--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was a bad student. I liked archaeology…" description: "\"I was a bad student. I liked archaeology actually, I was interested in maybe becoming an archaeologist but I was such a bad student and had such bad gr..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/082/ben-stiller-7406_acting_i-was-a-bad-student-i-liked-archaeology_2823831.jpg" --- # I was a bad student. I liked archaeology actually, I was… ![“I was a bad student. I liked archaeology actually, I was interested in maybe becoming an archaeologist but I was such a bad student and had such bad grades that I wasn't going to get into any really good college so I fell back on acting.” quote by Ben Stiller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/082/ben-stiller-7406_acting_i-was-a-bad-student-i-liked-archaeology_2823831.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/082/ben-stiller-7406_acting_i-was-a-bad-student-i-liked-archaeology_2823831.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/082/ben-stiller-7406_acting_i-was-a-bad-student-i-liked-archaeology_2823831.jpg) > “I was a bad student. I liked archaeology actually, I was interested in maybe becoming an archaeologist but I was such a bad student and had such bad grades that I wasn't going to get into any really good college so I fell back on acting.” [Ben Stiller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-stiller/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Academic struggles redirected the speaker toward acting, showing that setbacks can open unexpected paths. **In simple terms:** Bad grades led to a new career in acting. Key Takeaway Embrace alternative routes when plans fail. Themes career resilience adaptation Mood hopeful reflective Type inspirational philosophical When to use this quote - school - acting auditions - career counseling Key Concepts education career change Questions to Reflect On - What hidden opportunities can arise from a failure? - How can you reframe a setback as a catalyst? A Different Perspective Not all setbacks lead to positive outcomes. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Acting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acting/) [Archaeologists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/archaeologists/) [Archaeology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/archaeology/) [Bad grades](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-grades/) [College](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/college/) [Good college](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-college/) [Students](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/students/) ## Related quotes > [I was a 36C or D, and at 5' 1'', I knew that being a small person with big boobs standing in front of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janeane-garofalo/i-was-a-36c-or-d-and-at-5-1-i-knew-that-being-a-small-person-with-big/) [Janeane Garofalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janeane-garofalo/) > [I can't imagine a genuinely intelligent boy getting much out of college, even out of a good college, save it be a cynical habit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/i-can-t-imagine-a-genuinely-intelligent-boy-getting-much-out-of/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [I was never on a mission to be an NFL quarterback. I wanted to be a good high school player, and I worked hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peyton-manning/i-was-never-on-a-mission-to-be-an-nfl-quarterback-i-wanted-to-be-a/) [Peyton Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peyton-manning/) > [When you're 17 and 18 is when you get really good, and in college, you have to put the chess aside.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hikaru-nakamura/when-you-re-17-and-18-is-when-you-get-really-good-and-in-college-you/) [Hikaru Nakamura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hikaru-nakamura/) > [Book learning, or intelligence of one sort, doesn't guarantee you intelligence of another sort.You can behave just as stupidly with a good college education.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-byrne/book-learning-or-intelligence-of-one-sort-doesn-t-guarantee-you/) [David Byrne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-byrne/) > [I wanted to go to a good college, and my mind was set on Wellesley.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marjory-stoneman-douglas/i-wanted-to-go-to-a-good-college-and-my-mind-was-set-on-wellesley/) [Marjory Stoneman Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marjory-stoneman-douglas/) > [A good college is like unprotected sex: Glad you got in, wish you never came.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-good-college-is-like-unprotected-sex-glad-you-got-in-wish-you-never/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I was really good in college, never won a championship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-staley/i-was-really-good-in-college-never-won-a-championship/) [Dawn Staley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-staley/) > [I feel like there is a lot of inherent humor in the stress and insanity surrounding that process. People lose their minds, trying to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-fey/i-feel-like-there-is-a-lot-of-inherent-humor-in-the-stress-and/) [Tina Fey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-fey/) > [You know what, I was one of the top 25 amateurs in the world. I had a pretty good college career.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paige-spiranac/you-know-what-i-was-one-of-the-top-25-amateurs-in-the-world-i-had-a/) [Paige Spiranac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paige-spiranac/) > [For those of us who got into good colleges or the professions, did we stand up to that high school history teacher who told…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/for-those-of-us-who-got-into-good-colleges-or-the-professions-did-we/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [The first aim of a good college is not to teach books, but the meaning and purpose of life. Hard study and the learning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-b-watson/the-first-aim-of-a-good-college-is-not-to-teach-books-but-the-meaning/) [John B. Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-b-watson/) > [I graduated high school in 1989, and there was no alternative rock radio, and there wasn't really good college radio you could get on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-finn/i-graduated-high-school-in-1989-and-there-was-no-alternative-rock/) [Craig Finn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-finn/) > [I went into broadcast journalism. I loved every class I took, I just got anxious because I came to the realization that you're groomed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chace-crawford/i-went-into-broadcast-journalism-i-loved-every-class-i-took-i-just/) [Chace Crawford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chace-crawford/) > [I realized that the only way to get into a good college was to be valedictorian or salutatorian. So that was my goal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melinda-gates/i-realized-that-the-only-way-to-get-into-a-good-college-was-to-be/) [Melinda Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melinda-gates/) ## More by Ben Stiller > [I don't think know if anything's going to translate anywhere. You're making a movie, you hope it's going to be funny, you can't think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-stiller/i-don-t-think-know-if-anything-s-going-to-translate-anywhere-you-re/) [Ben Stiller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-stiller/) > [I studied Tom Cruise running in all the Mission Impossibles. I think he's one of the best screen runners.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-stiller/i-studied-tom-cruise-running-in-all-the-mission-impossibles-i-think/) [Ben Stiller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-stiller/) > [When I didn't have a family, I was much more of a workaholic. I still like to work, but I also want to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-stiller/when-i-didn-t-have-a-family-i-was-much-more-of-a-workaholic-i-still/) [Ben Stiller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-stiller/) > [My own parents were touchy-feely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-stiller/my-own-parents-were-touchy-feely/) [Ben Stiller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-stiller/) > [I just watched Paul Michael Glaser. 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Whether you're a child mucking around with your friends or a grown up being paid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liv-hewson/actors-don-t-hate-acting-most-people-don-t-hate-acting-whether-you-re/) [Liv Hewson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liv-hewson/) > [It was only when I went to acting school that I was like, "You are absolutely such a pigheaded freak show that you thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-matthey/it-was-only-when-i-went-to-acting-school-that-i-was-like-you-are/) [Giles Matthey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-matthey/) > [Once I committed to acting, this has been it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernie-hudson/once-i-committed-to-acting-this-has-been-it/) [Ernie Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernie-hudson/) > [It definitely helps to have the acting experience going into singing, because when you're singing, you have to portray the emotion you were feeling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-newman/it-definitely-helps-to-have-the-acting-experience-going-into-singing/) Ryan Newman > [The show was number one in the ratings, Gordon Russell was our head writer, the story lines were magnificent and the acting most exciting.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-storm/the-show-was-number-one-in-the-ratings-gordon-russell-was-our-head/) [Michael Storm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-storm/) > [I've done so many other projects where you're in a room with a reader and you're acting your lines out: 'We have to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cummings/i-ve-done-so-many-other-projects-where-you-re-in-a-room-with-a-reader/) [Jim Cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cummings/) > [I do not believe in public shaming. 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