There is no greater education than one that is self-driven. Neil deGrasse Tyson
Neil deGrasse Tyson is one of the best known astrophysicists today because of his communication skills and passion for making science popular through his podcasts and series. I've quoted him extensively over the years, but I don't think I ever got around to the above quip, which I've heard others paraphrase (or maybe Tyson is paraphrasing them). It's a great truth that I've lived over my life span, especially during my school years when I learned so much...but not so much from the officially-established curricula I was ultimately graded on. I have always been independent in my scholarly pursuits, and the areas I have grown adept in aren't necessarily high on the academic totem pole. I would like to add to Tyson's quote my opinion that another type of important education is the kind that comes from adversity, setbacks, disappointments...and even tragedy. It's not as fun to point to this aspect of learning, but bad stuff does happen to us from time to time and it's how we learn to respond to it that often makes us stronger, more mature and, yes, better educated...
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