The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows.

Sydney J. Harris (1917–1986) was an American journalist and syndicated columnist known for concise aphorisms about civic life, ethics, and education. This line is widely circulated as one of his characteristic observations from mid‑20th‑century newspaper column writing, where he often contrasted self-absorption with social responsibility and intellectual openness. The metaphor fits Harris’s recurring themes: education as a moral and civic project, not merely vocational training, and learning as a way to enlarge sympathy and understanding beyond the self. While frequently quoted in educational settings, the precise column/date of first publication is often omitted in secondary compilations.

Harris frames education as a transformation of perspective. A “mirror” suggests self-regard: seeing only one’s own interests, assumptions, and reflection. A “window” suggests outward vision: looking through to the wider world, other people’s lives, and realities beyond one’s immediate experience. The purpose of education, then, is not simply to accumulate facts but to cultivate curiosity, empathy, and the capacity to perceive complexity. The aphorism also implies humility: learning should reduce narcissism and widen moral imagination, enabling students to interpret society and act responsibly within it rather than treating knowledge as a tool for self-display.

1) “The purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows.”
2) “The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows.”