“The beautiful thing about learning is nobody can take it away from you.” — B.B. King
So I was reading this wonderful book called, “Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill, and I came across this powerful line and I can’t wait to share it with my folks here with you folks.
“The person who stops studying merely because he has finished school is forever hopelessly doomed to mediocrity, no matter what may be his calling. The way of success is the way of continuous pursuit of knowledge.”
I was so amazed by these powerful lines about a person who went on to pursue his LLB at the age of forty, and who eventually turned out to be a successful lawyer. This hit me hard and I started to Google celebs who showed their interest in learning at the later stages in their life, and yeah, there was a surprise waiting for my knowledge :)
Here are a few folks who went back to become a student, after having a successful career,
Oprah Winfrey: In 1987, three years after she took over a Chicago-based program, which later became the famous “Oprah Winfrey Show”, said in one of the interviews, “I had made a movie, had been nominated for Oscars, and had founded my company, can not come and give a speech unless I can earn one more credit. So, I finished my course, turned out my final papers, and got the degree.
Steven Spielberg: After moving to California to pursue a film career, Steven Spielberg applied to his dream school, the University of Southern California, but was turned down because of his grades. He then enrolled at California State University (CSU) and majored in English, but left to accept a directing contract with Universal Studios. In 1994, he was honored by USC with an honorary degree but returned to CSU in 2001 to finish the bachelor’s degree he started 35 years earlier.
Shakira: She has performed in numerous countries, feeding her interest in world history, often studying the history and languages of the countries she has visited. After one of her tours ended in the summer of 2007, Shakira took courses in History of Western Civilization, using her middle and last names to avoid being recognized by her professor and classmates as a celebrity.
Ending this post with my favorite quote about lifelong learning from the legendary Henry Ford,
“Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young.” — Henry Ford
Thank you for the read.
Reference
- Think and Grow Rich, by Napoleon Hill.
