“We predict that, as dictionaries are indispensable in the realm of words, and encyclopaedias in the realm of facts, so the Syntopicon will become indispensable in the realm of ideas."

The aim of the education offered by St. John's College is the liberation of the human intellect. This is an education for all, regardless of a person's race, ethnicity, sex, religious beliefs, country of origin, economic background, age, disability or sexual orientation. By reading great books and struggling together with the fundamental questions that they raise, students and their teachers learn from their differences and discover more deeply their shared humanity. In this and other ways, a diversity of background and experience enriches our community of learning . Because it offers an education for all, St. John's College has sought and continues to seek to make its program of study known and available to people of diverse backgrounds.

“Do you believe in and trust your intellect, that innate power that never sleeps?” “Do you recognize the action of this power as you live and learn?” “Have you, in the course of your life, before, after, or while you were at St. John’s, become your own teacher?” “Have you yet recognized that you are and always have been your own teacher?”

Bach used these verses for the SMP.

Annapolis