In 1914, young Anísio would set off from Caetité, heading to Salvador, in the company of his brothers Jaime and Nelson, in order to join the Antonio Vieira School. After a long horseback journey they got to the railway. According to one of his brothers, he was deeply impressed by the locomotive: a revelation of the power of technology!

At school he got acquainted with Father Luiz Gonzaga Cabral and thought of joining the Company of Jesus under his influence. Having expressed, in a letter to his parents, his wish to do so, he however failed to get their consent. His father had dreamed of him as a politician and therefore sent him over to Rio de Janeiro, for further schooling. There, Anísio would enroll on the University of Rio de Janeiro Law College, from where he graduated in 1922. However, he remained in doubt as to what career to pursue.