SAB NewsA wealth of SAB member wisdom: Responses to May's Question of the MonthPosted 6/7/2006 The Science Advisory Board's May 2006 Newsletter asked the question: "What is the most important lesson you've learned and still carry with you today?" We were not disappointed by the insightful responses to May’s “Question of the Month”. Thank you to all of those who took the time to contribute. If you haven’t responded yet and would like to, please e-mail us at: questions@scienceboard.net. Below you'll find a sampling of the feedback we received to our “Question of the Month". The responses have been edited for grammatical clarity, where possible. Otherwise they are here in their entirety as submitted by the respondents. Please note that the responses are not necessarily the views of the staff of The Science Advisory Board. “Knowledge is power and the biggest ‘nerd’ may someday be you boss.” “Nothing is free.” "Change is inevitable so suck it up and learn to deal with it." “All the knowledge and experience that I have gained doesn't mean anything the moment I am not able to answer a question from my child.” “Money does not necessarily follow doing what you love.” “Correlation does not equal causation. Despite the fact that I can fit a straight line through my data with a correlation coefficient of 0.9999, it does not mean that my X and Y data are in any way related. I have often seen silly conclusions drawn from data analyzed without considering this principle: No matter how attractive the fit is to the data, one must always ask 'is this reasonable?'” “’That another person is neither better nor worse than oneself, which gives a gauge of how to treat other people and how to treat oneself’. This is a lesson passed from my Cherokee/Welsh grandfather, who passed it to my mother and the to me. They instilled in me a sense that I am as worthy as other people and must remember this when times are rough. Conversely, other people are as worthy as I am and must be treated with respect. Worth is not measured by possessions or achievements, but is inherent in each being on mother earth.” "Favorites shared from Robert Fulghum’s, All I Really Need to Know I Learning in Kindergarten: -Share everything. -Play fair. -Don't hit people. -Put things back where you found them. -Clean up your own mess. -Don't take things that aren't yours. -Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody. -Wash your hands before you eat. -Flush. -Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you. -Live a balanced life: learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some. -Take a nap every afternoon. -When you go out in the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands, and stick together. -Be aware of wonder. Remember the little seed in the Styrofoam cup: the roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that. Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the Styrofoam cup - they all die. So do we. -And then remember the ‘Dick and Jane’ books and the first word you learned, the biggest word of all: LOOK." “That science will make you humble - it forces you to accept the unvarnished truth about your mistakes if you are at all honest with yourself.” “The thing that I've learned that has affected my life most strongly, is that ‘This, too, shall pass.’ It has given me strength in times of personal struggle, and in scientific frustration. Also, it has reminded me to cling to the moment in times of joy as I cuddle my little grandson, stand atop a mountain, or finally figure out that experiment I have been struggling with. It has been the most universally applicable lesson of my life.” “There is one thing that I know: I know nothing yet.” “The best thing I ever learned: ‘Never argue with a fool. He'll only drag you down to his level and beat you with experience.’" “Think before you speak.” “The most important lesson that I have learned in life is: Don't argue about insignificant issues. Choose your ideals and morals and fight for them, but do not argue about unimportant, peripheral items.” “Always be wary whenever your superior (or supervisor) tells you not to worry.” “There is nothing better than adversity. Every defeat, every heartbreak, every loss contains its own seed, its own lesson on how to improve your performance the next time.” “In its many forms: do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” “I've realized that the higher my level of education, the less I know.” “When you fall down and skin your knee, laying there and crying about it will not make it better.” “Its not how successful you are that counts but what you had to overcome.” “That it is ok to be different.” "Don't do to others what you don't like to have done to you." “Action speaks louder than words." “The Mind is like fire - a good servant but a bad master. More than outside circumstances, it determines the level of happiness and contentment we experience, how we perceive the world around us, and to some extent, how long we live.” “Keep your standards high and people will always find a place for you. This philosophy has always held true in my career.” Back to top
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