--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was valedictorian. Did I enjoy going to…" description: "\"I was valedictorian. Did I enjoy going to school? I hated it. It wasn't a choice on my part, it was expected.\" — Twyla Tharp" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f2/twyla-tharp-1069_choices_i-was-valedictorian-did-i-enjoy-going-to_2653496.png" --- # I was valedictorian. Did I enjoy going to school? I hated… ![“I was valedictorian. Did I enjoy going to school? I hated it. It wasn't a choice on my part, it was expected.” quote by Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f2/twyla-tharp-1069_choices_i-was-valedictorian-did-i-enjoy-going-to_2653496.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f2/twyla-tharp-1069_choices_i-was-valedictorian-did-i-enjoy-going-to_2653496.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f2/twyla-tharp-1069_choices_i-was-valedictorian-did-i-enjoy-going-to_2653496.png) > “I was valedictorian. Did I enjoy going to school? I hated it. It wasn't a choice on my part, it was expected.” [Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker felt forced into education, resenting expectations despite academic success. **In simple terms:** She hated school despite being top student. Key Takeaway Question expectations and personal fulfillment. Themes education expectation identity career selfdiscovery Mood conflicted reflective Type personal motivational When to use this quote - career choice - academic pressure - personal growth - finding passion - balancing expectations Key Concepts conformity intrinsic motivation Questions to Reflect On - Do you pursue paths because of external pressure? - How can you align achievements with personal joy? A Different Perspective Success may not guarantee happiness or alignment with personal values. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Choices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choices/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [Valedictorians](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/valedictorians/) ## Related quotes > [I realized that the only way to get into a good college was to be valedictorian or salutatorian. So that was my goal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melinda-gates/i-realized-that-the-only-way-to-get-into-a-good-college-was-to-be/) [Melinda Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melinda-gates/) > [I was going to be valedictorian in elementary school, but I got into too many fights, and they made me salutatorian. I was smart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlon-wayans/i-was-going-to-be-valedictorian-in-elementary-school-but-i-got-into/) [Marlon Wayans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlon-wayans/) > [Being #1 on MSN is like being Valedictorian of summer school.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-mcdonald/being-1-on-msn-is-like-being-valedictorian-of-summer-school/) Craig McDonald > [I got into medical school at the University of California in San Francisco and did well. A lot of smart kids in medical school,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-carmona/i-got-into-medical-school-at-the-university-of-california-in-san/) [Richard Carmona](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-carmona/) > [I rebelled by not getting straight A's and not following the path that my elder sister did. She was valedictorian and is very exemplary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-garner/i-rebelled-by-not-getting-straight-a-s-and-not-following-the-path/) [Jennifer Garner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-garner/) > [Students and invited speakers do not shed their constitutional rights when they step up to the graduation podium. Expressing faith in God does not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/students-and-invited-speakers-do-not-shed-their-constitutional-rights/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I wasn't creative or theatrical. I was just doing everything. I was head cheerleader, valedictorian - it was ridiculous!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-gilliam/i-wasn-t-creative-or-theatrical-i-was-just-doing-everything-i-was/) [Terry Gilliam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-gilliam/) > [I gave the graduation speech at my high school. Not because I was valedictorian but because the grade voted for me to do it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-kroll/i-gave-the-graduation-speech-at-my-high-school-not-because-i-was/) [Nick Kroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-kroll/) > [I was always trying to do different things to entertain people. And at the same time, I think, I was, whether subconsciously or not,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-manson/i-was-always-trying-to-do-different-things-to-entertain-people-and-at/) [Marilyn Manson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-manson/) > [“With grades like hers, she ought to go there.' 'So that's where I ended up. Six years I went and I never liked it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/with-grades-like-hers-she-ought-to-go-there-so-that-s-where-i-ended/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [I was a very bad student. I didn't know what I wanted to do, but I knew I didn't want to go farther in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmanuelle-beart/i-was-a-very-bad-student-i-didn-t-know-what-i-wanted-to-do-but-i-knew/) [Emmanuelle Beart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmanuelle-beart/) > [I loved learning, it was school I hated. I used to cut school to go learn something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-jensen/i-loved-learning-it-was-school-i-hated-i-used-to-cut-school-to-go/) [Eric Jensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-jensen/) > [I hated school. Hated it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ozzy-osbourne/i-hated-school-hated-it/) [Ozzy Osbourne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ozzy-osbourne/) > [At school I hated swimming and felt bigger and more self-conscious than all the other girls - and I would go to summer sports…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/layla-moran/at-school-i-hated-swimming-and-felt-bigger-and-more-self-conscious/) [Layla Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/layla-moran/) > [I never understood why the metal heads in my school hated the punks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-dunn/i-never-understood-why-the-metal-heads-in-my-school-hated-the-punks/) [Trevor Dunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-dunn/) ## More by Twyla Tharp > [“A lot of habitually creative people have preparation rituals linked to the setting in which they choose to start their day. By putting themselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/a-lot-of-habitually-creative-people-have-preparation-rituals-linked/) [Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/) > [I have learned over the years that you should never save for two meetings what you can accomplish in one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/i-have-learned-over-the-years-that-you-should-never-save-for-two/) [Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/) > [I always find that the best collaborations are when you work with people that know what they're doing, and you leave them alone to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/i-always-find-that-the-best-collaborations-are-when-you-work-with/) [Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/) > [I don't mean this, but I'm going to say it anyway. I don't really think of pop art and serious art as being that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/i-don-t-mean-this-but-i-m-going-to-say-it-anyway-i-don-t-really-think/) [Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/) > [The art of these Fifties movies was in sustaining forever the moment before sex.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/the-art-of-these-fifties-movies-was-in-sustaining-forever-the-moment/) [Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/) > [This is not a pleasant route for many young people to consider. You have to be either hopelessly passionate, or very stupid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/this-is-not-a-pleasant-route-for-many-young-people-to-consider-you/) [Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/) > [I often say that in making dances I can make a world where I think things are done morally, done democratically, done honestly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/i-often-say-that-in-making-dances-i-can-make-a-world-where-i-think/) [Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/) > [I had received my first establishment grants in response to applications filed the year before. To the pages of baffling forms I had simply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/i-had-received-my-first-establishment-grants-in-response-to/) [Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/) > [I find the aesthetics of the 20th century hopelessly barren.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/i-find-the-aesthetics-of-the-20th-century-hopelessly-barren/) [Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/) > [I don't think that scheduling is uncreative. I think that structure is required for creativity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/i-don-t-think-that-scheduling-is-uncreative-i-think-that-structure-is/) [Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/) > [I have always felt one of the things dance should do - its business being so clearly physical - is challenge the culture's gender…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/i-have-always-felt-one-of-the-things-dance-should-do-its-business/) [Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/) > [There really is nothing I ever had access to that I didn't appreciate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/there-really-is-nothing-i-ever-had-access-to-that-i-didn-t-appreciate/) [Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/) > [Destiny, quite often, is a determined parent. Mozart was hardly some naive prodigy who sat down at the keyboard and, with God whispering in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/destiny-quite-often-is-a-determined-parent-mozart-was-hardly-some/) [Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/) > [When it all comes together, a creative life has the nourishing power we normally associate with food, love and faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/when-it-all-comes-together-a-creative-life-has-the-nourishing-power/) [Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/) > [Things change all the time, so why do people make such a philosophical to-do that things are constantly in transition?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/things-change-all-the-time-so-why-do-people-make-such-a-philosophical/) [Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/) [Explore all 298 Twyla Tharp quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/) ## More Choices quotes > [Of all the people who have affected my life and influenced the choices I've made, none has been more important than my father. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-atlas/of-all-the-people-who-have-affected-my-life-and-influenced-the/) [Teddy Atlas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-atlas/) > [“Don’t allow anyone to pressure you into taking a job in a field that doesn’t feel right in your gut. You are the one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-james/don-t-allow-anyone-to-pressure-you-into-taking-a-job-in-a-field-that/) Alison James > [When you have a choice, choose happy!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pancho-barnes/when-you-have-a-choice-choose-happy/) Pancho Barnes > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Movies have power. Power to impact society and the choices we make. I want to entertain, but I also want to say something to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-prince-bythewood/movies-have-power-power-to-impact-society-and-the-choices-we-make-i/) [Gina Prince-Bythewood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-prince-bythewood/) > [If you have a different mindset, you will have a different outcome: if you make different choices from your peers, your life will then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-ma/if-you-have-a-different-mindset-you-will-have-a-different-outcome-if/) [Jack Ma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-ma/) > [Personally, I prefer contemporary films, but the market calls for more period choices, especially since China opened up a cinema market in Hong Kong.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donnie-yen/personally-i-prefer-contemporary-films-but-the-market-calls-for-more/) [Donnie Yen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donnie-yen/) > [Clarissa," he said, "here with the vampire, I see. When things have settled a bit, we really must discuss you choice in pets..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/clarissa-he-said-here-with-the-vampire-i-see-when-things-have-settled/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [Change is inevitable but personal growth is a choice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-proctor/change-is-inevitable-but-personal-growth-is-a-choice/) [Bob Proctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-proctor/) > [Time hath not yet so dried this blood of mine, Nor age so eat up my invention, Nor fortune made such havoc of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/time-hath-not-yet-so-dried-this-blood-of-mine-nor-age-so-eat-up-my/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [If you choose to draw from the inner well of free will, then you can make choices that are outside your current karmic patterns.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/if-you-choose-to-draw-from-the-inner-well-of-free-will-then-you-can/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Act always so as to increase the number of choices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinz-von-foerster/act-always-so-as-to-increase-the-number-of-choices/) [Heinz von Foerster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinz-von-foerster/) > [Give me a platter of choice finnan haddie, freshly cooked in its bath of water and milk, add melted butter, a slice or two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-claiborne/give-me-a-platter-of-choice-finnan-haddie-freshly-cooked-in-its-bath/) [Craig Claiborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-claiborne/) > [I don't know that any woman could ever not think about that at some point - even making the choice not to do it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-watts/i-don-t-know-that-any-woman-could-ever-not-think-about-that-at-some/) [Naomi Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-watts/) > [In this choice of inheritance we have given to our frame of polity the image of a relation in blood; binding up the constitution…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/in-this-choice-of-inheritance-we-have-given-to-our-frame-of-polity/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) [Browse all 11,466 Choices quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choices/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I was valedictorian. 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