Tag Archives: "learning"

For the weekly videos, I now tell a story. I’ve realized that for me, and I think for many people, a story is what holds my attention and makes a point most powerfully. This week’s story: Enthusiasm is the best teacher.   Do you agree or disagree? Do you find yourself intrigued–or not–by other people’s enthusiasm? If you want to … →

Further Secrets of Adulthood:   Have you ever had an experience when a teacher appeared, when you needed one? I find this to be almost uncannily true.

Assay: I’m struck, when I reflect back on my education–years in grade school, high school, college, law school–by the things I remember. From all those years of study, what do I retain? Not much. But at odd moments, a random fact or  snatch of poetry or phrase will float into my mind. For instance, I can never see a daffodil … →

As I’ve noted here before, I’ve recently become obsessed with the sense of smell — which has been an interesting experience, for several reasons. One reason: this obsession has reminded me about the nature of learning. I’ve been struck by how much I’ve learned in the last few weeks. I went from knowing almost nothing about the scent of smell … →

From The Life of Samuel Johnson, by James Boswell: On Saturday, July 30, [1763] Dr. Johnson and I took a sculler at the Temple-stairs, and set out for Greenwich. I asked him if he really thought a knowledge of the Greek and Latin languages an essential requisite to a good education. JOHNSON: “Most certainly, sir; for those who know them … →