--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I wasn't an academic. I hated maths and…" description: "\"I wasn't an academic. I hated maths and science at school. I couldn't concentrate.\" — Michelle Dockery" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c11/michelle-dockery-9666_academic_i-wasn-t-an-academic-i-hated-maths-and-s_2231937.jpg" --- # I wasn't an academic. I hated maths and science at school… ![“I wasn't an academic. I hated maths and science at school. I couldn't concentrate.” quote by Michelle Dockery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c11/michelle-dockery-9666_academic_i-wasn-t-an-academic-i-hated-maths-and-s_2231937.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c11/michelle-dockery-9666_academic_i-wasn-t-an-academic-i-hated-maths-and-s_2231937.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c11/michelle-dockery-9666_academic_i-wasn-t-an-academic-i-hated-maths-and-s_2231937.jpg) > “I wasn't an academic. I hated maths and science at school. I couldn't concentrate.” [Michelle Dockery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-dockery/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She rejected formal academia, disliking math and science, and struggled with focus. **In simple terms:** She disliked school subjects and concentration. Key Takeaway Explore alternative learning paths that suit you. Themes education self‑discovery career non‑traditional focus Mood introspective motivational Type personal inspirational When to use this quote - career change - self‑study - creative pursuits - skill development Key Concepts learning styles self‑motivation career choices Questions to Reflect On - What subjects ignite your passion? - How can you cultivate focus outside school? A Different Perspective Traditional schooling may not fit everyone. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Academic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/academic/) [Mathematics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mathematics/) [Maths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/maths/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) ## Related quotes > [My head works a little faster than people around me sometimes and it can be quite painful. It was a problem for me in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tricky/my-head-works-a-little-faster-than-people-around-me-sometimes-and-it/) [Tricky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tricky/) > [All I can really remember doing was listening to the radio and listening to records when I was at school. I wasn't very academic,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chrissie-hynde/all-i-can-really-remember-doing-was-listening-to-the-radio-and/) [Chrissie Hynde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chrissie-hynde/) > [I wasn't very academic at school, but the Wolsey Youth Theatre was the saving of me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noma-dumezweni/i-wasn-t-very-academic-at-school-but-the-wolsey-youth-theatre-was-the/) [Noma Dumezweni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noma-dumezweni/) > [I wasn't an academic looking in books for ideas. But I educated myself about historical work that was similar to mine, to provide a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-heizer/i-wasn-t-an-academic-looking-in-books-for-ideas-but-i-educated-myself/) [Michael Heizer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-heizer/) > [In fact I was slightly badly behaved at school and got in trouble. I would get a bee in my bonnet about something I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-colman/in-fact-i-was-slightly-badly-behaved-at-school-and-got-in-trouble-i/) [Olivia Colman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivia-colman/) > [I just wasn't academic. I wanted to be in the real world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-caudwell/i-just-wasn-t-academic-i-wanted-to-be-in-the-real-world/) [John Caudwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-caudwell/) > [I was at a small private school in London. I wasn't very academic. My dad said to me, 'OK, you might as well leave,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-pattinson/i-was-at-a-small-private-school-in-london-i-wasn-t-very-academic-my/) [Robert Pattinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-pattinson/) > [People at rehab were stealing my hats and pens and notebooks and asking for autographs. I couldn't concentrate on my problem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eminem/people-at-rehab-were-stealing-my-hats-and-pens-and-notebooks-and/) [Eminem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eminem/) > [“I can see him juggling the words inside his head. Fumbling. I tried to juggle once, with three apples I'd found in the pantry.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-schwab/i-can-see-him-juggling-the-words-inside-his-head-fumbling-i-tried-to/) [Victoria Schwab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-schwab/) > [I would be on dates with guys, and the radio would be on, and if the Moody Blues song came on I couldn't concentrate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-wilson/i-would-be-on-dates-with-guys-and-the-radio-would-be-on-and-if-the/) [Ann Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-wilson/) > [Before I was on medication, the mania was so bad that I couldn't concentrate, so although I'd feel very creative, I could never really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-hart/before-i-was-on-medication-the-mania-was-so-bad-that-i-couldn-t/) [Beth Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-hart/) > [I couldn't concentrate on music. So I made the choice to give up my career as a musician in the frontline to deal with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-fripp/i-couldn-t-concentrate-on-music-so-i-made-the-choice-to-give-up-my/) [Robert Fripp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-fripp/) > [“He couldn't concentrate on anything while her incredible bottom led him up those stairs like the Pied Piper of tempting asses.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-bangs/he-couldn-t-concentrate-on-anything-while-her-incredible-bottom-led/) [Nina Bangs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-bangs/) > [“I was part of a focus group once, but to be honest, I couldn’t concentrate.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/i-was-part-of-a-focus-group-once-but-to-be-honest-i-couldn-t/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [The anxiety was like poison ivy. It took nothing to set off that mental itch-a chance remark, remembering an event from the day before-but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-thompson/the-anxiety-was-like-poison-ivy-it-took-nothing-to-set-off-that/) [Tracy Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-thompson/) ## More by Michelle Dockery > [Playing Isabella in 'Measure for Measure' pushed me to my limits. Janet Suzman was directing, and she was very hard on me. I went…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-dockery/playing-isabella-in-measure-for-measure-pushed-me-to-my-limits-janet/) [Michelle Dockery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-dockery/) > [I just enjoy acting, whatever area - theatre, film, television.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-dockery/i-just-enjoy-acting-whatever-area-theatre-film-television/) [Michelle Dockery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-dockery/) > [I'm not from aristocracy, or anything like that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-dockery/i-m-not-from-aristocracy-or-anything-like-that/) [Michelle Dockery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-dockery/) > [My godchildren went to see Taylor Swift in concert and got to meet her. They literally ran toward her and hugged her, and it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-dockery/my-godchildren-went-to-see-taylor-swift-in-concert-and-got-to-meet/) [Michelle Dockery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-dockery/) > [I love singing live, actually. And I'm dying to sing in a role, whether it's in a musical or a biographical film about a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-dockery/i-love-singing-live-actually-and-i-m-dying-to-sing-in-a-role-whether/) [Michelle Dockery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-dockery/) > [It's great to have a home and everything else that comes with it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-dockery/it-s-great-to-have-a-home-and-everything-else-that-comes-with-it/) [Michelle Dockery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-dockery/) > [My dad worked all sorts of jobs when I was growing up and finally ended up as a surveyor; my mum delivers meals to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-dockery/my-dad-worked-all-sorts-of-jobs-when-i-was-growing-up-and-finally/) [Michelle Dockery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-dockery/) > [I loved the 'Die Hard' films growing up and the 'Taken' movies. They're so entertaining, and I enjoy being on the edge of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-dockery/i-loved-the-die-hard-films-growing-up-and-the-taken-movies-they-re-so/) [Michelle Dockery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-dockery/) > [The way I see it, the third series of 'Downton Abbey' is all about change and how each character adapts to those changes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-dockery/the-way-i-see-it-the-third-series-of-downton-abbey-is-all-about/) [Michelle Dockery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-dockery/) > [There's no particular role that comes to mind that I'd like to take on, but for me, it's about playing interesting characters and not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-dockery/there-s-no-particular-role-that-comes-to-mind-that-i-d-like-to-take/) [Michelle Dockery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-dockery/) > [The whole acting game can sometimes be a bit false, and you meet a lot of people in it for the fame - so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-dockery/the-whole-acting-game-can-sometimes-be-a-bit-false-and-you-meet-a-lot/) [Michelle Dockery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-dockery/) > [In the early '20s, with the war over, there was a period of celebration, and you can see it in the fashion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-dockery/in-the-early-20s-with-the-war-over-there-was-a-period-of-celebration/) [Michelle Dockery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-dockery/) > [I'd like to do something that involves music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-dockery/i-d-like-to-do-something-that-involves-music/) [Michelle Dockery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-dockery/) > [I come from a very working-class background, so my family would have been downstairs in the past, as opposed to upstairs. People are often…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-dockery/i-come-from-a-very-working-class-background-so-my-family-would-have/) [Michelle Dockery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-dockery/) > [Being in the same scenes as Maggie Smith and Shirley MacLaine is something I will never forget.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-dockery/being-in-the-same-scenes-as-maggie-smith-and-shirley-maclaine-is/) [Michelle Dockery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-dockery/) [Explore all 71 Michelle Dockery quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-dockery/) ## More Academic quotes > [When I went to college, as much as my parents emphasized academic achievement, they emphasized marriage even more. 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Everett Koop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-everett-koop/) > [Marx, however imperfectly he worked out the details, set himself the task of discovering the law of motion of capitalism, and if there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-robinson/marx-however-imperfectly-he-worked-out-the-details-set-himself-the/) [Joan Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-robinson/) > [Now know I well what people sought formerly above all else when they sought Teachers of virtue. Good sleep they sought for themselves, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/now-know-i-well-what-people-sought-formerly-above-all-else-when-they/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [Because my graduate academic training at law school was not one that included most of the intellectual traditions I find useful for understanding the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-spade/because-my-graduate-academic-training-at-law-school-was-not-one-that/) [Dean Spade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-spade/) > [An academic discipline, or any other semiotic domain, for that matter, is not primarily content, in the sense of facts and principles. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-paul-gee/an-academic-discipline-or-any-other-semiotic-domain-for-that-matter/) [James Paul Gee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-paul-gee/) > [“In the end, ethical interpretation of the Bible means to think critically about how our practices of textual engagement might help us to become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-brueggemann/in-the-end-ethical-interpretation-of-the-bible-means-to-think/) [Walter Brueggemann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-brueggemann/) > [Perhaps art criticism cannot be reformed in a logical sense because it was never well-formed in the first place. Art criticism has long been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-elkins/perhaps-art-criticism-cannot-be-reformed-in-a-logical-sense-because/) [James Elkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-elkins/) > [And I'm the first one to tell people to break the rules. But you can only break the rules once you know what the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-gunn/and-i-m-the-first-one-to-tell-people-to-break-the-rules-but-you-can/) [Tim Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-gunn/) > [Nietzsche's ideas and plans: for example, the idea of giving up the whole wretched academic world to form a secular monastic community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-jaspers/nietzsche-s-ideas-and-plans-for-example-the-idea-of-giving-up-the/) [Karl Jaspers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-jaspers/) > [Quality afterschool programs provide safe, engaging and fun learning experiences to help children and youth develop their social, emotional, physical, cultural and academic skills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-stabenow/quality-afterschool-programs-provide-safe-engaging-and-fun-learning/) [Debbie Stabenow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-stabenow/) > [The unary Photograph has every reason to be banal, 'unity' of composition being the first rule of vulgar (and notably, of academic) rhetoric: 'The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-barthes/the-unary-photograph-has-every-reason-to-be-banal-unity-of/) [Roland Barthes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-barthes/) > [Doctoral training is devoted almost entirely to learning to do research, even though most Ph.Ds who enter academic life spend far more time teaching…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-bok/doctoral-training-is-devoted-almost-entirely-to-learning-to-do/) [Derek Bok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-bok/) > [I am not an academic who happens to have written a novel. I am a novelist who happens to be quite good academically.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-s-byatt-2/i-am-not-an-academic-who-happens-to-have-written-a-novel-i-am-a/) [A. S. Byatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-s-byatt-2/) [Browse all 958 Academic quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/academic/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I wasn't an academic. I hated maths and science at school. 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