---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: People who don't have the interest or…"
description: "\"People who don't have the interest or aptitude for serious college studies at age 18 may find that later in life they do, but those who enroll just bec..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b84/george-leef-59941_age_people-who-don-t-have-the-interest-or-ap_1688068.jpg"
---

#  People who don't have the interest or aptitude for serious…

![“People who don't have the interest or aptitude for serious college studies at age 18 may find that later in life they do, but those who enroll just because they think that the mere possession of a college degree is the passport to success will just dig themselves a financial hole.” quote by George Leef](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b84/george-leef-59941_age_people-who-don-t-have-the-interest-or-ap_1688068.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b84/george-leef-59941_age_people-who-don-t-have-the-interest-or-ap_1688068.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b84/george-leef-59941_age_people-who-don-t-have-the-interest-or-ap_1688068.jpg)

> “People who don't have the interest or aptitude for serious college studies at age 18 may find that later in life they do, but those who enroll just because they think that the mere possession of a college degree is the passport to success will just dig themselves a financial hole.”

[George Leef](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-leef/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Chasing a degree solely as a status symbol can lead to financial strain; genuine interest and aptitude matter for long‑term success.

**In simple terms:** Degrees for status can cause debt; true interest matters.

Key Takeaway

Pursue education for learning, not just credentials.

Themes

education financial health motivation

Mood

cautious realistic

Type

advisory motivational

When to use this quote

- career planning
- student loans
- skill development
- long‑term budgeting

Key Concepts

economics psychology

Questions to Reflect On

- Are you studying for knowledge or for a credential?
- How can you align education with your strengths?

A Different Perspective

Societal pressure may override personal fit.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) [Aptitude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aptitude/) [College](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/college/) [College degree](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/college-degree/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Interest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interest/) [Later in life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/later-in-life/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Possession](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/possession/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/)

## Related quotes

> [We trained hard, but it seemed that every time we were beginning to form up into teams we would be reorganized. Presumably the plans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlton-ogburn/we-trained-hard-but-it-seemed-that-every-time-we-were-beginning-to/)

Charlton Ogburn

> [A man's fatherliness is enriched as much by his acceptance of his feminine and childlike strivings as it is by his memories of tender…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-j-kaplan/a-man-s-fatherliness-is-enriched-as-much-by-his-acceptance-of-his/)

[Louise J. Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-j-kaplan/)

> [The first comedians I became fascinated with were the Marx brothers. I couldn't get enough of them. Later in life, I thought, "Well, maybe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judd-apatow/the-first-comedians-i-became-fascinated-with-were-the-marx-brothers-i/)

[Judd Apatow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judd-apatow/)

> [I often see cases of Internet news where there's no reconciliation for what's gone before and what's newly arrived. That training for me -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-evans/i-often-see-cases-of-internet-news-where-there-s-no-reconciliation/)

[Harold Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-evans/)

> [Later in life, suddenly, if you're an outsider, it's something to be celebrated, I think, rather than getting on people's nerves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-lowe/later-in-life-suddenly-if-you-re-an-outsider-it-s-something-to-be/)

[Nick Lowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-lowe/)

> [Love is like the measles; we can't have it bad but once, and the later in life we have it the tougher it goes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-billings/love-is-like-the-measles-we-can-t-have-it-bad-but-once-and-the-later/)

[Josh Billings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-billings/)

> [It's a cliché to state that one should think like a child, but it's clear that kids know something that the world tries to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-darnielle/it-s-a-clich-to-state-that-one-should-think-like-a-child-but-it-s/)

[John Darnielle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-darnielle/)

> [You know later in life I was inspired to sing and that would've been Aretha, Chaka Khan, Mariah - the typical divas were the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anastacia/you-know-later-in-life-i-was-inspired-to-sing-and-that-would-ve-been/)

[Anastacia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anastacia/)

> [I think it's one of the reasons I wrote my book later in life. My parents didn't have these extreme alternations of conduct. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-du-plessix-gray/i-think-it-s-one-of-the-reasons-i-wrote-my-book-later-in-life-my/)

[Francine du Plessix Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-du-plessix-gray/)

> [I think if you are young and you have children, you still have so much to prove. When you have children later in life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salma-hayek/i-think-if-you-are-young-and-you-have-children-you-still-have-so-much/)

[Salma Hayek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salma-hayek/)

> [Later in life, one of the compensations is gliding effortlessly into focus in a thing. Since it is who we are, anything that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/later-in-life-one-of-the-compensations-is-gliding-effortlessly-into/)

[Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/)

> [Somebody asked me a question. It was a defining question: 'What type of legacy do you want to leave?' We ask that question a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-kielburger/somebody-asked-me-a-question-it-was-a-defining-question-what-type-of/)

[Marc Kielburger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-kielburger/)

> [Do not envy those who seem to be naturally gifted; it is often a curse, as such types rarely learn the value of diligence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/do-not-envy-those-who-seem-to-be-naturally-gifted-it-is-often-a-curse/)

[Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/)

> [I know that I will always regret it later in life if I had turned down the chance to play at another great club…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-beckham/i-know-that-i-will-always-regret-it-later-in-life-if-i-had-turned/)

[David Beckham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-beckham/)

> [When you learn conflict-resolution skills in the playroom, you then practice them on the playground, and that in turn stays with you. If you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-kluger/when-you-learn-conflict-resolution-skills-in-the-playroom-you-then/)

[Jeffrey Kluger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-kluger/)

## More by George Leef

> [Derek Bok's most recent book, Our Underachieving Colleges, is worth scrutinizing. . . . Bok is . . . on solid ground in pointing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-leef/derek-bok-s-most-recent-book-our-underachieving-colleges-is-worth/)

[George Leef](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-leef/)

> [The free market is constantly under attack from those who believe that they know how to make the world a better place with properly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-leef/the-free-market-is-constantly-under-attack-from-those-who-believe/)

[George Leef](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-leef/)

> [What is so bad about big government? My indictment of big government is that it is bad because it attacks liberty, prosperity, progress, harmony,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-leef/what-is-so-bad-about-big-government-my-indictment-of-big-government/)

[George Leef](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-leef/)

> [Whereas students minds used to be the chief concern of colleges and universities, it is now more their bank accounts (more accurately, that of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-leef/whereas-students-minds-used-to-be-the-chief-concern-of-colleges-and/)

[George Leef](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-leef/)

[Explore all 5 George Leef quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-leef/)

## More Age quotes

> [I need a bath." He chuckled. "You smell of smoke, as do I." The duke turned, leaning heavily on his cane. "Jameson, open the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hawkins/i-need-a-bath-he-chuckled-you-smell-of-smoke-as-do-i-the-duke-turned/)

[Karen Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hawkins/)

> [While we've youth in our hearts, we can never grow old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/while-we-ve-youth-in-our-hearts-we-can-never-grow-old/)

[Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/)

> [It's easier to change a law than an age-old mentality. Deep down, many prejudices, many hostilities, many fears persist. But if we take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dacia-maraini/it-s-easier-to-change-a-law-than-an-age-old-mentality-deep-down-many/)

[Dacia Maraini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dacia-maraini/)

> [When I first started writing, when I was 15, I would go to work with people and they would tell me my lyrics were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabrina-claudio/when-i-first-started-writing-when-i-was-15-i-would-go-to-work-with/)

[Sabrina Claudio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabrina-claudio/)

> [Real people speak in my books about the main events of the age, such as the war, the Chernobyl disaster, and the downfall of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/svetlana-alexievich/real-people-speak-in-my-books-about-the-main-events-of-the-age-such/)

[Svetlana Alexievich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/svetlana-alexievich/)

> [As a child I was very involved with sports and I knew at age 9 that I wanted to be an Olympic champion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-jones/as-a-child-i-was-very-involved-with-sports-and-i-knew-at-age-9-that-i/)

[Marion Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-jones/)

> [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/)

[Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/)

> [I am just enjoying the dream of being Milan coach at the age of 40.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennaro-gattuso/i-am-just-enjoying-the-dream-of-being-milan-coach-at-the-age-of-40/)

[Gennaro Gattuso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennaro-gattuso/)

> [Age is an accumulation of life and loss. Adulthood is a series of lines crossed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-goodman/age-is-an-accumulation-of-life-and-loss-adulthood-is-a-series-of/)

[Ellen Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-goodman/)

> [I calculated that if I live up to the age of 80, then I end up using 450 toothbrushes in my life. All that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dia-mirza/i-calculated-that-if-i-live-up-to-the-age-of-80-then-i-end-up-using/)

[Dia Mirza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dia-mirza/)

> [Why is wisdom so fair? Why is beauty so wise? Because all else is temporary, while beauty and wisdom are the only real and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-nazarian/why-is-wisdom-so-fair-why-is-beauty-so-wise-because-all-else-is/)

[Vera Nazarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-nazarian/)

> [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/)

> [That old man dies prematurely whose memory records no benefits conferred. They only have lived long who have lived virtuously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brinsley-sheridan/that-old-man-dies-prematurely-whose-memory-records-no-benefits/)

[Richard Brinsley Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brinsley-sheridan/)

> [We have started to make music at age seven. That was a hard work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-kaulitz/we-have-started-to-make-music-at-age-seven-that-was-a-hard-work/)

[Bill Kaulitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-kaulitz/)

[Browse all 18,948 Age quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "People who don't have the interest or aptitude for serious college studies at age 18 may find that later in life they do, but those who enroll just because they think that the mere possession of a college degree is the passport to success will just dig themselves a financial hole.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "George Leef"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-leef/people-who-don-t-have-the-interest-or-aptitude-for-serious-college/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Age"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-leef/people-who-don-t-have-the-interest-or-aptitude-for-serious-college/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b84/george-leef-59941_age_people-who-don-t-have-the-interest-or-ap_1688068.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b84/george-leef-59941_age_people-who-don-t-have-the-interest-or-ap_1688068.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b84/george-leef-59941_age_people-who-don-t-have-the-interest-or-ap_1688068.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“People who don't have the interest or aptitude for serious college studies at age 18 may find that later in…” — George Leef",
                "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": "George Leef",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-leef/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "People who don't have the interest...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-leef/people-who-don-t-have-the-interest-or-aptitude-for-serious-college/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-leef/people-who-don-t-have-the-interest-or-aptitude-for-serious-college/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
