--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It took me 8 years to graduate from…" description: "\"It took me 8 years to graduate from undergraduate school because I kept 'communism from your door steps' for 3 1/2 years in between while serving in th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e1/dan-pena-9391_army_it-took-me-8-years-to-graduate-from-unde_1559988.jpg" --- # It took me 8 years to graduate from undergraduate school… ![“It took me 8 years to graduate from undergraduate school because I kept 'communism from your door steps' for 3 1/2 years in between while serving in the U.S. Army.” quote by Dan Pena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e1/dan-pena-9391_army_it-took-me-8-years-to-graduate-from-unde_1559988.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e1/dan-pena-9391_army_it-took-me-8-years-to-graduate-from-unde_1559988.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e1/dan-pena-9391_army_it-took-me-8-years-to-graduate-from-unde_1559988.jpg) > “It took me 8 years to graduate from undergraduate school because I kept 'communism from your door steps' for 3 1/2 years in between while serving in the U.S. Army.” [Dan Pena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-pena/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He spent many years completing his degree due to a long military service and a challenging personal period **In simple terms:** Long education delayed by military service and personal hardship Key Takeaway Patience and persistence pay off Themes resilience education military service personal growth Mood determined reflective Type motivational biographical When to use this quote - college graduation - career planning - veteran transition Key Concepts Time management goal setting overcoming obstacles Questions to Reflect On - How did you stay motivated during setbacks? - What support helped you persist? A Different Perspective Success may require extended timelines and sacrifice ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Army](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/army/) [Communism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communism/) [Communism Door](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communism-door-5849725/) [Door](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/door/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [Steps Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/steps-years-823803/) [Took Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/took-years/) [Years Graduate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years-graduate-2871557/) [Years Serving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years-serving-5849724/) [Your](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/your/) ## Related quotes > [“They were expressions of who he was and what he’d become, and he couldn’t do anything about any of it, apart from retrace his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-hornby/they-were-expressions-of-who-he-was-and-what-he-d-become-and-he/) [Nick Hornby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-hornby/) > [It was definitely a very appealing prospect to be in a company, especially as an art student: we had it hammered into us that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noelle-stevenson/it-was-definitely-a-very-appealing-prospect-to-be-in-a-company/) [Noelle Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noelle-stevenson/) > [I could be happy doing something like architecture. 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I've been there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-pena/i-know-what-it-s-like-to-have-a-house-repossessed-i-ve-been-there/) [Dan Pena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-pena/) > [Now, admittedly, my power of concentration is and always has been extraordinary since my army training! In fact, other people say it is legendary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-pena/now-admittedly-my-power-of-concentration-is-and-always-has-been/) [Dan Pena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-pena/) > [The truth is, successful people are not ten times smarter than you. They don't really work ten times harder than you. 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But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-pena/you-would-think-that-american-educators-would-want-our-kids/) [Dan Pena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-pena/) > [Jerry Ormand was already a legendary Texas oilman when I met him. Yet he took the time to introduce me to the fine points…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-pena/jerry-ormand-was-already-a-legendary-texas-oilman-when-i-met-him-yet/) [Dan Pena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-pena/) > [When I volunteered for the draft as a 20-year-old, mischievous guy at the height of the Vietnam War, most thought I was destined to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-pena/when-i-volunteered-for-the-draft-as-a-20-year-old-mischievous-guy-at/) [Dan Pena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-pena/) > [The more emotional distractions you have the harder it is to accomplish your goals - especially at the extreme levels!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-pena/the-more-emotional-distractions-you-have-the-harder-it-is-to/) [Dan Pena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-pena/) > [There's no seminar in the world that will give you multi million-dollar advice on building a business from scratch!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-pena/there-s-no-seminar-in-the-world-that-will-give-you-multi-million/) [Dan Pena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-pena/) > [Next time, you question what you are doing - ask yourself? What could I do more? In most cases, extra time will be the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-pena/next-time-you-question-what-you-are-doing-ask-yourself-what-could-i/) [Dan Pena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-pena/) > [Good lawyers win so-so lawsuits. Great lawyers can win lawsuits in which you have little or no chance to win.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-pena/good-lawyers-win-so-so-lawsuits-great-lawyers-can-win-lawsuits-in/) [Dan Pena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-pena/) > [I have been following what is now called the 'Spartan Way' long before it became popular!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-pena/i-have-been-following-what-is-now-called-the-spartan-way-long-before/) [Dan Pena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-pena/) [Explore all 73 Dan Pena quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-pena/) ## More Army quotes > [There are no more worlds to conquer!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-the-great/there-are-no-more-worlds-to-conquer/) [Alexander the Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-the-great/) > [“In American terms, the accomplishment of Genghis Khan might be understood if the United States, instead of being created by a group of educated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-weatherford/in-american-terms-the-accomplishment-of-genghis-khan-might-be/) [Jack Weatherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-weatherford/) > [Every army in the history of the world has always had some deserters, usually much greater than we have today, because once again every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-hilferty/every-army-in-the-history-of-the-world-has-always-had-some-deserters/) [Bryan Hilferty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-hilferty/) > [It is the rule in war, if our forces are ten to the enemy's one, to surround him; if five to one, to attack…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/it-is-the-rule-in-war-if-our-forces-are-ten-to-the-enemy-s-one-to/) [Sun Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-tzu/) > [The surprise of an army is now next to an impossibility. ... 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Prescott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-h-prescott/) > [Thanks to all members of the military around the world for giving me the ultimate motivation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalya-neidhart/thanks-to-all-members-of-the-military-around-the-world-for-giving-me/) [Natalya Neidhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalya-neidhart/) [Browse all 3,919 Army quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/army/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It took me 8 years to graduate from undergraduate school because I kept 'communism from your door steps' for 3 1/2 years in between while serving in the U.S. Army.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Dan Pena" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-pena/it-took-me-8-years-to-graduate-from-undergraduate-school-because-i/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Army" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-pena/it-took-me-8-years-to-graduate-from-undergraduate-school-because-i/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e1/dan-pena-9391_army_it-took-me-8-years-to-graduate-from-unde_1559988.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e1/dan-pena-9391_army_it-took-me-8-years-to-graduate-from-unde_1559988.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e1/dan-pena-9391_army_it-took-me-8-years-to-graduate-from-unde_1559988.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It took me 8 years to graduate from undergraduate school because I kept 'communism from your door steps' for…” — Dan Pena", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Dan Pena", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-pena/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It took me 8 years to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-pena/it-took-me-8-years-to-graduate-from-undergraduate-school-because-i/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-pena/it-took-me-8-years-to-graduate-from-undergraduate-school-because-i/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```