---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I attended a middling high school in…"
description: "\"I attended a middling high school in central Virginia in the mid-'90s, so there were no lofty electives to stoke my artistic sensibility - no A.P. art ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a3/kim-brooks-10671_art_i-attended-a-middling-high-school-in-cen_1929220.jpg"
---

#  I attended a middling high school in central Virginia in…

![“I attended a middling high school in central Virginia in the mid-'90s, so there were no lofty electives to stoke my artistic sensibility - no A.P. art history or African-American studies or language courses in Mandarin or Portuguese. I lived for English, for reading.” quote by Kim Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a3/kim-brooks-10671_art_i-attended-a-middling-high-school-in-cen_1929220.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a3/kim-brooks-10671_art_i-attended-a-middling-high-school-in-cen_1929220.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a3/kim-brooks-10671_art_i-attended-a-middling-high-school-in-cen_1929220.jpg)

> “I attended a middling high school in central Virginia in the mid-'90s, so there were no lofty electives to stoke my artistic sensibility - no A.P. art history or African-American studies or language courses in Mandarin or Portuguese. I lived for English, for reading.”

[Kim Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-brooks/)

## About This Quote

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

The speaker reflects on limited school resources, emphasizing a love for English and reading despite lacking diverse electives.

**In simple terms:** Limited school options, but a passion for English persisted.

Key Takeaway

Cultivate interests even when formal options are scarce.

Themes

education literature self‑directed learning

Mood

reflective determined nostalgic

Type

personal inspirational educational

When to use this quote

- high school experience
- self‑education
- seeking knowledge
- overcoming limited resources

Key Concepts

curriculum gaps personal passion

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you expand your learning beyond school offerings?
- What resources can you seek to fill curricular gaps?

A Different Perspective

Formal curricula may not nurture all interests, requiring personal initiative.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Art history](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art-history/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [High school](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/high-school/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/)

## Related quotes

> [Hence the vogue for double majors. It isn’t enough anymore to take a bunch of electives in addition to your primary focus, to roam…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-deresiewicz/hence-the-vogue-for-double-majors-it-isn-t-enough-anymore-to-take-a/)

[William Deresiewicz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-deresiewicz/)

> [When we founded Facebook, we put a lot of hours into it and worked hard every day. 'The Social Network' painted this picture that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dustin-moskovitz/when-we-founded-facebook-we-put-a-lot-of-hours-into-it-and-worked/)

[Dustin Moskovitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dustin-moskovitz/)

> [I attended Professional Children's School in Manhattan because my ballet and modern dance schedules were intensive and had started to interfere with regular school…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/essence-atkins/i-attended-professional-children-s-school-in-manhattan-because-my/)

[Essence Atkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/essence-atkins/)

> [Pell grants are the foundation of Federal student aid. As someone who attended college with the help of Pell grants and as chairman of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ric-keller/pell-grants-are-the-foundation-of-federal-student-aid-as-someone-who/)

[Ric Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ric-keller/)

> [Exeter was, I suspect, more crucial in my life than in the lives of most members of my class, and conceivably, than in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-knowles/exeter-was-i-suspect-more-crucial-in-my-life-than-in-the-lives-of/)

[John Knowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-knowles/)

> [Singles have goals, responsibilities, deadlines, events, and friends that occupy their time, as well they should. Nonetheless, before any goals are achieved, responsibilities are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-johnson/singles-have-goals-responsibilities-deadlines-events-and-friends-that/)

[Monica Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-johnson/)

> [I felt as if I had attended the funeral of someone I didn't know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pauline-kael/i-felt-as-if-i-had-attended-the-funeral-of-someone-i-didn-t-know/)

[Pauline Kael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pauline-kael/)

> [“I have never attended a nudist funeral.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douard-lev/i-have-never-attended-a-nudist-funeral/)

[Édouard Levé](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douard-lev/)

> [“Each of his workouts was attended by ten thousand or more spectators.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-hillenbrand/each-of-his-workouts-was-attended-by-ten-thousand-or-more-spectators/)

[Laura Hillenbrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-hillenbrand/)

> [When I was 4 or 5, I attended my father's concerts. He very often played Strauss waltzes as encores and I saw something happening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-rieu/when-i-was-4-or-5-i-attended-my-father-s-concerts-he-very-often/)

[Andre Rieu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-rieu/)

> [The first professional training I received of any kind was when I was 14 years old and we were in Kansas City, Missouri. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-davis/the-first-professional-training-i-received-of-any-kind-was-when-i-was/)

[Marc Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-davis/)

> [New planted Colonies are generally attended with a Force and Necessity of Planting the known and approved Staple and Product of the Country, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lawson/new-planted-colonies-are-generally-attended-with-a-force-and/)

[John Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lawson/)

> [My school is attended by near three hundred scholars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-lancaster/my-school-is-attended-by-near-three-hundred-scholars/)

[Joseph Lancaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-lancaster/)

> [My mother attended the local church, Saint Nicolas, and consequently, I attended that church and its Sunday School. My only prizes from the Sunday…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-smith/my-mother-attended-the-local-church-saint-nicolas-and-consequently-i/)

[Michael Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-smith/)

> [Even though Jack Kennedy and I were about the same age and lived in the same neighborhood and attended the same elementary school, our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-wallace/even-though-jack-kennedy-and-i-were-about-the-same-age-and-lived-in/)

[Mike Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-wallace/)

## More by Kim Brooks

> [I got an MFA in fiction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-brooks/i-got-an-mfa-in-fiction/)

[Kim Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-brooks/)

> [I allow myself to feel fear without always capitulating to it... You don't have to live your life by fear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-brooks/i-allow-myself-to-feel-fear-without-always-capitulating-to-it-you-don/)

[Kim Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-brooks/)

> [When I first learned I was pregnant with my son, I had only two firm convictions about parenting: I knew it was important, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-brooks/when-i-first-learned-i-was-pregnant-with-my-son-i-had-only-two-firm/)

[Kim Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-brooks/)

> [I have a profound and unshakable love of good eating.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-brooks/i-have-a-profound-and-unshakable-love-of-good-eating/)

[Kim Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-brooks/)

> [“That’s why I hadn’t talked to you for a while. But man, did I miss hearing your sweet voice.” Sandy was surprised. Mark was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-brooks/that-s-why-i-hadn-t-talked-to-you-for-a-while-but-man-did-i-miss/)

[Kim Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-brooks/)

> [The desire to keep television out of our son's life was one of the few parenting priorities my husband and I agreed on from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-brooks/the-desire-to-keep-television-out-of-our-son-s-life-was-one-of-the/)

[Kim Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-brooks/)

> [I had never intended to be a stay-at-home-mom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-brooks/i-had-never-intended-to-be-a-stay-at-home-mom/)

[Kim Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-brooks/)

> [When I earned my diploma from the University of Virginia in the spring of 2000, it never occurred to me before my senior year…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-brooks/when-i-earned-my-diploma-from-the-university-of-virginia-in-the/)

[Kim Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-brooks/)

> [It shouldn't be normal to be anxious all the time about your children, so women should seek mental health help if they're having excessive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-brooks/it-shouldn-t-be-normal-to-be-anxious-all-the-time-about-your-children/)

[Kim Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-brooks/)

> [I think that the expectation on parents has changed from giving your children shelter and love and support and guidance to this idea that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-brooks/i-think-that-the-expectation-on-parents-has-changed-from-giving-your/)

[Kim Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-brooks/)

> [As a teenager, I'd longed to get my driver's license so I could get away from my parents. Then I'd longed to go to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-brooks/as-a-teenager-i-d-longed-to-get-my-driver-s-license-so-i-could-get/)

[Kim Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-brooks/)

> [I love my husband. I love my family.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-brooks/i-love-my-husband-i-love-my-family/)

[Kim Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-brooks/)

> [I adore cooking and baking and holiday feasts and dining with friends and spending too much money on mind-blowing meals in wonderful restaurants, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-brooks/i-adore-cooking-and-baking-and-holiday-feasts-and-dining-with-friends/)

[Kim Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-brooks/)

> [Motherhood was the first instance in my life where I was asked to sacrifice anything for anyone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-brooks/motherhood-was-the-first-instance-in-my-life-where-i-was-asked-to/)

[Kim Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-brooks/)

> [I wonder if all love affairs, all marriages, all lifelong partnerships, aren't in some ways a turning away from the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-brooks/i-wonder-if-all-love-affairs-all-marriages-all-lifelong-partnerships/)

[Kim Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-brooks/)

[Explore all 64 Kim Brooks quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-brooks/)

## More Art quotes

> [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/)

[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

> [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/)

[Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/)

> [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/)

[Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/)

> [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/)

[Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/)

> [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/)

[Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/)

> [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/)

[Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/)

> [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/)

[Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/)

> [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/)

Taf Teh

> [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/)

[Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/)

> [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/)

[Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/)

> [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/)

[Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/)

> [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/)

[G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/)

> [“The only thing--I tell you this straight from the heart--that disgusts me in Salzburg is that one can't have any proper social intercourse with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/the-only-thing-i-tell-you-this-straight-from-the-heart-that-disgusts/)

[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/)

> [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/)

[Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/)

> [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/)

[Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/)

[Browse all 48,643 Art quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I attended a middling high school in central Virginia in the mid-'90s, so there were no lofty electives to stoke my artistic sensibility - no A.P. art history or African-American studies or language courses in Mandarin or Portuguese. I lived for English, for reading.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Kim Brooks"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-brooks/i-attended-a-middling-high-school-in-central-virginia-in-the-mid-90s/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Art"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-brooks/i-attended-a-middling-high-school-in-central-virginia-in-the-mid-90s/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a3/kim-brooks-10671_art_i-attended-a-middling-high-school-in-cen_1929220.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a3/kim-brooks-10671_art_i-attended-a-middling-high-school-in-cen_1929220.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a3/kim-brooks-10671_art_i-attended-a-middling-high-school-in-cen_1929220.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I attended a middling high school in central Virginia in the mid-'90s, so there were no lofty electives to…” — Kim Brooks",
                "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": "Kim Brooks",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-brooks/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I attended a middling high school...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-brooks/i-attended-a-middling-high-school-in-central-virginia-in-the-mid-90s/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-brooks/i-attended-a-middling-high-school-in-central-virginia-in-the-mid-90s/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
