I'm sure there's a lot of us, over 40, struggling to get a university degree, in many cases for the first time. For some of us it's a dream that at some point we thought we had definitively left behind. There's many obstacles on the way. Most of them are in our own minds, sometimes they come from tha lack of encouragement from those around us who say we're too old, and other things like that. Here's a few quotes I am beginning to use as inspiration for this almost impossible journey: -------------------------------------- "Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now." Goethe German Poet, Novelist -------------------------------------- "Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great." Mark Twain American Author, Humorist -------------------------------------- Have you any to share with the rest of us?
I'd like to quote something profound, but I would just be raiding a dictionary of quotes. I always remembered the Nike slogan: "Just do it." Well, it worked for me. Even though I'm not wearing Nike.
On the subject of student loans. "Look at me. Worked myself up from nothing to a state of extreme poverty." - S.J. Perlman ...and on the subject of elitism. "I don't like nostalgia unless it's mine." - Lou Reed Tony
"Look at me. Worked myself up from nothing to a state of extreme poverty." - S.J. Perlman Now, that's hysterical! Laughed myself silly on that one! Starkman
I've just finished reading The Oldest Rookie, by Jim Morris, from which the Dennis Quaid movie was made. Morris wanted since age 5 to be a major leaguer. Fantastic high school career. After a few years in the minor minor leagues, arm troubles forced him to give it up at 25. At 34, became coach at a tiny rural Texas high school. When he finished giving them a speech on the importance of dreaming, the players said, "What about your dream?" They made a pact, that if his school won their division championship, he would try one more time for the majors. They won . . . and after ten years without playing seriously, he found he had a 98-mph fastball, tried out, and ultimately made it to the majors, pitching for Tampa Bay as a 35-year-old rookie. (His arm lasted about a year, and now he's making a fortune on the motivational speech circuit.) John Bear, who's been pretty much governed by Howard Gossage's "Anything worth doing is worth overdoing."
My professor for legal ethics and evidence used to say,"Beating a dead horse is a highly underrated activity." Nosborne, JD
About not trying One hundred percent of the shots you don't take don't go in. Wayne Gretzky Canadian Ice Hockey Player
About not trying (II) "It takes as much stress to be a success as it does to be a failure." Emilio James Trujillo Haight Street Armchair Philosopher
"It takes as much stress to be a success as it does to be a failure." Emilio James Trujillo Haight Street Armchair Philosopher ------ Actually according to PBS and Alan Alda last night that isn't true. Being a failure (i.e. not dominant) is much less stressfull then being the a success (i.e. dominant). Granted failure doesn't equal not dominant and success doesn't equal dominant, but it is interesting. http://www.pbs.org/saf/1310/ For those who missed the show. John
"Let us go forth, the tellers of tales, and seize whatever prey the heart long for, and have no fear. Everything exists, everything is true, and the Earth is only a little dust under our feet." W.B. Yeats "When in doubt, make a fool of yourself. There is a microscopically thin line between being brilliantly creative and acting like the most gigantic idiot on Earth. So what the hell, leap." Cynthia Heimel
My inspirational quote This sums up distance learning (realism) Idealism untempered by realism does not often make the world a better place - Niccolo Machiavelli
