--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I worked hard at my four-year M.A., but…" description: "\"I worked hard at my four-year M.A., but got a 2.1. That was a big disappointment, as I wanted to write about history and thought I needed a First.\" — S..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d4/saul-david-19270_big_i-worked-hard-at-my-four-year-m-a-but-go_1146334.jpg" --- # I worked hard at my four-year M.A., but got a 2.1. That… ![“I worked hard at my four-year M.A., but got a 2.1. That was a big disappointment, as I wanted to write about history and thought I needed a First.” quote by Saul David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d4/saul-david-19270_big_i-worked-hard-at-my-four-year-m-a-but-go_1146334.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d4/saul-david-19270_big_i-worked-hard-at-my-four-year-m-a-but-go_1146334.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d4/saul-david-19270_big_i-worked-hard-at-my-four-year-m-a-but-go_1146334.jpg) > “I worked hard at my four-year M.A., but got a 2.1. That was a big disappointment, as I wanted to write about history and thought I needed a First.” [Saul David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-david/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He was disappointed with his academic result, fearing it would block his writing ambitions. **In simple terms:** He worried a 2.1 would stop his history writing plans. Key Takeaway Focus on skill development beyond grades. Themes education career ambition writing self‑esteem Mood hopeful realistic Type motivational personal growth When to use this quote - job applications - publishing - further study Key Concepts academic grading career expectations writing goals Questions to Reflect On - What steps can you take to improve your writing despite grades? - How might alternative credentials support your goals? A Different Perspective Grades don’t fully define ability or future success. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Big](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/big/) [Big Disappointment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/big-disappointment-668119/) [Disappointment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disappointment/) [Disappointment Wanted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disappointment-wanted-3219218/) [Hard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Wanted Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wanted-write/) [Write History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write-history/) ## Related quotes > [The last thing I want to do is to present something as 'Stephen King, Part II,' and have it be something that's a big…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-king/the-last-thing-i-want-to-do-is-to-present-something-as-stephen-king/) [Owen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-king/) > [I always wanted to write a history of Jerusalem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-sebag-montefiore/i-always-wanted-to-write-a-history-of-jerusalem/) [Simon Sebag Montefiore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-sebag-montefiore/) > [I wanted to write history rather than participate in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samir-nasri/i-wanted-to-write-history-rather-than-participate-in-it/) [Samir Nasri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samir-nasri/) > [If you wanted to, you could write history in Haiku.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-w-brands/if-you-wanted-to-you-could-write-history-in-haiku/) [H. W. Brands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-w-brands/) > [“Suppose a would-be writer can't begin? I really believe there are many excellent writers who have never written because they never could begin. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-leacock/suppose-a-would-be-writer-can-t-begin-i-really-believe-there-are-many/) [Stephen Leacock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-leacock/) > [If we do not, as historians, write the history of great events as well as the small stories that make up the past, others…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-macmillan/if-we-do-not-as-historians-write-the-history-of-great-events-as-well/) [Margaret MacMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-macmillan/) > [Never make enemies of anyone younger or healthier than you are. They write your history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-m-appel/never-make-enemies-of-anyone-younger-or-healthier-than-you-are-they/) [Jacob M. Appel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-m-appel/) > [“Every woman should have a daughter to tell her stories to. Otherwise, the lessons learned are as useless as spare buttons from a discarded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-white/every-woman-should-have-a-daughter-to-tell-her-stories-to-otherwise/) [Karen White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-white/) > [“You are the author of your own destiny; write yourself into history books.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matshona-dhliwayo/you-are-the-author-of-your-own-destiny-write-yourself-into-history/) [Matshona Dhliwayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matshona-dhliwayo/) > [Who will dare to write a history of human goodness?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/who-will-dare-to-write-a-history-of-human-goodness/) [Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/) > [Great steps in human progress are made by things that don't work the way philosophy thought they should. If things always worked the way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-kettering/great-steps-in-human-progress-are-made-by-things-that-don-t-work-the/) [Charles Kettering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-kettering/) > [Those in power write the history while those who suffer write the songs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-harte/those-in-power-write-the-history-while-those-who-suffer-write-the/) [Frank Harte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-harte/) > [I have not always been wrong. History will bear me out, particularly as I shall write that history myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/i-have-not-always-been-wrong-history-will-bear-me-out-particularly-as/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [ Intellectuals (in the standard sense of the term, not \[ Edward\] Said's prescriptive sense) are the people who write history. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/intellectuals-in-the-standard-sense-of-the-term-not-edward-said-s/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [I cannot understand why some people try to write a history of photography that is separated from the history of modern art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-francois-chevrier/i-cannot-understand-why-some-people-try-to-write-a-history-of/) [Jean-Francois Chevrier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-francois-chevrier/) ## More by Saul David > [Even a moderniser like Alexander II - who emancipated the serfs in 1861 - had no intention of devolving real power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-david/even-a-moderniser-like-alexander-ii-who-emancipated-the-serfs-in-1861/) [Saul David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-david/) > [By 1917, thanks to the new munitions factories and the women that worked in them, the British Empire was supplying more than 50 million…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-david/by-1917-thanks-to-the-new-munitions-factories-and-the-women-that/) [Saul David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-david/) > [If getting a contract was relatively straightforward, writing fiction was far harder than I could have imagined, and there were moments during the long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-david/if-getting-a-contract-was-relatively-straightforward-writing-fiction/) [Saul David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-david/) > [No campaign of the First World War better justifies the poets' view of the conflict as futile and pitiless than Gallipoli.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-david/no-campaign-of-the-first-world-war-better-justifies-the-poets-view-of/) [Saul David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-david/) > [If I'm at a book signing, and someone decides to take me to task, it can make for quite a sticky moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-david/if-i-m-at-a-book-signing-and-someone-decides-to-take-me-to-task-it/) [Saul David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-david/) > [From 1801, Napoleon began an ambitious programme of civil reform to standardise law and justice, centralise education, introduce uniform weights and measures and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-david/from-1801-napoleon-began-an-ambitious-programme-of-civil-reform-to/) [Saul David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-david/) > [By the time Napoleon abandoned his army to its fate in Poland - arriving back in Paris on 5 December - it numbered fewer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-david/by-the-time-napoleon-abandoned-his-army-to-its-fate-in-poland/) [Saul David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-david/) > [In the early hours of 16 December 1944, the Germans launched their last great offensive of the Second World War against weakly held U.S.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-david/in-the-early-hours-of-16-december-1944-the-germans-launched-their/) [Saul David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-david/) > [I was brought up with a whole bunch of cousins in the Wye Valley during the hippy days of the 1970s.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-david/i-was-brought-up-with-a-whole-bunch-of-cousins-in-the-wye-valley/) [Saul David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-david/) > [History tells us that a general can move and feed an army as efficiently as he likes, but the real litmus test is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-david/history-tells-us-that-a-general-can-move-and-feed-an-army-as/) [Saul David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-david/) > [It is not enough just to get your forces from A to B - you have to keep them fed and watered as they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-david/it-is-not-enough-just-to-get-your-forces-from-a-to-b-you-have-to-keep/) [Saul David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-david/) > [The first Romanov ruler was just 16 when he was crowned Tsar Michael I in Moscow in 1613, thus ending the 'Time of Troubles'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-david/the-first-romanov-ruler-was-just-16-when-he-was-crowned-tsar-michael/) [Saul David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-david/) > [I passed the 11-plus, but it was decided that I should take the Common Entrance exam to Monmouth School, the nearest independent. I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-david/i-passed-the-11-plus-but-it-was-decided-that-i-should-take-the-common/) [Saul David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-david/) > [When I was six or seven, we went to the nearest English primary school, St Weonards, about seven miles away. The teaching was good,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-david/when-i-was-six-or-seven-we-went-to-the-nearest-english-primary-school/) [Saul David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-david/) > [Winter horseshoes are equipped with little spikes that give a horse traction on snow and ice and prevent it from slipping.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-david/winter-horseshoes-are-equipped-with-little-spikes-that-give-a-horse/) [Saul David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-david/) [Explore all 33 Saul David quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-david/) ## More Big quotes > [I'm a true believer in prayer, a big believer in prayer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-jackson/i-m-a-true-believer-in-prayer-a-big-believer-in-prayer/) [Janet Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-jackson/) > [Many early-stage entrepreneurs make one simple mistake: Describing this 'big picture' in vague concepts and words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunil-nagaraj/many-early-stage-entrepreneurs-make-one-simple-mistake-describing/) [Sunil Nagaraj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunil-nagaraj/) > [I always say if you put someone from a small town into a big city for ten years, then when they go back, they'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-colter/i-always-say-if-you-put-someone-from-a-small-town-into-a-big-city-for/) [Mike Colter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-colter/) > [My mom had very low expectations for me, and she really had a point. I was a big problem at seventeen. If I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/my-mom-had-very-low-expectations-for-me-and-she-really-had-a-point-i/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [I have always been a big meta guy because I think the way journalism is practiced in Washington, and the way everyone sort of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-leibovich/i-have-always-been-a-big-meta-guy-because-i-think-the-way-journalism/) [Mark Leibovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-leibovich/) > [It's going to be used in the last days to get people to come against Christ, and that's the issue: they come against the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-lahaye/it-s-going-to-be-used-in-the-last-days-to-get-people-to-come-against/) [Tim LaHaye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-lahaye/) > [My parents are divorced, and seeing that was really painful for me. Really painful for me. But that's also a big part of why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/banks/my-parents-are-divorced-and-seeing-that-was-really-painful-for-me/) [Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/banks/) > [I always want to do a big finale.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-yuh-nelson/i-always-want-to-do-a-big-finale/) [Jennifer Yuh Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-yuh-nelson/) > [I turn a lot of stuff down - big, big movies, the kind I wouldn't want to go to the cinema to see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-fox/i-turn-a-lot-of-stuff-down-big-big-movies-the-kind-i-wouldn-t-want-to/) [Matthew Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-fox/) > [So I concentrated on the rhythmic side of things, and therefore left a lot of holes. I didn't want to use big pad chords…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/midge-ure/so-i-concentrated-on-the-rhythmic-side-of-things-and-therefore-left-a/) [Midge Ure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/midge-ure/) > [I think a big part of success in football is mental, not physical. How you are inside your head matters more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iker-casillas/i-think-a-big-part-of-success-in-football-is-mental-not-physical-how/) [Iker Casillas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iker-casillas/) > [I was always attracted most to joining City, and I am pleased to be at such a good club with such a big ambition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edin-dzeko/i-was-always-attracted-most-to-joining-city-and-i-am-pleased-to-be-at/) [Edin Dzeko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edin-dzeko/) > [Making sure that people have access to preventive medicine for the first time ever as a nation? 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