Quotations and Literature Forum

hey, im writing an essay for my application for high school and i need a quote to use. i was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for an insightful/favortie/just plain good quote. thanks for your help!
~Kala <>

In school we learn our lessons before we take our tests. In Life, we first take the tests then we learn our lessons.

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God, give me grace to accept with serenity the things that can’t be changed, Courage to change the things I can, and the Wisdom to know the difference.
- Reinhold Niebuhr

The above quote is a "goodern." I was not aware that one would have to write an essay as a requirement to apply for High School. When I was an 8th grader two represenatives from Huntingdon High took the time to visit our class to sell us on attending at Huntingdon. There was no High School in Mclemoresville, Tennessee, but we had the option to attend any High School in the County. Trezevant High School had an 8th grade day that allowed 8th graders in the County to visit. The other High Schools obviously didn't care if we attended or not. Anyway, the guy from Huntingdon gave us the song and dance and I signed up to attend Huntingdon. (My best friend and I went fishing on the day we were allowed to visit Trezevant. {Spring of 71}) There were 12 guys and 7 girls in our 8th grade class. 5 guys attended at Huntingdon and the rest of the class went to Trezevant. After my Freshman year at Huntingdon, two of my former classmates who attended Huntingdon went to Trezevant.

All of the girls had elected to attend at Trezevant but one of those girls had quit Trezevant to attend at Huntingdon. Of the seven girls in my 8th grade class only three graduated from High School. Four of the girls got pregnant before graduating but only one was able to get married.

Only three of my male classmates quit High School before graduation (they all attended at Trezevant). One went into the Army and was given a dishonorable dishcarge before basic training was concluded. He eventually went back to finish his Senior year at Trezevant and graduated. The other one quit school to become unemployed. He lived at home until his parents died and he is still living at the same house. The other one joined the Marine Corp and finished basic. The Vietnam war ended before he had finished his secondary training as a machine gunner.

Sometimes it is the hardest lessons that we remember the most. (?)

Education is one part meditation, one part motivation, two parts preparation and one part contemplation. (?)

These were statements that I recall hearing in the 70's.

After my first six-week period in high school my report card came to me.

Agriculture I, A
Algebra I, C
English I, D
General Science, D
Football A

During my second six-week period my grades changed.

Agriculture I, B
Algebra I, F
English I, C
General Science, C
Football, A

voyager's quote reminds me of one that I can't remember who said it....
The problem with experience is that it teaches us the lessons we don't want to learn.

I'm not sure if the wording is exact, in fact I'm pretty sure it's not....But it's a good one

Laeskia, I agree that experiences teaches us lessons that we would rather not go through, but saying it is a problem is debatable at the very least. Another saying comes to mind.

"There is only one thing more painful than learning from experience and that is not learning from it."
-Archibald McLeish, Poet

In a book I just read, "Lucky Man" by: Micheal J. Fox, he describes these experiences as gifts that grant discernment.

In life, we are bound to go through harships and losses. Considering them as gifts and oportunity can often times make living a lot more pleasant.

_________________
God, give me grace to accept with serenity the things that can’t be changed, Courage to change the things I can, and the Wisdom to know the difference.
- Reinhold Niebuhr