--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When it came to formal classes, I was a…" description: "\"When it came to formal classes, I was a slacker. But I've always been a diligent autodidact and can teach myself virtually any subject if I have a seri..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c47/dean-koontz-118_class_when-it-came-to-formal-classes-i-was-a-s_2833869.jpg" --- # When it came to formal classes, I was a slacker. But I've… ![“When it came to formal classes, I was a slacker. But I've always been a diligent autodidact and can teach myself virtually any subject if I have a serious interest in it.” quote by Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c47/dean-koontz-118_class_when-it-came-to-formal-classes-i-was-a-s_2833869.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c47/dean-koontz-118_class_when-it-came-to-formal-classes-i-was-a-s_2833869.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c47/dean-koontz-118_class_when-it-came-to-formal-classes-i-was-a-s_2833869.jpg) > “When it came to formal classes, I was a slacker. But I've always been a diligent autodidact and can teach myself virtually any subject if I have a serious interest in it.” [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He admits past academic slacking but highlights self‑directed learning when motivated. **In simple terms:** He can self‑teach when interested. Key Takeaway Cultivate curiosity and self‑discipline. Themes education self‑learning motivation Mood inspirational practical Type educational self‑help When to use this quote - pursuing a new skill - switching careers - overcoming academic setbacks Key Concepts autodidactism interest‑driven learning resilience Questions to Reflect On - What subjects intrigue you most? - How will you measure progress? A Different Perspective Self‑teaching may lack structured feedback. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Class](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/class/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Interest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interest/) [Slacker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slacker/) ## Related quotes > [I am basically a pretty good autodidact. I can teach myself things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/i-am-basically-a-pretty-good-autodidact-i-can-teach-myself-things/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [I have a sofa on which I never nap, big windows with an ocean view that I rarely see because I keep the pleated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/i-have-a-sofa-on-which-i-never-nap-big-windows-with-an-ocean-view/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [Slackers might look like the left-behinds of society, but they are actually one step ahead, rejecting most of society and the social hierarchy before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-linklater/slackers-might-look-like-the-left-behinds-of-society-but-they-are/) [Richard Linklater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-linklater/) > [Which is so important, I mean, that's what's so great about the books, is, you know, those two worlds are sort of, the slacker…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-elizabeth-winstead/which-is-so-important-i-mean-that-s-what-s-so-great-about-the-books/) [Mary Elizabeth Winstead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-elizabeth-winstead/) > [I saw Richard Linklater's film 'Slacker' for my twenty-first birthday. That was the moment when it all seemed possible. This guy gave me hope.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-smith/i-saw-richard-linklater-s-film-slacker-for-my-twenty-first-birthday/) [Kevin Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-smith/) > [We tend to think of politicians as time-servers and slackers. But on those committees they usually have an interest in the subject. And they're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-thomas/we-tend-to-think-of-politicians-as-time-servers-and-slackers-but-on/) [Mark Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-thomas/) > [Somebody asked me earlier if I thought it was really important to tell stories about women's struggles. And I said yes, but at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diablo-cody/somebody-asked-me-earlier-if-i-thought-it-was-really-important-to/) [Diablo Cody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diablo-cody/) > [“Slacker becomes slower if given additional time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/slacker-becomes-slower-if-given-additional-time/) [Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/) > [God is no fonder of intellectual slackers than He is of any other slacker.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/god-is-no-fonder-of-intellectual-slackers-than-he-is-of-any-other/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm a producer in the old-school way - not just some slacker working on Pro Tools.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gira/i-m-a-producer-in-the-old-school-way-not-just-some-slacker-working-on/) [Michael Gira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gira/) > [You know what's really frightening? You (Jon Stewart) actually have an influence on this presidential election. That is scary, but it's true. You've got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-o-reilly/you-know-what-s-really-frightening-you-jon-stewart-actually-have-an/) [Bill O'Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-o-reilly/) > [If you really want to succeed, you'll have to go for it every day like I do. The big time isn't for slackers. Keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/if-you-really-want-to-succeed-you-ll-have-to-go-for-it-every-day-like/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [Go the extra mile. It makes your boss look like an incompetent slacker.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/go-the-extra-mile-it-makes-your-boss-look-like-an-incompetent-slacker/) [Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) > [“Peter Grant,’ I said. ‘Recent arrival, slacker and man of very little fame.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-aaronovitch/peter-grant-i-said-recent-arrival-slacker-and-man-of-very-little-fame/) [Ben Aaronovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-aaronovitch/) > [I think people forget how radical the narrative of 'Slacker' is. There's no story, you know? We could go from one character to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-linklater/i-think-people-forget-how-radical-the-narrative-of-slacker-is-there-s/) [Richard Linklater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-linklater/) ## More by Dean Koontz > [“This kind of derangement is emblematic of humankind. Grave faults are said to be only eccentricities, and imperfections are routinely celebrated as mere differences…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/this-kind-of-derangement-is-emblematic-of-humankind-grave-faults-are/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“He often remembered his dad's admonition that envy was mental theft. If you coveted another man's possessions, Dad said, then you should be willing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/he-often-remembered-his-dad-s-admonition-that-envy-was-mental-theft/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [But victimhood was seductive, a release from responsibility and caring. Fear would be transmuted into weary resignation; failure would no longer generate guilt but,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/but-victimhood-was-seductive-a-release-from-responsibility-and-caring/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [What really holds their marriage together are mutual respect of an awesome depth, a shared sense of humor, faith that they were brought together…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/what-really-holds-their-marriage-together-are-mutual-respect-of-an/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“Her mother said that three great powers kept the universe going. The first and the strongest was God. Each of the two additional powers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/her-mother-said-that-three-great-powers-kept-the-universe-going-the/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“I stopped keeping an eye out for Santa Claus on Christmas Eve because, when I was five, my mother told me that Santa was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/i-stopped-keeping-an-eye-out-for-santa-claus-on-christmas-eve-because/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“To one degree or another, I have been happy most of my life, in part because the world has infinite charms if you wish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/to-one-degree-or-another-i-have-been-happy-most-of-my-life-in-part/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“This life is just a bootcamp, to test and toughen us, to prepare us for the next life of service in some great adventure.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/this-life-is-just-a-bootcamp-to-test-and-toughen-us-to-prepare-us-for/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“A madman should have a madman’s laugh, not the warm chuckle of a favorite uncle.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/a-madman-should-have-a-madman-s-laugh-not-the-warm-chuckle-of-a/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“Anger was a reliable defense, but one that allowed no chance of final victory. Anger was a medicine but never a cure, briefly numbing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/anger-was-a-reliable-defense-but-one-that-allowed-no-chance-of-final/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“Nothing is predetermined for us, and yet all our possible choices are threads in the vast weave of things, so that we have free…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/nothing-is-predetermined-for-us-and-yet-all-our-possible-choices-are/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“In fact, time teaches us that the musical score of life oscillates between that of Psycho and that of The Sound of Music, with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/in-fact-time-teaches-us-that-the-musical-score-of-life-oscillates/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“Some will accuse me of being judgmental. Thank you. And proud of it. You wreck a kid's life, I have no pity for you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/some-will-accuse-me-of-being-judgmental-thank-you-and-proud-of-it-you/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“Waiting is one of the things that humans beings cannot do well, though it is one of the essential things we must do successfully…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/waiting-is-one-of-the-things-that-humans-beings-cannot-do-well-though/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“Dogs know we need to give affection as much as they need to receive it. They were the first therapists; they've been in practice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/dogs-know-we-need-to-give-affection-as-much-as-they-need-to-receive/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) [Explore all 1,233 Dean Koontz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) ## More Class quotes > [Where I grew up, learning was a collective activity. But when I got to school and tried to share learning with other students that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/where-i-grew-up-learning-was-a-collective-activity-but-when-i-got-to/) [Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/) > [If I had to guess and put a name on it, I'd say that at some point, the drug war was as much a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-simon/if-i-had-to-guess-and-put-a-name-on-it-i-d-say-that-at-some-point-the/) [David Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-simon/) > [I grew up in the middle class.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-scaramucci/i-grew-up-in-the-middle-class/) [Anthony Scaramucci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-scaramucci/) > [It must be assumed and established as a principle, that the right of private property must be regarded as sacred. Wherefore, the law ought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-leo-xiii/it-must-be-assumed-and-established-as-a-principle-that-the-right-of/) [Pope Leo XIII](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-leo-xiii/) > [The rich people are apparently leaving America. They're giving up their citizenship. These great lovers of America who made their money in this country-when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/the-rich-people-are-apparently-leaving-america-they-re-giving-up/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [I certainly don't think that the heirs of the American Revolution were a particularly noble class.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-w-brands/i-certainly-don-t-think-that-the-heirs-of-the-american-revolution/) [H. W. Brands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-w-brands/) > [You’re crazy,” said her best friend, Angela, as the bell rang to signal five minutes before the first class on the first day back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-rees-brennan/you-re-crazy-said-her-best-friend-angela-as-the-bell-rang-to-signal/) [Sarah Rees Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-rees-brennan/) > [“Poor people do not go on holiday; they go home.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/poor-people-do-not-go-on-holiday-they-go-home/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [Because there are three classes of intellects: one which comprehends by itself; another which appreciates what others comprehend; and a third which neither comprehends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niccolo-machiavelli/because-there-are-three-classes-of-intellects-one-which-comprehends/) [Niccolo Machiavelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niccolo-machiavelli/) > [Right now, for many Americans, class is being foregrounded like never before because of the economic situation. It doesn't mean that race doesn't matter,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bell-hooks/right-now-for-many-americans-class-is-being-foregrounded-like-never/) [Bell Hooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bell-hooks/) > [But I don't think the Democratic Party is at eye level with the middle class.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-i-don-t-think-the-democratic-party-is-at-eye-level-with-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm not a dancer. Never took a dance class.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chrishell-stause/i-m-not-a-dancer-never-took-a-dance-class/) [Chrishell Stause](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chrishell-stause/) > [Most startups are not just built for the person who is using them. When you do that, every now and then you get really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmett-shear/most-startups-are-not-just-built-for-the-person-who-is-using-them/) [Emmett Shear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmett-shear/) > [The structure of the Swiss ruling class is rock-hard, and unchanged since the time of Napoleon. They sit on their mountains and lecture the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-ziegler/the-structure-of-the-swiss-ruling-class-is-rock-hard-and-unchanged/) [Jean Ziegler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-ziegler/) > [We are not going back to the failed policies of the past. We are fighting for the middle class!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pelosi/we-are-not-going-back-to-the-failed-policies-of-the-past-we-are/) [Nancy Pelosi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pelosi/) [Browse all 7,637 Class quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/class/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When it came to formal classes, I was a slacker. 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