Savitribai Phule, a pioneer of modern women's education in India, emphasized education as fundamental to human dignity and social change. Born in 1831 in Maharashtra, she, with her husband Jyotirao Phule, opened the first school for girls in Pune in 1848. Phule's philosophy, highlighted by her quote, posits that knowledge fosters awareness and responsibility, making education essential for claiming one's humanity and achieving freedom from ignorance and oppression.