A Quotation on Learning

Whenever you are asked if you can do a job, tell 'em, 'Certainly I can!' Then get busy and find out how to do it.

—Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919)

For our first assignment we've been asked to find a quote that reflects what we believe about learning. When I saw this tidbit from TR I just knew it was going to be my quote.

Yes, it has an arrogant edge to it, as if the listener can do no wrong, so why not get crackin'? What else could you expect from this larger-than-life architect of American imperialism?

But I like the emphasis on self-directed learning, the implication that the need or desire to learn something is all that is required to independently achieve it. To "get busy" finding something out is to take matters of learning into one's own hands.

Roosevelt also hints that experiential learning is the way to go. To me, hands on work has always been the most successful teacher. Walking through the steps teaches more than reading through the same steps, just as empowering a library patron to search a database will yield more results than exploring it for him.

What I really like about this quote, however, is its infectious can-do optimism—its unmitigated faith in human aptitude. That faith is a perfect jumping-off point for learning something new. Naysaying has no role to play. No excuses—just jump in there and do it.

Bully!