--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I turned down a scholarship to Yale. The…" description: "\"I turned down a scholarship to Yale. The problem with college is that there's a tendency to mistake preparation for productivity. You can prepare all y..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e63/shia-labeouf-1794_acting_i-turned-down-a-scholarship-to-yale-the_1646426.jpg" --- # I turned down a scholarship to Yale. The problem with… ![“I turned down a scholarship to Yale. The problem with college is that there's a tendency to mistake preparation for productivity. You can prepare all you want, but if you never roll the dice you'll never be successful.” quote by Shia LaBeouf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e63/shia-labeouf-1794_acting_i-turned-down-a-scholarship-to-yale-the_1646426.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e63/shia-labeouf-1794_acting_i-turned-down-a-scholarship-to-yale-the_1646426.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e63/shia-labeouf-1794_acting_i-turned-down-a-scholarship-to-yale-the_1646426.jpg) > “I turned down a scholarship to Yale. The problem with college is that there's a tendency to mistake preparation for productivity. You can prepare all you want, but if you never roll the dice you'll never be successful.” [Shia LaBeouf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shia-labeouf/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Preparation without action is ineffective; taking risks is essential for success. **In simple terms:** Planning isn’t enough without acting. Key Takeaway Take the leap, don’t just prepare. Themes productivity risk growth career education Mood motivational reflective pragmatic Type advice inspirational When to use this quote - career decisions - academic choices - entrepreneurship Key Concepts risk‑taking initiative learning by doing Questions to Reflect On - What step can you take today? - How do you balance preparation and action? A Different Perspective Over‑emphasis on risk can ignore the value of thoughtful preparation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Acting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acting/) [Being successful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-successful/) [College](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/college/) [Dice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dice/) [Mistake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mistake/) [Preparation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/preparation/) [Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem/) [Productivity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/productivity/) [Scholarship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scholarship/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [Successful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/successful/) ## Related quotes > [You can prepare all you want, but if you never roll the dice you'll never be successful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shia-labeouf/you-can-prepare-all-you-want-but-if-you-never-roll-the-dice-you-ll/) [Shia LaBeouf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shia-labeouf/) > [I turned down twelve films last year... Huge money films, but I had no respect for the writer or the work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shia-labeouf/i-turned-down-twelve-films-last-year-huge-money-films-but-i-had-no/) [Shia LaBeouf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shia-labeouf/) > [I'd love to go to school and have a normal life, but I don't see any professor at Yale being able to teach me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shia-labeouf/i-d-love-to-go-to-school-and-have-a-normal-life-but-i-don-t-see-any/) [Shia LaBeouf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shia-labeouf/) > [I got accepted at Yale but never went.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shia-labeouf/i-got-accepted-at-yale-but-never-went/) [Shia LaBeouf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shia-labeouf/) > [I was planning on going to Yale to theater school.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shia-labeouf/i-was-planning-on-going-to-yale-to-theater-school/) [Shia LaBeouf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shia-labeouf/) > [In 1980, Atari was bringing in around two billion dollars in revenue and Chuck E. Cheese's some five hundred million. I still didn't feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nolan-bushnell/in-1980-atari-was-bringing-in-around-two-billion-dollars-in-revenue/) [Nolan Bushnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nolan-bushnell/) > [... you just turned down the woman who put a marshmallow duck in your hot chocolate. I hope you feel like a real asshole now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-vincent/you-just-turned-down-the-woman-who-put-a-marshmallow-duck-in-your-hot/) [Rachel Vincent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-vincent/) > [In a perfect world, my tennis game gets better. I have kids and a beautiful wife and live on some hill somewhere that's not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-perry/in-a-perfect-world-my-tennis-game-gets-better-i-have-kids-and-a/) [Matthew Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-perry/) > [I want to show my range before I fall into any typecasting. I've turned down a lot of things trying to wait. But at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/troy-garity/i-want-to-show-my-range-before-i-fall-into-any-typecasting-i-ve/) [Troy Garity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/troy-garity/) > [I turned down all the requests for the rights to the books, for years, mostly because they wanted the rights to the characters, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-penny/i-turned-down-all-the-requests-for-the-rights-to-the-books-for-years/) [Louise Penny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-penny/) > [I know that I will always regret it later in life if I had turned down the chance to play at another great club…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-beckham/i-know-that-i-will-always-regret-it-later-in-life-if-i-had-turned/) [David Beckham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-beckham/) > [I've turned down a lot of trades where I might have gotten a better player, but I wasn't totally sure of the chemistry of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/red-auerbach/i-ve-turned-down-a-lot-of-trades-where-i-might-have-gotten-a-better/) [Red Auerbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/red-auerbach/) > [Because, let's face it, I do not get offered the parts that Brad Pitt has just turned down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-fry/because-let-s-face-it-i-do-not-get-offered-the-parts-that-brad-pitt/) [Stephen Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-fry/) > [He wandered into the Newsroom and asked for a job the same way he’d walk into a barbershop and ask for a haircut, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/he-wandered-into-the-newsroom-and-asked-for-a-job-the-same-way-he-d/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [I've always turned down stuff where you had to be fat. I may be fat, but that's not why you play a role. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-griffiths/i-ve-always-turned-down-stuff-where-you-had-to-be-fat-i-may-be-fat/) [Richard Griffiths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-griffiths/) ## More by Shia LaBeouf > [No, I come for a hippy lifestyle, it's very open; my parents are both hippies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shia-labeouf/no-i-come-for-a-hippy-lifestyle-it-s-very-open-my-parents-are-both/) [Shia LaBeouf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shia-labeouf/) > [Actors live dependent on being validated by other people's opinions. I don't understand what it is I do that people want. I don't know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shia-labeouf/actors-live-dependent-on-being-validated-by-other-people-s-opinions-i/) [Shia LaBeouf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shia-labeouf/) > [I didn't jump onto anyone else's coattail and ride their wave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shia-labeouf/i-didn-t-jump-onto-anyone-else-s-coattail-and-ride-their-wave/) [Shia LaBeouf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shia-labeouf/) > [I'm not a strikingly handsome guy, but I'm in movies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shia-labeouf/i-m-not-a-strikingly-handsome-guy-but-i-m-in-movies/) [Shia LaBeouf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shia-labeouf/) > [I'm not a celebrity, I've kind of been under the radar, has kept it easier for me to maintain a career.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shia-labeouf/i-m-not-a-celebrity-i-ve-kind-of-been-under-the-radar-has-kept-it/) [Shia LaBeouf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shia-labeouf/) > [I was doing stand up comedy when I was 11, that's how I got started; not because I wanted to do comedy, but because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shia-labeouf/i-was-doing-stand-up-comedy-when-i-was-11-that-s-how-i-got-started/) [Shia LaBeouf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shia-labeouf/) > [I used to dirt bike a lot. I can't do that anymore. Can't eat a whole lot of chocolate anymore, either. I can't be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shia-labeouf/i-used-to-dirt-bike-a-lot-i-can-t-do-that-anymore-can-t-eat-a-whole/) [Shia LaBeouf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shia-labeouf/) > [I've spent more on my Dodger tickets that I did on my car.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shia-labeouf/i-ve-spent-more-on-my-dodger-tickets-that-i-did-on-my-car/) [Shia LaBeouf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shia-labeouf/) > [So it's kind of nervous to be in this situation, but at the same time you look at all those actors and the work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shia-labeouf/so-it-s-kind-of-nervous-to-be-in-this-situation-but-at-the-same-time/) [Shia LaBeouf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shia-labeouf/) > [I'm constantly jumping off cliffs and developing my wings on the way down. ... It's a gamble, a ... spiritual gamble. You are who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shia-labeouf/i-m-constantly-jumping-off-cliffs-and-developing-my-wings-on-the-way/) [Shia LaBeouf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shia-labeouf/) > [To be an actor, a true actor, you have to be brokenhearted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shia-labeouf/to-be-an-actor-a-true-actor-you-have-to-be-brokenhearted/) [Shia LaBeouf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shia-labeouf/) > [I have a very nappy, curly head.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shia-labeouf/i-have-a-very-nappy-curly-head/) [Shia LaBeouf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shia-labeouf/) > [To be able to sit in Donald Trump's apartment and talk about the future of corporate real estate was amazing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shia-labeouf/to-be-able-to-sit-in-donald-trump-s-apartment-and-talk-about-the/) [Shia LaBeouf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shia-labeouf/) > [Nobody makes movies like Oliver Stone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shia-labeouf/nobody-makes-movies-like-oliver-stone/) [Shia LaBeouf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shia-labeouf/) > [But this is a little different. This is the adult acting. This is a different crowd. It's more work and more good work. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shia-labeouf/but-this-is-a-little-different-this-is-the-adult-acting-this-is-a/) [Shia LaBeouf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shia-labeouf/) [Explore all 208 Shia LaBeouf quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shia-labeouf/) ## More Acting quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [Many Republicans have always reminded me of professional WWF wrestlers. They come into the ring all pumped up and acting like they're invincible and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-feig/many-republicans-have-always-reminded-me-of-professional-wwf/) [Paul Feig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-feig/) > [I'm a big fan of all the Boston guys that are acting - Matt Damon , Ben Affleck, Mark Wahlberg - they made a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-wormald/i-m-a-big-fan-of-all-the-boston-guys-that-are-acting-matt-damon-ben/) [Kenny Wormald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-wormald/) > [Acting is a grind, just like music is a grind. Sometimes it takes longer than what you can give.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/big-sean/acting-is-a-grind-just-like-music-is-a-grind-sometimes-it-takes/) [Big Sean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/big-sean/) > [It was only when I started making short films in college and I was looking for girls to play the me-ish parts that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/it-was-only-when-i-started-making-short-films-in-college-and-i-was/) [Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/) > [Writing is something I took up rather than anything I had an inclination toward. I like acting -delivering someone else's message - but writing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/writing-is-something-i-took-up-rather-than-anything-i-had-an/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [I can still function when I don't have that balance I crave. I had a tendency to be precious about acting, thinking of it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-regan/i-can-still-function-when-i-don-t-have-that-balance-i-crave-i-had-a/) [Laura Regan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-regan/) > [Actors don't hate acting. Most people don't hate acting! Whether you're a child mucking around with your friends or a grown up being paid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liv-hewson/actors-don-t-hate-acting-most-people-don-t-hate-acting-whether-you-re/) [Liv Hewson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liv-hewson/) > [It was only when I went to acting school that I was like, "You are absolutely such a pigheaded freak show that you thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-matthey/it-was-only-when-i-went-to-acting-school-that-i-was-like-you-are/) [Giles Matthey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-matthey/) > [Once I committed to acting, this has been it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernie-hudson/once-i-committed-to-acting-this-has-been-it/) [Ernie Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernie-hudson/) > [It definitely helps to have the acting experience going into singing, because when you're singing, you have to portray the emotion you were feeling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-newman/it-definitely-helps-to-have-the-acting-experience-going-into-singing/) Ryan Newman > [The show was number one in the ratings, Gordon Russell was our head writer, the story lines were magnificent and the acting most exciting.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-storm/the-show-was-number-one-in-the-ratings-gordon-russell-was-our-head/) [Michael Storm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-storm/) > [I've done so many other projects where you're in a room with a reader and you're acting your lines out: 'We have to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cummings/i-ve-done-so-many-other-projects-where-you-re-in-a-room-with-a-reader/) [Jim Cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cummings/) > [I do not believe in public shaming. I do believe that young adults go to college to learn things, and that this process will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-weingarten/i-do-not-believe-in-public-shaming-i-do-believe-that-young-adults-go/) [Gene Weingarten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-weingarten/) > [Poetry has, in a way, been my bridge to my acting career.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/omari-hardwick/poetry-has-in-a-way-been-my-bridge-to-my-acting-career/) [Omari Hardwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/omari-hardwick/) [Browse all 12,062 Acting quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acting/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I turned down a scholarship to Yale. The problem with college is that there's a tendency to mistake preparation for productivity. 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