and beauty that lies in the heart of each individual, so that all may learn how to love life and be open to the fullness of life… In short, this means forming the head, hands, and heart together: preserving and enhancing the link between learning, doing, and feeling in the noblest sense.” – Pope Francis
Sources:
“8 Encouraging quotes from the saints to help ease you into the school year,” Aleteia.
A Dictionary of Quotes from the Saints, Paul Thigpen.
“Address to Catholic Educators,” The Vatican.
“Address to Educators on the Occasion of the Jubilee of the World of Education,” The Vatican.
“Address to Members of the Global Researchers Advancing Catholic Education Project,” The Vatican.
“Pope’s quotes: Teaching is a serious commitment,” National Catholic Reporter.
“Pope urges Catholic teachers to focus less on professional outcomes, more on spiritual lives,” National Catholic Reporter.
“Saint Augustine Quotes,” St. Augustine’s College.
