On the diffusion of education among the people rests the preservation and perpetuation of our free institutions.

Freedom is held up by how much ordinary people know, not by how clever the people at the top are. A population that can read a document, follow an argument and spot a manipulation is difficult to govern badly; one that cannot is available to whoever tells the best story. This is why the spread of education matters more than its height, and why the argument for it is practical rather than sentimental.

Teach somebody something this week, properly and without condescension. And in your own case, learn enough about how one system that governs your life actually works, so that you are harder to mislead about it.