Teachers are good for so much more than just helping you with your ABCs and explaining algebra. They’re brimming with knowledge on everything from whether to go for money or your passion in a career, to how to get over a break-up – and often, they share these words of wisdom with their students.
Sometimes this advice doesn’t stick, but other times a quote from a teacher will stay with a person for the rest of their life.
It’s those unforgettable lines that Redditors shared on a thread this week, asking what their most memorable teacher quote was.
Some were confined to the classroom…
College professor. “You’re not here for me, you’re here for you. You do yourself no favours by forgetting that”
– Satanshonda
“Go to the cheesy dances, go to the class assemblies, go to the school plays, go to prom. You guys only get to do it once. Don’t miss out on it because you are too cool or you think they’re dumb. You only get to experience it once.” – My shop teacher who was disappointed to find only 3/30 kids were going to an upcoming dance. Looking back it was the best advice I could have gotten. I just wish I would have gotten it sooner than my senior year…
– Greywolf
Mamamia staff gave their favourite teachers a call, just to say thanks. Post continues.
Homework is optional, but you’ll get a 0 if you don’t do it.
– Snot_rocketeer
“There are two types of problems, yours and mine. Do not mix those two up”
– GoblinThief
“Do you hate math? Or do you actually hate not understanding math?”
– L337fox
Some were more general life advice…
I had a professor tell me “if you have a choice between a job you enjoy and a job that pays a ton, take the money. Eventually, you’ll hate every job you have, but get the money and enjoy a hobby.” He wasn’t wrong, job excitement fades.
– TehForty
My creative writing professor in my freshman year – “Writing can be done for the sake of art or for money, but I’d sell out in a heartbeat if I had anything to sell.”
– AmoebaNot
My legal writing professor, who had a reputation for being unreasonably demanding, said something along the lines of, “I’m going to teach you how to do things the hard way, so it’s even easier to do it the easy way.” I feel bad for people who only learn how to do things the easy way because it will feel impossible to have to do it the hard way.
– EGMV
Others were quite profound…
It was my senior year of high school and my girlfriend had recently broken up with me. The art teacher had told me “Let it go little by little like small boats off to sea.” It withstood the test of time and I still remember it word for word almost a decade later.
– Lordstarkofwinterfel
“The ones who love you hold you back the most in life.”
– tatanka_testes
My grade seven teacher told me this in response to the whole”Practice makes perfect” statement. “Practice makes better, nobody’s perfect”
– Iamthatlightinthesky
We speak to a teacher about everything they want parents to know, on our podcast for imperfect parents. Post continues.
“It doesn’t matter what you believe in, where you’re from or who you have sex with. You can still be an idiot!” – my home language teacher back in 1986 or so.
– Ishmahata
When I refused to put any effort in I was told: “You’re a ship with large sails and no wind”. I should’ve listened.
– pm_me_bbw_pussy
And some were pretty funny…
My health class professor sophomore year in high school. “Remember kids, relationships aren’t forever; herpes is.”
– SleepyCoffee90
“Don’t worry, the worst thing that could happen is you survive and have to live in constant pain.” My electronics teacher in high school used to say this when students were nervous about doing something.
– ActualWhiterabbit
Engineering professor: “Whenever doing a problem work it out twice. If both answers are the same you likely did it right. If not, do it a third time. If that third answer is the same as one of the first two use the matching answer.
If the third is different than both the first and the second, give up.”
– Byizo
Money doesn’t equal happiness but it makes being unhappy so much easier.
– CrowchildA
What’s the one thing you still remember your teacher telling you? Tell us about it in the comments below.
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Top Comments
The advice the last person in the "profound" sections advice should have been given is "Don't make your screen name pm_me_bbw_pussy like a low class arsehole."
My economics teacher in year 12: "there are too many idiots and not enough bullets!"