--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I once read somewhere that Sean Connery…" description: "\"I once read somewhere that Sean Connery left school at the age of 13 and later went on to read Proust and Finnegans Wake and I keep expecting to meet a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a67/helen-dewitt-19555_age_i-once-read-somewhere-that-sean-connery_1270194.jpg" --- # I once read somewhere that Sean Connery left school at the… ![“I once read somewhere that Sean Connery left school at the age of 13 and later went on to read Proust and Finnegans Wake and I keep expecting to meet an enthusiastic school leaver on the train, the type of person who only ever reads something because it is marvellous (and so hated school)…” quote by Helen DeWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a67/helen-dewitt-19555_age_i-once-read-somewhere-that-sean-connery_1270194.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a67/helen-dewitt-19555_age_i-once-read-somewhere-that-sean-connery_1270194.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a67/helen-dewitt-19555_age_i-once-read-somewhere-that-sean-connery_1270194.jpg) > “I once read somewhere that Sean Connery left school at the age of 13 and later went on to read Proust and Finnegans Wake and I keep expecting to meet an enthusiastic school leaver on the train, the type of person who only ever reads something because it is marvellous (and so hated school). Unfortunately the enthusiastic school leavers are all minding their own business.” [Helen DeWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-dewitt/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Anecdote about a prodigious but disaffected school leaver illustrates how curiosity can thrive outside formal education, yet such individuals often remain unnoticed. **In simple terms:** Bright, unconventional learners may be overlooked. Key Takeaway Value diverse learning paths and seek out unconventional thinkers. Themes education curiosity nonconformity social perception talent Mood reflective hopeful Type observational philosophical When to use this quote - classroom reform - talent scouting - public discourse Key Concepts self‑directed learning cultural capital social invisibility Questions to Reflect On - How can institutions better recognize non‑traditional talent? - What role does community play in supporting unconventional learners? A Different Perspective Not all brilliance fits traditional molds; societal structures may marginalize them. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) [Enthusiastic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enthusiastic/) [Finnegans wake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/finnegans-wake/) [Leavers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leavers/) [Marvellous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marvellous/) [Own business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/own-business/) [Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/proust/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [Train](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/train/) ## Related quotes > [It's about businesses nervous about taking on school leavers because of a mass of red tape. It's about health and safety regulations and green…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-farage/it-s-about-businesses-nervous-about-taking-on-school-leavers-because/) [Nigel Farage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-farage/) > [We're in a situation where talented, motivated school leavers and graduates can send off a hundred CVs and not get a reply, and where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jameela-jamil/we-re-in-a-situation-where-talented-motivated-school-leavers-and/) [Jameela Jamil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jameela-jamil/) > [You have to distinguish between things that seemed odd when they were new but are now quite familiar, such as Ibsen and Wagner, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-larkin/you-have-to-distinguish-between-things-that-seemed-odd-when-they-were/) [Philip Larkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-larkin/) > [“In 1963, when I assigned the name "quark" to the fundamental constituents of the nucleon, I had the sound first, without the spelling, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-gell-mann/in-1963-when-i-assigned-the-name-quark-to-the-fundamental/) [Murray Gell-Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murray-gell-mann/) > [The first thing to say about Finnegans Wake is that it is, in an important sense, unreadable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seamus-deane/the-first-thing-to-say-about-finnegans-wake-is-that-it-is-in-an/) Seamus Deane > [“I hope I have now made it clear why I thought it best, in speaking of the dissonances between fiction and reality in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-kermode/i-hope-i-have-now-made-it-clear-why-i-thought-it-best-in-speaking-of/) [Frank Kermode](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-kermode/) > [Sometimes Joyce is hilarious. I read Finnegans Wake after graduate school and I had the great good fortune of reading it without any help.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/sometimes-joyce-is-hilarious-i-read-finnegans-wake-after-graduate/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [I think the pattern of my essays is, A funny thing happened to me on my way through Finnegans Wake.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-fiedler/i-think-the-pattern-of-my-essays-is-a-funny-thing-happened-to-me-on/) [Leslie Fiedler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-fiedler/) > [“I later spent a year studying Finnegans Wake with Norman O. Brown, an exercise in masturbatory obscurantism that Bryan would never have undertaken—and he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-finnegan/i-later-spent-a-year-studying-finnegans-wake-with-norman-o-brown-an/) [William Finnegan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-finnegan/) > [ I think \[James\] Joyce sometimes enjoyed misleading his readers. He said to me that history was like that parlor game where someone whispers something… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-beach/i-think-james-joyce-sometimes-enjoyed-misleading-his-readers-he-said/) Sylvia Beach > [For anyone who conceives literature in terms of plurality of perspectives, Finnegans Wake has to be the apogee. For, as we are told, every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-kitcher/for-anyone-who-conceives-literature-in-terms-of-plurality-of/) [Philip Kitcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-kitcher/) > [The current tax code is harder to understand than Bob Dylan reading Finnegans Wake in a wind tunnel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-miller/the-current-tax-code-is-harder-to-understand-than-bob-dylan-reading/) [Dennis Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-miller/) > [“My books are a subject of much discussion. They pour from shelves onto tables, chairs and the floor, and Chaz observes that I haven’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/my-books-are-a-subject-of-much-discussion-they-pour-from-shelves-onto/) [Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/) > [“On turning to the Work in Progress we find that the mirror is not so convex. Here is direct expression--pages and pages of it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-beckett/on-turning-to-the-work-in-progress-we-find-that-the-mirror-is-not-so/) [Samuel Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-beckett/) > [If an artwork never gets any attention from anybody, then obviously it's got problems. If it gains attention from a very small elite, then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-boyd/if-an-artwork-never-gets-any-attention-from-anybody-then-obviously-it/) [Brian Boyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-boyd/) ## More by Helen DeWitt > [“When a human being develops an argument, when a human being attempts not only to think but to speak with precision, he or she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-dewitt/when-a-human-being-develops-an-argument-when-a-human-being-attempts/) [Helen DeWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-dewitt/) > [There is a strange taboo in our society against ending something merely because it is not pleasant-- life, love, a conversation, you name it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-dewitt/there-is-a-strange-taboo-in-our-society-against-ending-something/) [Helen DeWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-dewitt/) > [“I wish you wouldn't say the first thing that comes into your head, Ludo. There is an obvious difference between someone who works within…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-dewitt/i-wish-you-wouldn-t-say-the-first-thing-that-comes-into-your-head/) [Helen DeWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-dewitt/) > [“So Lucille pressed the button, and a panel slid open in the wall, and the transporter came through, and sure enough here was the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-dewitt/so-lucille-pressed-the-button-and-a-panel-slid-open-in-the-wall-and/) [Helen DeWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-dewitt/) > [“In her excitement at the idea of just walking out the door she had walked out the door without stopping to practice and without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-dewitt/in-her-excitement-at-the-idea-of-just-walking-out-the-door-she-had/) [Helen DeWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-dewitt/) > [“Sometimes I rode the Circle Line reading a book on organic chemistry and sometimes I read Leave It to Psmith for the 20th or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-dewitt/sometimes-i-rode-the-circle-line-reading-a-book-on-organic-chemistry/) [Helen DeWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-dewitt/) > [The master swordsman isn't interested in killing people. He only wants to perfect his art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-dewitt/the-master-swordsman-isn-t-interested-in-killing-people-he-only-wants/) [Helen DeWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-dewitt/) > [“I thought suddenly Look. If Kambei had stopped recruiting when the first samurai didn’t work out a 205-minute masterpiece of modern cinema would have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-dewitt/i-thought-suddenly-look-if-kambei-had-stopped-recruiting-when-the/) [Helen DeWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-dewitt/) > [The typical review makes a Teletubby look like a sabre-toothed tiger. You can economize by reading online rather than squandering $4.95, yes, but all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-dewitt/the-typical-review-makes-a-teletubby-look-like-a-sabre-toothed-tiger/) [Helen DeWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-dewitt/) > [Perhaps this is the root of all evil, that gardeners are not put in charge of our schools.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-dewitt/perhaps-this-is-the-root-of-all-evil-that-gardeners-are-not-put-in/) [Helen DeWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-dewitt/) > [“Yamamoto said he thought you had to be able to hear how something did not work as part of a bigger thing to hear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-dewitt/yamamoto-said-he-thought-you-had-to-be-able-to-hear-how-something-did/) [Helen DeWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-dewitt/) > [“Something looked through my grandfather's eyes. It said Being an accountant, it's not the end of the world. Something looked at my Uncle Danny.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-dewitt/something-looked-through-my-grandfather-s-eyes-it-said-being-an/) [Helen DeWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-dewitt/) > [There are people who think contraception is immoral because the object of copulation is procreation. In a similar way there are people who think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-dewitt/there-are-people-who-think-contraception-is-immoral-because-the/) [Helen DeWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-dewitt/) > [“Indolence, interruption, business, and pleasure; all take their turns of retardation….Perhaps no extensive and multifarious performance, said Sib, was ever effected within the term…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-dewitt/indolence-interruption-business-and-pleasure-all-take-their-turns-of/) [Helen DeWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-dewitt/) > [“If you were at school they would not let you read a book like this, they would keep you from reading it by involving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-dewitt/if-you-were-at-school-they-would-not-let-you-read-a-book-like-this/) [Helen DeWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-dewitt/) [Explore all 32 Helen DeWitt quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-dewitt/) ## 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. 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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": "I once read somewhere that Sean Connery left school at the age of 13 and later went on to read Proust and Finnegans Wake and I keep expecting to meet an enthusiastic school leaver on the train, the type of person who only ever reads something because it is marvellous (and so hated school). 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