Arthur C. Clarke on Learning from Childhood's End

"Whatever problems the future might bring, time did not yet hang heavy on humanity's hands. Education was now much more thorough and much more protracted. Few people left college before twenty-and that was merely the first stage, since they normally returned again at twenty-five for at least three more years, after travel and experience had broadened their minds. Even then, they would probably take refresher courses at intervals for the remainder of their lives in the subjects that particularly interested them."

The way Clarke describes the idea of lifelong learning for the sake of learning is of special interest to me, since I have long since abandoned the idea that I need to learn to achieve any external success, when the act of learning itself is the greatest success.