---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I remember I used to come up to my…"
description: "\"I remember I used to come up to my teacher crying because I couldn't read. She would say: 'You can do this. You just don't want to do this.\" — Max Brooks"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d26/max-brooks-2735_come-up_i-remember-i-used-to-come-up-to-my-teach_620946.png"
---

#  I remember I used to come up to my teacher crying because…

![“I remember I used to come up to my teacher crying because I couldn't read. She would say: 'You can do this. You just don't want to do this.” quote by Max Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d26/max-brooks-2735_come-up_i-remember-i-used-to-come-up-to-my-teach_620946.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d26/max-brooks-2735_come-up_i-remember-i-used-to-come-up-to-my-teach_620946.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d26/max-brooks-2735_come-up_i-remember-i-used-to-come-up-to-my-teach_620946.png)

> “I remember I used to come up to my teacher crying because I couldn't read. She would say: 'You can do this. You just don't want to do this.”

[Max Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-brooks/)

## About This Quote

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

A teacher encourages a struggling student, suggesting the barrier is motivation rather than ability, highlighting the power of mindset.

**In simple terms:** Motivation, not ability, is the obstacle.

Key Takeaway

Shift mindset to overcome challenges.

Themes

education motivation self‑belief

Mood

empathetic inspirational

Type

advice reflective

When to use this quote

- learning difficulties
- reading challenges
- academic support
- personal development

Key Concepts

psychology growth mindset

Questions to Reflect On

- What strategies boost both skill and will?
- How to recognize true barriers?

A Different Perspective

Motivation alone may not fix skill gaps.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Come Teacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/come-teacher-3402028/) [Come up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/come-up/) [Couldn Read](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/couldn-read/) [Cry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cry/) [Crying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crying/) [Crying Couldn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crying-couldn-680572/) [Mentorship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mentorship/) [Remember](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remember/) [Teacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teacher/) [Teacher Crying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teacher-crying-5024838/) [Used](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/used/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/)

## Related quotes

> [People come to a teacher to learn self-discovery. A teacher who just wants to keep you on a string forever, the god-guru concept, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/people-come-to-a-teacher-to-learn-self-discovery-a-teacher-who-just/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [“My voice was high and desperate, and I was crying, and I hated that I was crying, but I couldn’t help it. I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-han/my-voice-was-high-and-desperate-and-i-was-crying-and-i-hated-that-i/)

[Jenny Han](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-han/)

> [“That's why I started crying. That's why I couldn't stop. For all the things we might've had and all the things we're never going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malorie-blackman/that-s-why-i-started-crying-that-s-why-i-couldn-t-stop-for-all-the/)

[Malorie Blackman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malorie-blackman/)

> [My buddies worked with me for weeks, and I went up to take my test, and started crying because I couldn't remember the words.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-mcguire/my-buddies-worked-with-me-for-weeks-and-i-went-up-to-take-my-test-and/)

[Barry McGuire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-mcguire/)

> [I'd see an old person on the street and start crying. I couldn't understand how people could cope, knowing they only had so long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-numan/i-d-see-an-old-person-on-the-street-and-start-crying-i-couldn-t/)

[Gary Numan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-numan/)

> [You're a Nought and I'm a Cross and there's nowhere for us to be, nowhere for us to go where we'd be left in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malorie-blackman/you-re-a-nought-and-i-m-a-cross-and-there-s-nowhere-for-us-to-be/)

[Malorie Blackman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malorie-blackman/)

> [“One thing I will surely miss is that I couldn't read all the good books in this lifetime.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/one-thing-i-will-surely-miss-is-that-i-couldn-t-read-all-the-good/)

[Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/)

> [I didn't read a book until I was 31 years old when I was diagnosed with dyslexia. Books terrified me. They made me nervous.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-winkler/i-didn-t-read-a-book-until-i-was-31-years-old-when-i-was-diagnosed/)

[Henry Winkler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-winkler/)

> [I've yet to meet somebody who said, 'Your stories are so revolting I couldn't read them.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/i-ve-yet-to-meet-somebody-who-said-your-stories-are-so-revolting-i/)

[Ian Mcewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/)

> [I'm not going to tell you the movies, but I remember getting halfway through the thing and everything sort of tunnel-visioned on me and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-corbett/i-m-not-going-to-tell-you-the-movies-but-i-remember-getting-halfway/)

[John Corbett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-corbett/)

> [“Except cats couldn’t read minds, of course.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-ward/except-cats-couldn-t-read-minds-of-course/)

[J.R. Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-ward/)

> [“My grandfather once told her if you couldn't read with cold feet, there wouldn't be a literate soul in the state of Maine.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/my-grandfather-once-told-her-if-you-couldn-t-read-with-cold-feet/)

[Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/)

> [So many of my relatives didn't get a chance to go to school, and my own Daddy couldn't read or write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dolly-parton/so-many-of-my-relatives-didn-t-get-a-chance-to-go-to-school-and-my/)

[Dolly Parton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dolly-parton/)

> [I was trouble - and always in trouble. Aged eight I still couldn't read. In fact, I was dyslexic and short-sighted. Despite sitting at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/i-was-trouble-and-always-in-trouble-aged-eight-i-still-couldn-t-read/)

[Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/)

> [“Though I could agree with him that Miss Gamache had a good heart, I couldn't read her book without wanting to plunge an ice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-keenan/though-i-could-agree-with-him-that-miss-gamache-had-a-good-heart-i/)

[Joe Keenan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-keenan/)

## More by Max Brooks

> [When I believe in my ability to do something, there is no such word as no.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-brooks/when-i-believe-in-my-ability-to-do-something-there-is-no-such-word-as/)

[Max Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-brooks/)

> [Fear is the most valuable commodity in the universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-brooks/fear-is-the-most-valuable-commodity-in-the-universe/)

[Max Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-brooks/)

> [I think the general anxiety of the 1960s - '70s spawned our interest in the living dead. When people worry about the end of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-brooks/i-think-the-general-anxiety-of-the-1960s-70s-spawned-our-interest-in/)

[Max Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-brooks/)

> [Sometimes you find your path, sometimes it finds you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-brooks/sometimes-you-find-your-path-sometimes-it-finds-you/)

[Max Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-brooks/)

> [I wanted to serve. It was Desert Storm. I thought, 'I was a rich kid, and America's been good to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-brooks/i-wanted-to-serve-it-was-desert-storm-i-thought-i-was-a-rich-kid-and/)

[Max Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-brooks/)

> [ \[...\]you don’t have to be Sun freakin Tzu to know that real fighting isn’t about killing or even hurting the other guy, it’s about… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-brooks/you-don-t-have-to-be-sun-freakin-tzu-to-know-that-real-fighting-isn-t/)

[Max Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-brooks/)

> [“rank warehouses among your most attractive hideouts.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-brooks/rank-warehouses-among-your-most-attractive-hideouts/)

[Max Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-brooks/)

> [I think Americans are at our best when we recover from a crisis. We've suffered some blows that other countries would have never recovered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-brooks/i-think-americans-are-at-our-best-when-we-recover-from-a-crisis-we-ve/)

[Max Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-brooks/)

> [“The living dead had taken more from us than land and loved ones. They'd robbed us of our confidence as the planet's dominant life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-brooks/the-living-dead-had-taken-more-from-us-than-land-and-loved-ones-they/)

[Max Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-brooks/)

> [“PARNELL AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, TENNESSEE”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-brooks/parnell-air-national-guard-base-tennessee/)

[Max Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-brooks/)

> [Often, a school is your best bet-perhaps not for education but certainly for protection from an undead attack.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-brooks/often-a-school-is-your-best-bet-perhaps-not-for-education-but/)

[Max Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-brooks/)

> [Any survival guide will tell you, don't buy a pair of combat boots before any disaster. They'll tear your feet up. Or water -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-brooks/any-survival-guide-will-tell-you-don-t-buy-a-pair-of-combat-boots/)

[Max Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-brooks/)

> [When I read Frank Miller's 'The Dark Knight Returns', I think it's a wonderful record of the Reagan era. I think it's amazing. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-brooks/when-i-read-frank-miller-s-the-dark-knight-returns-i-think-it-s-a/)

[Max Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-brooks/)

> [The dead walk among us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-brooks/the-dead-walk-among-us/)

[Max Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-brooks/)

> [“What we did, what every president since Washington has done, was provide a measured, appropriate response, in direct relation to a realistic threat assessment.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-brooks/what-we-did-what-every-president-since-washington-has-done-was/)

[Max Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-brooks/)

[Explore all 142 Max Brooks quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-brooks/)

## More Come up quotes

> [“79. A soul which knows that it is loved, but does not itself love, betrays its sediment: its dregs come up.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/79-a-soul-which-knows-that-it-is-loved-but-does-not-itself-love/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [It is the incongruous thing in my entire life, this isolation.. ... My work requires it - but I myself have no need or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marsden-hartley/it-is-the-incongruous-thing-in-my-entire-life-this-isolation-my-work/)

[Marsden Hartley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marsden-hartley/)

> [Meanwhile someone is shining my head to get it dry to attach my top-hat to my head with toupee tape. I get into microphone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tituss-burgess/meanwhile-someone-is-shining-my-head-to-get-it-dry-to-attach-my-top/)

[Tituss Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tituss-burgess/)

> [However, however, if the goal is to abandon America's free enterprise economy, if the goal is to convert America into a submissive member of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/however-however-if-the-goal-is-to-abandon-america-s-free-enterprise/)

[Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/)

> [As much as I want to stay on the team -- I love Chicago, I love the Bulls -- at the same time, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luol-deng/as-much-as-i-want-to-stay-on-the-team-i-love-chicago-i-love-the-bulls/)

[Luol Deng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luol-deng/)

> [I have so many people come up to me, 20-some years later, and saying, "I loved you in Jawbreaker!".](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-benz/i-have-so-many-people-come-up-to-me-20-some-years-later-and-saying-i/)

[Julie Benz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-benz/)

> [I don't know what makes a guy want to write songs and sing, but if you've got a message, you want to get it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-ledoux/i-don-t-know-what-makes-a-guy-want-to-write-songs-and-sing-but-if-you/)

[Chris LeDoux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-ledoux/)

> [My objective is to design a space that nobody else can come up with while using the material that anyone can use.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tadao-ando/my-objective-is-to-design-a-space-that-nobody-else-can-come-up-with/)

[Tadao Ando](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tadao-ando/)

> [Remember, with writing, what you’re looking for is just one person to come up and tell you, 'I love you for what you do.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/remember-with-writing-what-you-re-looking-for-is-just-one-person-to/)

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

> [The wisdom or the essence of Guru Tattwa is a balance. Like when you maintain a plant, if you do not give it water…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nirmala-srivastava/the-wisdom-or-the-essence-of-guru-tattwa-is-a-balance-like-when-you/)

[Nirmala Srivastava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nirmala-srivastava/)

> [I shoot in black and white, sometimes color, sometimes if it looks good I shoot out the window of the airplanes or whatever, anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-barry/i-shoot-in-black-and-white-sometimes-color-sometimes-if-it-looks-good/)

[Robert Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-barry/)

> [I'm supportive of women, absolutely, and it's so gratifying to have girls come up and say, 'I'm really inspired by your guitar playing.' I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-vincent/i-m-supportive-of-women-absolutely-and-it-s-so-gratifying-to-have/)

[St. Vincent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-vincent/)

> [I hate it when people come up to me on trains and ask 'Are you Soulja Boy?' If people want pictures or autographs, that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soulja-boy/i-hate-it-when-people-come-up-to-me-on-trains-and-ask-are-you-soulja/)

[Soulja Boy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soulja-boy/)

> [All the earth is at rest and is quiet: they are bursting into song. Even the trees of the wood are glad over you,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaiah/all-the-earth-is-at-rest-and-is-quiet-they-are-bursting-into-song/)

[Isaiah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaiah/)

> [I can tell you who's planning terroris attacks. The leaders of ISIL. And I can tell you where they're at. They're in Raqqa, Syria.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rand-paul/i-can-tell-you-who-s-planning-terroris-attacks-the-leaders-of-isil/)

[Rand Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rand-paul/)

[Browse all 2,010 Come up quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/come-up/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I remember I used to come up to my teacher crying because I couldn't read. She would say: 'You can do this. You just don't want to do this.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Max Brooks"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-brooks/i-remember-i-used-to-come-up-to-my-teacher-crying-because-i-couldn-t/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Come up"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-brooks/i-remember-i-used-to-come-up-to-my-teacher-crying-because-i-couldn-t/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d26/max-brooks-2735_come-up_i-remember-i-used-to-come-up-to-my-teach_620946.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d26/max-brooks-2735_come-up_i-remember-i-used-to-come-up-to-my-teach_620946.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d26/max-brooks-2735_come-up_i-remember-i-used-to-come-up-to-my-teach_620946.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I remember I used to come up to my teacher crying because I couldn't read. She would say: 'You can do this…” — Max 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": "Max Brooks",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-brooks/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I remember I used to come...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-brooks/i-remember-i-used-to-come-up-to-my-teacher-crying-because-i-couldn-t/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-brooks/i-remember-i-used-to-come-up-to-my-teacher-crying-because-i-couldn-t/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
