"A Loyalty Oath for Scholars," The American Scholar (Summer 1951)
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A student under my care owes his first allegiance to himself and not to my specialty; and must not be burdened with my work as if he followed no other and had contracted no obligation under heaven but that of satisfying my requirements.
— Jacques Barzun
What It Means
This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "A student under my care owes his first allegiance to himself and not to my specialty; and must not be burdened with my work as if he followed no other and had contracted no obligation under heaven but that of satisfying my requirements." in the context of ""A Loyalty Oath for Scholars," The American Scholar (Summer 1951)" to mean that wisdom is timeless.
Source: Wikiquote: "Jacques Barzun" (Quotes)
The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
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About Jacques Barzun
Jacques Barzun (November 30, 1907 – October 25, 2012) was a French-born American scholar, historian, critic, teacher and editor.
About Jacques Barzun
Jacques Barzun (November 30, 1907 – October 25, 2012) was a French-born American scholar, historian, critic, teacher and editor.
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