--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was an academic and I lost my…" description: "\"I was an academic and I lost my assignment at Harvard. Meanwhile, [David Petraeus] gets invited to Harvard to become a fellow.\" — Paula Broadwell" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fec/paula-broadwell-12073_academic_i-was-an-academic-and-i-lost-my-assignme_952409.jpg" --- # I was an academic and I lost my assignment at Harvard… ![“I was an academic and I lost my assignment at Harvard. Meanwhile, [David Petraeus] gets invited to Harvard to become a fellow.” quote by Paula Broadwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fec/paula-broadwell-12073_academic_i-was-an-academic-and-i-lost-my-assignme_952409.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fec/paula-broadwell-12073_academic_i-was-an-academic-and-i-lost-my-assignme_952409.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fec/paula-broadwell-12073_academic_i-was-an-academic-and-i-lost-my-assignme_952409.jpg) > “I was an academic and I lost my assignment at Harvard. Meanwhile, \[David Petraeus\] gets invited to Harvard to become a fellow.” [Paula Broadwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-broadwell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A personal anecdote contrasting academic loss with a high-profile appointment, highlighting irony and perceived unfairness. **In simple terms:** Contrast between personal setback and others' success. Key Takeaway Recognize bias in narratives. Themes irony fairness career Mood reflective critical Type anecdotal observational When to use this quote - academic setbacks - high-profile hires - public perception - career trajectories Key Concepts perception status achievement Questions to Reflect On - How does public perception shape narratives of success? - What biases influence our judgments of fairness? A Different Perspective Success often involves privilege beyond merit. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Academic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/academic/) ## Related quotes > [Listen, I have a great affection and respect for Joe Biden. I think he's been a great vice president. He's taken on a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-axelrod/listen-i-have-a-great-affection-and-respect-for-joe-biden-i-think-he/) [David Axelrod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-axelrod/) > [They told me I didn't understand the assignment, I told them they didn't understand life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lennon/they-told-me-i-didn-t-understand-the-assignment-i-told-them-they-didn/) [John Lennon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lennon/) > [My paintings are about light, about the way things look in their environment and especially about how things look painted. Form, colour and space…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-goings/my-paintings-are-about-light-about-the-way-things-look-in-their/) Ralph Goings > [I remember when I was in art classes, I hated following the assignments. And I would get in trouble for doing something totally different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chang-rae-lee/i-remember-when-i-was-in-art-classes-i-hated-following-the/) [Chang-Rae Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/) > [For some time I have been disturbed by the way the CIA has been diverted from its original assignment. It has become an operational…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/for-some-time-i-have-been-disturbed-by-the-way-the-cia-has-been/) [Harry S. Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman/) > [Even with an assignment, I take over, I find a freedom and make the idea my own, and that's where you get the sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-d-ambrosio/even-with-an-assignment-i-take-over-i-find-a-freedom-and-make-the/) [Charles D'Ambrosio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-d-ambrosio/) > [I've always been creative verbally, had a flair, my teachers said - wrote great expository essays in elementary school, scribbled little poems, embraced all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-nazarian/i-ve-always-been-creative-verbally-had-a-flair-my-teachers-said-wrote/) [Vera Nazarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-nazarian/) > [Just how we fit into the plans of the Great Architect and how much he has assigned us to do we do not know,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-andrews-millikan/just-how-we-fit-into-the-plans-of-the-great-architect-and-how-much-he/) [Robert Andrews Millikan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-andrews-millikan/) > [We were called, male and female, to do great works with separate approaches and separate assignments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-e-faust/we-were-called-male-and-female-to-do-great-works-with-separate/) [James E. Faust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-e-faust/) > [From the beginning, we failed to overcome Europe's division. The Berlin Wall fell, but invisible walls were moved to the East of Europe. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-putin/from-the-beginning-we-failed-to-overcome-europe-s-division-the-berlin/) [Vladimir Putin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-putin/) > [Because God wants to take you in ever-increasing measures to know Him. And the only way you can know Him is by experiencing Him.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-blackaby/because-god-wants-to-take-you-in-ever-increasing-measures-to-know-him/) [Henry Blackaby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-blackaby/) > [Are you on the eve of change? Embrace it. Accept it. Don't resist it. Change is not only a part of life, change is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-lucado/are-you-on-the-eve-of-change-embrace-it-accept-it-don-t-resist-it/) [Max Lucado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-lucado/) > [Do not delegate an assignment and then attempt to manage it yourself - you will make an enemy of the overruled subordinate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wess-roberts/do-not-delegate-an-assignment-and-then-attempt-to-manage-it-yourself/) [Wess Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wess-roberts/) > [Men often joke about this assignment (I Peter 3:7): 'Who can understand a woman?' God has answered the question loud and clear. You can.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stu-weber/men-often-joke-about-this-assignment-i-peter-3-7-who-can-understand-a/) [Stu Weber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stu-weber/) > [I don't read for amusement, I read for enlightenment. I do a lot of reviewing, so I have a steady assignment of reading. I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/i-don-t-read-for-amusement-i-read-for-enlightenment-i-do-a-lot-of/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) ## More by Paula Broadwell > [I think the public doesn't understand that one of the reasons I haven't stood up for myself is because in order to do that,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-broadwell/i-think-the-public-doesn-t-understand-that-one-of-the-reasons-i-haven/) [Paula Broadwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-broadwell/) > [ \[Fighting for equality for women\] that's what my mission has been for the last years. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-broadwell/fighting-for-equality-for-women-that-s-what-my-mission-has-been-for/) [Paula Broadwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-broadwell/) > [ I had been working on a second book with \[David\] Petraeus called Relentless. Obviously that book and the income that it would have generated… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-broadwell/i-had-been-working-on-a-second-book-with-david-petraeus-called/) [Paula Broadwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-broadwell/) > [I want to serve. I love my country. I love service above self and I don't want my talents to go to waste. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-broadwell/i-want-to-serve-i-love-my-country-i-love-service-above-self-and-i-don/) [Paula Broadwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-broadwell/) > [A few months into my research, General Petraeus, who was then leading Central Command, invited me to go for a run with him and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-broadwell/a-few-months-into-my-research-general-petraeus-who-was-then-leading/) [Paula Broadwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-broadwell/) > [ I was incredulous as the bias of the media in terms of the candidates \[for presidency\]. I was incredulous at the fake news. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-broadwell/i-was-incredulous-as-the-bias-of-the-media-in-terms-of-the-candidates/) [Paula Broadwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-broadwell/) > [You can reclaim your own narrative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-broadwell/you-can-reclaim-your-own-narrative/) [Paula Broadwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-broadwell/) > [I also feel like I've done plenty of wrong things. I'm not innocent here, and I'm certainly not going to be righteous about that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-broadwell/i-also-feel-like-i-ve-done-plenty-of-wrong-things-i-m-not-innocent/) [Paula Broadwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-broadwell/) > [When I get this kind of support, I feel validated in my decision to stand up for myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-broadwell/when-i-get-this-kind-of-support-i-feel-validated-in-my-decision-to/) [Paula Broadwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-broadwell/) > [I think it is important for working moms to recognize that family is the most important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-broadwell/i-think-it-is-important-for-working-moms-to-recognize-that-family-is/) [Paula Broadwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-broadwell/) > [If I'm strong, I'm not going to apologize for being strong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-broadwell/if-i-m-strong-i-m-not-going-to-apologize-for-being-strong/) [Paula Broadwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-broadwell/) > [My local paper, The New York Times, Yahoo News, CBS, and The Washington Post, all agreed to stop using the word 'mistress.' The big…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-broadwell/my-local-paper-the-new-york-times-yahoo-news-cbs-and-the-washington/) [Paula Broadwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-broadwell/) > [Having a bunch of medals and badges doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve achieved anything, you’ve got to do something beyond yourself to make a difference…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-broadwell/having-a-bunch-of-medals-and-badges-doesn-t-necessarily-mean-you-ve/) [Paula Broadwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-broadwell/) > [We have to raise our young boys to respect women and our young girls to demand respect and to get their values from something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-broadwell/we-have-to-raise-our-young-boys-to-respect-women-and-our-young-girls/) [Paula Broadwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-broadwell/) > [ It's reducing my entire professional career and background to this one word \[mistress\]. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-broadwell/it-s-reducing-my-entire-professional-career-and-background-to-this/) [Paula Broadwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-broadwell/) [Explore all 56 Paula Broadwell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-broadwell/) ## More Academic quotes > [When I went to college, as much as my parents emphasized academic achievement, they emphasized marriage even more. They told me that the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/when-i-went-to-college-as-much-as-my-parents-emphasized-academic/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [Instead of explaining the sober facts of mechanics and electricity, I want to say a few words about the debt which we owe to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-bloch/instead-of-explaining-the-sober-facts-of-mechanics-and-electricity-i/) [Felix Bloch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-bloch/) > [The Carnegie Foundation is well aware of the fact that their reports frequently find their way to dusty archives in academic institutions, but occasionally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-everett-koop/the-carnegie-foundation-is-well-aware-of-the-fact-that-their-reports/) [C. 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 was an academic and I lost my assignment at Harvard. Meanwhile, [David Petraeus] gets invited to Harvard to become a fellow.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Paula Broadwell" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-broadwell/i-was-an-academic-and-i-lost-my-assignment-at-harvard-meanwhile-david/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Academic" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-broadwell/i-was-an-academic-and-i-lost-my-assignment-at-harvard-meanwhile-david/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fec/paula-broadwell-12073_academic_i-was-an-academic-and-i-lost-my-assignme_952409.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fec/paula-broadwell-12073_academic_i-was-an-academic-and-i-lost-my-assignme_952409.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fec/paula-broadwell-12073_academic_i-was-an-academic-and-i-lost-my-assignme_952409.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I was an academic and I lost my assignment at Harvard. Meanwhile, [David Petraeus] gets invited to Harvard…” — Paula Broadwell", "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": "Paula Broadwell", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-broadwell/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I was an academic and I...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-broadwell/i-was-an-academic-and-i-lost-my-assignment-at-harvard-meanwhile-david/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-broadwell/i-was-an-academic-and-i-lost-my-assignment-at-harvard-meanwhile-david/#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 } } ] } ```