Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums General Discussion Quotations that resonate with gifted people

"Trouble can be transportation: a bad thing can take you to a good place."
"Success can be your servant or your master."
- Lines spoken by the character Callie, attributed to her Grandpa Tucker, in the Hallmark movie "Roadhouse Romance" (2021)

Thanks Indigo - I like dual quotations which succinctly encompass wealths of wisdom.

Over the years, there’ve only really been two quotations that I bring up with my kids and they also go hand in hand.

The first, ‘She’ll be right, mate’, goes completely against the second law of thermodynamics wrt entropy. It is such an upbeat quotation but its use is often as an excuse from putting in required effort, so I quote it often in order to dispel the seductive lie - the truth is that good reliable systems require a lot of knowledge, skills and efforts to design, implement and maintain. It is with this attitude a lot of people try to get by with less effort and slipshod work that leads to someone having to expand even more energy later to fix the foreseeable problems which ensue. Since on many occasions, I have been that ‘someone’ and their lack of care has cost me time with my young family, my kids are quite aware of how insidiously destructive such an attitude can be.

The second, ‘With great power comes great responsibility’, is consistent with the biblical parable described in Matthew 25 and somewhat redirects the implications of the first quotation back towards us, for those who don’t/ can’t understand the consequences of their (in)actions can claim ignorance as an excuse whereas responsibility lands on the ‘gifted’ with the ability to recognise the dangers and pitfalls.

The solution for the gifted therefore is to try to mentor others to develop appropriate skills and take on more responsibility. I’ve been in a more senior role in my profession for the last ten years and have had rewarding experiences of mentoring a number of younger colleagues in my own and in allied professions (many of whom now work in other organisations) and promoting a culture which incorporates both individual ownership and group collaboration.

Insightful quotes and deeply meaningful!
Thanks for sharing, Eagle Mum!

"Gattaca" is a dystopian, futuristic, sci-fi movie from a quarter-century ago which ponders whether individuals could exceed their genetic potential. Link to source - https://www.quotes.net/movies/gattaca_4386
Link to movie details - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119177/
Link to where to stream - https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/gattaca/umc.cmc.5ezqaeo0qqkflzp5ofr6s33ny
Wikipedia page - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gattaca

Some aspects of the movie "Gattaca" remind me a bit of "The Giver," by Lois Lowry (1993).

The following quote brings to mind frequently discussed forum topics of procrastination, risk-taking, learning from mistakes, growth or fixed mindset, and fear of failure.

Source:
Theodore Roosevelt speech, "The Strenuous Life" (April 10, 1899), Paragraph 4.
Voices of Democracy, U.S. Oratory Project, University of Maryland
link - https://voicesofdemocracy.umd.edu/roosevelt-strenuous-life-1899-speech-text/

This quote brings to mind frequently discussed forum topics of procrastination, risk-taking, learning from mistakes, growth or fixed mindset, fear of failure, and personal responsibility. - John Burroughs, 1837-1921

Link - https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/john_burroughs_121353

"The fear may not go away; you might just have to do it scared."
- Lines spoken by the character Stephanie, attributed to her Grandmother, in the Hallmark movie "My One and Only" (2019)

This Grandmotherly wisdom brings to mind the frequently discussed forum topic of procrastination, as related to fear of failure.

We've all heard, "You are what you eat!" but have you heard,
You are what you read."
- Jodie Jackson, author, You Are What You Read (2019)

The author's book, and a video of her reciting her original poem are both available at this link: https://www.amazon.com/Jodie-Jackson/e/B07R3X5M9B/

"You are what you read" came to mind when mulling over the recent NCTE position statement which calls for decentering "book reading" for English Language Arts (ELA) instruction. http://giftedissues.davidsongifted....ering_book_reading_and_e.html#Post249649
(Related: this link shows the Common Core Standards for ELA - http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/)

"Are you humbly grateful...
. . . . . or grumbly hateful...?"

- words spoken by the character Hank (James Brolin),
in the Hallmark movie "Royal Hearts" (2018).

The thing about smart people is that they seem like crazy people to dumb people.
– Stephen Hawking

When you're curious you finds lots of intersting things to do.
– Walt Disney

The only thing you absolutely need to know is the location of the library.
– Albert Einstein

If we did all the things we are capable of, we would literally astound ourselves.
– Thomas Edison

The important thing is to never stop questioning.
– Albert Einstein

Blind belief in authority is the greatest enemy of truth.
– Albert Einstein

Believe in the child.
– Maria Montessori

This one is more of a idiom… "sharpen your own sword" as in stop comparing and keeping up with what's going on around you and instead work on something that is important to you.