---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I once had a substitute teacher in my 4th…"
description: "\"“I once had a substitute teacher in my 4th grade class that was wonderful. He said learning was like throwing mud on a wall. Some will stick, and some ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/559/michele-gwynn-147258_education_i-once-had-a-substitute-teacher-in-my-4t_72706.jpg"
---

#  I once had a substitute teacher in my 4th grade class that…

![“I once had a substitute teacher in my 4th grade class that was wonderful. He said learning was like throwing mud on a wall. Some will stick, and some will fall off. But if you keep throwing the mud on the wall, eventually the whole wall will be covered in mud. I think writing is very much the…” quote by Michele Gwynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/559/michele-gwynn-147258_education_i-once-had-a-substitute-teacher-in-my-4t_72706.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/559/michele-gwynn-147258_education_i-once-had-a-substitute-teacher-in-my-4t_72706.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/559/michele-gwynn-147258_education_i-once-had-a-substitute-teacher-in-my-4t_72706.jpg)

> ““I once had a substitute teacher in my 4th grade class that was wonderful. He said learning was like throwing mud on a wall. Some will stick, and some will fall off. But if you keep throwing the mud on the wall, eventually the whole wall will be covered in mud. I think writing is very much the same. You have to keep at it. Some will stick, and some will fall away, but you keep writing, and eventually, you've impacted thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands of people with your vision.””

[Michele Gwynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michele-gwynn/)

## About This Quote

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

Compares writing persistence to throwing mud at a wall, emphasizing that repeated effort eventually creates impact.

**In simple terms:** Consistent writing effort builds lasting impact.

Key Takeaway

Keep writing despite setbacks.

Themes

creativity persistence learning writing impact

Mood

determined inspired

Type

advice motivational

When to use this quote

- education
- workshop
- motivation

Key Concepts

growth mindset skill development audience building

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you measure progress in writing?
- What strategies keep you motivated to write daily?

A Different Perspective

Persistence alone may not guarantee success.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Learning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learning/) [Learning Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learning-like-617973/) [Mud Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mud-think-949493/) [Said Learning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/said-learning-323892/) [Teacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teacher/) [Think Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-writing-244738/) [Wisdom-inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisdom-inspirational/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing Eventually](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-eventually-949492/)

## Related quotes

> [Dear Skeezie, Today I ran after a boy as he was trying to get away. I tackled him and we both landed in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-howe/dear-skeezie-today-i-ran-after-a-boy-as-he-was-trying-to-get-away-i/)

[James Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-howe/)

> [My plan was always to leave school and live in a flat with some friends, have a 9 to 5 job, and try to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ella-henderson/my-plan-was-always-to-leave-school-and-live-in-a-flat-with-some/)

[Ella Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ella-henderson/)

> [I'm still very much a believer in the spontaneity of certain kinds of writing. But then you have to eventually, when you're writing a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-shepard/i-m-still-very-much-a-believer-in-the-spontaneity-of-certain-kinds-of/)

[Sam Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-shepard/)

> [After I started publishing poetry I got to teach creative writing. Eventually I was promoted and even got tenure. But then I felt compelled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-larkin/after-i-started-publishing-poetry-i-got-to-teach-creative-writing/)

[Joan Larkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-larkin/)

> [In the winter I was with Nelson Piquet. He was talking about his capacity to race faster. He said that he was still learning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-alesi/in-the-winter-i-was-with-nelson-piquet-he-was-talking-about-his/)

[Jean Alesi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-alesi/)

> [“He said I was learning to talk about my life more objectively so that it felt like a part of my life and not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-sellers/he-said-i-was-learning-to-talk-about-my-life-more-objectively-so-that/)

[Heather Sellers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-sellers/)

> [No one ever said learning was to be easy, but it's part of the process of evolving as a human being, and we all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gisele-bundchen/no-one-ever-said-learning-was-to-be-easy-but-it-s-part-of-the-process/)

[Gisele Bundchen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gisele-bundchen/)

> [Even back when I was on 'The Ultimate Fighter,' I said learning is what I like to do on my off time. I like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-tavares/even-back-when-i-was-on-the-ultimate-fighter-i-said-learning-is-what/)

[Brad Tavares](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-tavares/)

> [I am learning English and can understand better than I can speak it. But having said that, I am learning as quickly as I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aymeric-laporte/i-am-learning-english-and-can-understand-better-than-i-can-speak-it/)

[Aymeric Laporte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aymeric-laporte/)

> [I like to challenge myself, I like new challenges as I said and it's all about learning fast, learning quickly how it goes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-partey/i-like-to-challenge-myself-i-like-new-challenges-as-i-said-and-it-s/)

[Thomas Partey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-partey/)

> [Learning is like rowing upstream; not to advance is to drop back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chinese-proverbs/learning-is-like-rowing-upstream-not-to-advance-is-to-drop-back/)

[Chinese Proverbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chinese-proverbs/)

> [I am very open to learning. I am like a sponge: I'd like to soak up in new things, new skills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catriona-gray/i-am-very-open-to-learning-i-am-like-a-sponge-i-d-like-to-soak-up-in/)

[Catriona Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catriona-gray/)

> [Never seem wiser, nor more learned, than the people you are with. Wear your learning, like your watch, in a private pocket: and do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/never-seem-wiser-nor-more-learned-than-the-people-you-are-with-wear/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Learning is like mercury, one of the most powerful and excellent things in the world in skillful hands; in unskillful, the most mischievous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-pope/learning-is-like-mercury-one-of-the-most-powerful-and-excellent/)

[Alexander Pope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-pope/)

> [Learning is like a cow of desire. It, like her, yields in all seasons. Like a mother, it feeds you on your journey. Therefore…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chanakya/learning-is-like-a-cow-of-desire-it-like-her-yields-in-all-seasons/)

[Chanakya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chanakya/)

## More Education quotes

> [I put myself in the student's place and remember the frustrations, doubts, determination, and desires I felt when I was going through the initial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-martinez/i-put-myself-in-the-student-s-place-and-remember-the-frustrations/)

[Ted Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-martinez/)

> [“In school you are taught to obey and not to think straight for your own good. Otherwise the world would be full of millionaires…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mwanandeke-kindembo/in-school-you-are-taught-to-obey-and-not-to-think-straight-for-your/)

[Mwanandeke Kindembo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mwanandeke-kindembo/)

> [For successful education there must always be a certain freshness in the knowledge dealt with. It must be either new in itself or invested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/for-successful-education-there-must-always-be-a-certain-freshness-in/)

[Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/)

> [Where I grew up, learning was a collective activity. But when I got to school and tried to share learning with other students that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/where-i-grew-up-learning-was-a-collective-activity-but-when-i-got-to/)

[Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/)

> [There's no authoritarian structure at Reed College, but the education is conservative. So what you have is a lot of students who are very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-miller/there-s-no-authoritarian-structure-at-reed-college-but-the-education/)

[Donald Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-miller/)

> [“What's the best thing about being in college? Good teachers. They inspire you, they entertain you, and you end up learning a ton even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/what-s-the-best-thing-about-being-in-college-good-teachers-they/)

[Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/)

> [“If one has not a head of steel it will burst; if he has not within it a brain of liquid quicksilver, he will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ioannes-amos-commenius/if-one-has-not-a-head-of-steel-it-will-burst-if-he-has-not-within-it/)

[Ioannes Amos Commenius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ioannes-amos-commenius/)

> [“let us not teach / what we have learned badly / and not profited by”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-d-hilda-doolittle/let-us-not-teach-what-we-have-learned-badly-and-not-profited-by/)

[H.D. (Hilda Doolittle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-d-hilda-doolittle/)

> [“It took me years to learn to sit at my desk for more than two minutes at a time, to put up with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/it-took-me-years-to-learn-to-sit-at-my-desk-for-more-than-two-minutes/)

[Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/)

> [According to Plato, we don't learn anything. Our soul has lived so many lives that we know everything. Teachers and education can only remind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/according-to-plato-we-don-t-learn-anything-our-soul-has-lived-so-many/)

[Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/)

> [“I only began to enjoy studying after I got through the educational system and became a so-called member of society. If something interested me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-only-began-to-enjoy-studying-after-i-got-through-the-educational/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [If you had made the acquiring of ignorance the study of your life, you could not have graduated with higher honor than you could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/if-you-had-made-the-acquiring-of-ignorance-the-study-of-your-life-you/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [How wonderful it would be, I thought, if only we could practice the teachings of the Buddha as he really taught them from his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dzogchen-ponlop-rinpoche/how-wonderful-it-would-be-i-thought-if-only-we-could-practice-the/)

[Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dzogchen-ponlop-rinpoche/)

> [English teachers tend to put more thought in the books than the author did](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/english-teachers-tend-to-put-more-thought-in-the-books-than-the/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [When will society, like a mother, take care of all her children?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-mann/when-will-society-like-a-mother-take-care-of-all-her-children/)

[Horace Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace-mann/)

[Browse all 37,666 Education quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“I once had a substitute teacher in my 4th grade class that was wonderful. He said learning was like throwing mud on a wall. Some will stick, and some will fall off. But if you keep throwing the mud on the wall, eventually the whole wall will be covered in mud. I think writing is very much the same. You have to keep at it. Some will stick, and some will fall away, but you keep writing, and eventually, you've impacted thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands of people with your vision.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Michele Gwynn"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michele-gwynn/i-once-had-a-substitute-teacher-in-my-4th-grade-class-that-was/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Education"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michele-gwynn/i-once-had-a-substitute-teacher-in-my-4th-grade-class-that-was/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/559/michele-gwynn-147258_education_i-once-had-a-substitute-teacher-in-my-4t_72706.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/559/michele-gwynn-147258_education_i-once-had-a-substitute-teacher-in-my-4t_72706.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/559/michele-gwynn-147258_education_i-once-had-a-substitute-teacher-in-my-4t_72706.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I once had a substitute teacher in my 4th grade class that was wonderful. He said learning was like throwing…” — Michele Gwynn",
                "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": "Michele Gwynn",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michele-gwynn/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“I once had a substitute teacher...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michele-gwynn/i-once-had-a-substitute-teacher-in-my-4th-grade-class-that-was/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michele-gwynn/i-once-had-a-substitute-teacher-in-my-4th-grade-class-that-was/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
