---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What I generally tell a class is that if…"
description: "\"What I generally tell a class is that if you're not interested in anybody else's work but your own, take another class.\" — Grace Paley"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/887/grace-paley-3243_another_what-i-generally-tell-a-class-is-that-if_350454.jpg"
---

#  What I generally tell a class is that if you're not…

![“What I generally tell a class is that if you're not interested in anybody else's work but your own, take another class.” quote by Grace Paley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/887/grace-paley-3243_another_what-i-generally-tell-a-class-is-that-if_350454.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/887/grace-paley-3243_another_what-i-generally-tell-a-class-is-that-if_350454.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/887/grace-paley-3243_another_what-i-generally-tell-a-class-is-that-if_350454.jpg)

> “What I generally tell a class is that if you're not interested in anybody else's work but your own, take another class.”

[Grace Paley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-paley/)

## About This Quote

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

Focus on your own work; if uninterested in others', change classes.

**In simple terms:** Prioritize personal relevance in learning.

Key Takeaway

Choose courses that engage you.

Themes

education self‑direction focus personal relevance

Mood

thoughtful encouraging

Type

educational philosophical

When to use this quote

- selecting electives
- self‑study
- project‑based learning
- academic advising

Key Concepts

autonomy intrinsic motivation curriculum design

Questions to Reflect On

- What subjects truly inspire you?
- How can you stay open to others’ ideas?

A Different Perspective

May limit exposure to diverse perspectives.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Another](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/another/) [Anybody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anybody/) [Class](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/class/) [Class Interested](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/class-interested-3237430/) [Else](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/else/) [Generally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/generally/) [Generally Tell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/generally-tell-3237432/) [Interested](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interested/) [Not interested](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/not-interested/) [Own](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/own/) [Take](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/take/) [Tell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tell/) [Tell Class](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tell-class-2232302/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) [Work Class](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work-class-3237431/) [You](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/you/) [Your](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/your/)

## Related quotes

> [“The only class I'm interested in, is the class of character, determined not by blood or money, but by intent and behavior.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/the-only-class-i-m-interested-in-is-the-class-of-character-determined/)

[Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/)

> [There are, broadly speaking, two kinds of workers in the world, the people who do all the work, and the people who think they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stella-benson/there-are-broadly-speaking-two-kinds-of-workers-in-the-world-the/)

[Stella Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stella-benson/)

> [“Tell us your life story.' I look up. Twenty sets of eyes looked back. Only forty-five minutes left in class. I wish I could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tindell-baldwin/tell-us-your-life-story-i-look-up-twenty-sets-of-eyes-looked-back/)

[Tindell Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tindell-baldwin/)

> [I lived in constant terror of being asked a question in class. Even if I knew the answer, I was never able to tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-banting/i-lived-in-constant-terror-of-being-asked-a-question-in-class-even-if/)

[Frederick Banting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-banting/)

> [Doctors and scientists, being part of that two-sex culture, have done everything they can to try to force people who are in-between into one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-dreger/doctors-and-scientists-being-part-of-that-two-sex-culture-have-done/)

[Alice Dreger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-dreger/)

> [For those of us in the political business, generally, it's been pretty much an unwritten but understood rule that family and children are out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-nutter/for-those-of-us-in-the-political-business-generally-it-s-been-pretty/)

[Michael Nutter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-nutter/)

> [But it is impossible to divide a cube into two cubes, or a fourth power into fourth powers, or generally any power beyond the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-de-fermat/but-it-is-impossible-to-divide-a-cube-into-two-cubes-or-a-fourth/)

[Pierre de Fermat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-de-fermat/)

> [I'm pretty indiscriminating, and I have awful taste, generally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nellie-mckay/i-m-pretty-indiscriminating-and-i-have-awful-taste-generally/)

[Nellie McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nellie-mckay/)

> [I'm in production year round. I work long hours. I have a dog and a wife. There's not a lot of available time for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ira-glass/i-m-in-production-year-round-i-work-long-hours-i-have-a-dog-and-a/)

[Ira Glass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ira-glass/)

> [Knowledge is generally considered a good thing; so, presumably, knowing more about how the U.S. thinks and operates around the world is also good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/knowledge-is-generally-considered-a-good-thing-so-presumably-knowing/)

[Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/)

> [The first act is the easiest to plot. The second act is always the hardest to plot. Generally a good, you know, sometimes the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-j-cannell/the-first-act-is-the-easiest-to-plot-the-second-act-is-always-the/)

[Stephen J. Cannell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-j-cannell/)

> [I'm generally pretty happy about life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-smith/i-m-generally-pretty-happy-about-life/)

[Phyllis Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-smith/)

> [My wife and kids maybe beg to differ, but I am generally a good guy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-macchio/my-wife-and-kids-maybe-beg-to-differ-but-i-am-generally-a-good-guy/)

[Ralph Macchio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-macchio/)

> [Generally, I like all islands. There, it is easier to rule.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/generally-i-like-all-islands-there-it-is-easier-to-rule/)

[Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/)

> [I think I am against stereotype. Generally, Asian guys are more quiet - they study and have a good work ethic. Generally, I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-lee/i-think-i-am-against-stereotype-generally-asian-guys-are-more-quiet/)

[Bobby Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-lee/)

## More by Grace Paley

> [The only recognizable feature of hope is action.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-paley/the-only-recognizable-feature-of-hope-is-action/)

[Grace Paley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-paley/)

> [“Near home I ran through our park, where I had aired my children on weekends and late-summer afternoons. I stopped at the northeast playground,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-paley/near-home-i-ran-through-our-park-where-i-had-aired-my-children-on/)

[Grace Paley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-paley/)

> [Old age is not a good thing. It can be really hard, and those of us who have it a little easier should keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-paley/old-age-is-not-a-good-thing-it-can-be-really-hard-and-those-of-us-who/)

[Grace Paley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-paley/)

> [Well, by now you must know yourself, honey, whatever you do, life don't stop. It only sits a minute and dreams a dream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-paley/well-by-now-you-must-know-yourself-honey-whatever-you-do-life-don-t/)

[Grace Paley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-paley/)

> [“Who cares?' said Judy, who didn't care.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-paley/who-cares-said-judy-who-didn-t-care/)

[Grace Paley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-paley/)

> [The women's movement was coming, but I didn't know it in 1956-1957, when I began to write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-paley/the-women-s-movement-was-coming-but-i-didn-t-know-it-in-1956-1957/)

[Grace Paley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-paley/)

> [A joke is necessary at this time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-paley/a-joke-is-necessary-at-this-time/)

[Grace Paley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-paley/)

> [Sometimes, walking with a friend, I forget the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-paley/sometimes-walking-with-a-friend-i-forget-the-world/)

[Grace Paley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-paley/)

> [It wasn't until I lived in the countryside that I began to understand the life of the countryside and the people in it and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-paley/it-wasn-t-until-i-lived-in-the-countryside-that-i-began-to-understand/)

[Grace Paley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-paley/)

> [I've started many novels, and they all ended on page seven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-paley/i-ve-started-many-novels-and-they-all-ended-on-page-seven/)

[Grace Paley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-paley/)

> […I go through a story for lies. I might discover the lie of trying to show off. Sometimes they’re lies of character. Sometimes they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-paley/i-go-through-a-story-for-lies-i-might-discover-the-lie-of-trying-to/)

[Grace Paley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-paley/)

> [I didn't intend. The word "intend" is the wrong word for what I do. It's just that it's something you do, and you can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-paley/i-didn-t-intend-the-word-intend-is-the-wrong-word-for-what-i-do-it-s/)

[Grace Paley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-paley/)

> [“... plot, the absolute line between two points which I've always despised. Not for literary reasons, but because it takes all hope away. Everyone,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-paley/plot-the-absolute-line-between-two-points-which-i-ve-always-despised/)

[Grace Paley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-paley/)

> [You come to doing what you do by not being able to do something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-paley/you-come-to-doing-what-you-do-by-not-being-able-to-do-something/)

[Grace Paley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-paley/)

> [When I was about twenty-one, I published a few poems. Maybe I wrote a couple of stories before, but I really began to write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-paley/when-i-was-about-twenty-one-i-published-a-few-poems-maybe-i-wrote-a/)

[Grace Paley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-paley/)

[Explore all 135 Grace Paley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-paley/)

## More Another quotes

> [I guess I've never really wanted to be anything else. I've never even thought about having another job.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-farrell/i-guess-i-ve-never-really-wanted-to-be-anything-else-i-ve-never-even/)

[Owen Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-farrell/)

> [I take the responsibility of playing another ethnicity very, very seriously, and I promise myself and those people that I will represent them with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cliff-curtis/i-take-the-responsibility-of-playing-another-ethnicity-very-very/)

[Cliff Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cliff-curtis/)

> [I write the way you might arrange flowers. Not every try works, but each one launches another. Every constraint, even dullness, frees up a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-powers/i-write-the-way-you-might-arrange-flowers-not-every-try-works-but/)

[Richard Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-powers/)

> [I have to mention that Taapsee and Ayushmann are my favorite actors - or stars, whatever you call them. I love them. Our thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anubhav-sinha/i-have-to-mention-that-taapsee-and-ayushmann-are-my-favorite-actors/)

[Anubhav Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anubhav-sinha/)

> [When a person partners with God in delivering a miracle to another person, they have done what they were supposed to do; God can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-wilkinson/when-a-person-partners-with-god-in-delivering-a-miracle-to-another/)

[Bruce Wilkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-wilkinson/)

> [I went through a string of A&amp;R men who all thought I should be doing something different. One thought I should be a dance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-moyet/i-went-through-a-string-of-a-r-men-who-all-thought-i-should-be-doing/)

[Alison Moyet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-moyet/)

> [New York is so serious about the creation of work. Everything is happening so fast, it feels like there's another studio, another session on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diplo/new-york-is-so-serious-about-the-creation-of-work-everything-is/)

[Diplo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diplo/)

> [The fact of the matter is that the Internet has brought together millions of people who trust one another for reasons that are unknown.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-huh/the-fact-of-the-matter-is-that-the-internet-has-brought-together/)

[Ben Huh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-huh/)

> [Everything about Washington is inconsistent, because they say one thing and do another, which is what my opponent, Claire McCaskill, is very, very good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-steelman/everything-about-washington-is-inconsistent-because-they-say-one/)

[Sarah Steelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-steelman/)

> [In Tunisia, the so-called Yasmin revolution has led to the installation of a relatively moderate Islamic government. Whether or not that means democracy will,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-van-creveld/in-tunisia-the-so-called-yasmin-revolution-has-led-to-the/)

[Martin Van Creveld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-van-creveld/)

> [I refuse to be one of those artists who, 10 years from now, they're bitter about the rise and the fall of their career.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-bryan/i-refuse-to-be-one-of-those-artists-who-10-years-from-now-they-re/)

[Luke Bryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-bryan/)

> [One death to a man is a serious thing: a dozen neutralize one another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-francis-burton/one-death-to-a-man-is-a-serious-thing-a-dozen-neutralize-one-another/)

[Richard Francis Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-francis-burton/)

> [I don't know one note from another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hank-williams/i-don-t-know-one-note-from-another/)

[Hank Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hank-williams/)

> [I like to watch the Fox News Network. I like 'Nightline.' I like to watch 'The Sopranos,' of course. That is one of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-estrada/i-like-to-watch-the-fox-news-network-i-like-nightline-i-like-to-watch/)

[Erik Estrada](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-estrada/)

> [When you write a book, people legitimise it by actually reading the book and so it's almost okay to write another one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eoin-macken/when-you-write-a-book-people-legitimise-it-by-actually-reading-the/)

[Eoin Macken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eoin-macken/)

[Browse all 2,784 Another quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/another/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "What I generally tell a class is that if you're not interested in anybody else's work but your own, take another class.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Grace Paley"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-paley/what-i-generally-tell-a-class-is-that-if-you-re-not-interested-in/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Another"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-paley/what-i-generally-tell-a-class-is-that-if-you-re-not-interested-in/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/887/grace-paley-3243_another_what-i-generally-tell-a-class-is-that-if_350454.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/887/grace-paley-3243_another_what-i-generally-tell-a-class-is-that-if_350454.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/887/grace-paley-3243_another_what-i-generally-tell-a-class-is-that-if_350454.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“What I generally tell a class is that if you're not interested in anybody else's work but your own, take…” — Grace Paley",
                "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": "Grace Paley",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-paley/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "What I generally tell a class...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-paley/what-i-generally-tell-a-class-is-that-if-you-re-not-interested-in/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-paley/what-i-generally-tell-a-class-is-that-if-you-re-not-interested-in/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
