The greatest gift that Oxford gives her sons is, I truly believe, a genial irreverence toward learning, and from that irreverence love may spring.

Davies praises an Oxford-formed habit of mind: treating learning with warmth and humor rather than solemn piety. “Genial irreverence” suggests skepticism without cynicism—an ability to question authorities, puncture pretension, and keep scholarship human-scaled. In his view, this stance protects learning from becoming mere credentialism or dogma; it invites curiosity and play, which can deepen rather than diminish respect for knowledge. The final clause—“from that irreverence love may spring”—argues that affection for learning often grows when one is free to challenge it, laugh at it, and engage it as a living conversation rather than an untouchable shrine.