--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I was a kid, I had trouble at school…" description: "\"When I was a kid, I had trouble at school because of my learning disabilities. Carving is my body compensating for the lack of other skills.\" — Willard..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/265/willard-wigan-22381_body_when-i-was-a-kid-i-had-trouble-at-school_2294124.png" --- # When I was a kid, I had trouble at school because of my… ![“When I was a kid, I had trouble at school because of my learning disabilities. Carving is my body compensating for the lack of other skills.” quote by Willard Wigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/265/willard-wigan-22381_body_when-i-was-a-kid-i-had-trouble-at-school_2294124.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/265/willard-wigan-22381_body_when-i-was-a-kid-i-had-trouble-at-school_2294124.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/265/willard-wigan-22381_body_when-i-was-a-kid-i-had-trouble-at-school_2294124.png) > “When I was a kid, I had trouble at school because of my learning disabilities. Carving is my body compensating for the lack of other skills.” [Willard Wigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willard-wigan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Describes using carving as a compensatory outlet for learning disabilities, turning limitation into creative strength. **In simple terms:** Carving compensates for learning challenges. Key Takeaway Channel challenges into creative expression. Themes disability creativity resilience identity Mood inspirational hopeful Type personal motivational When to use this quote - art therapy - education - personal growth Key Concepts neurodiversity skill adaptation Questions to Reflect On - How does art help you cope? - What other skills can you develop? A Different Perspective Creative outlets may not address all needs. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/) [Carving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/carving/) [Carving Body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/carving-body-5401847/) [Disabilities Carving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disabilities-carving-5401846/) [Disability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disability/) [Kids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kids/) [Lack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lack/) [Lack Skills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lack-skills-1303069/) [Learning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learning/) [Learning Disabilities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learning-disabilities/) [Learning disability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learning-disability/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [Skills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/skills/) [Trouble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trouble/) ## Related quotes > [I spent a lot of time in the school psychologist's office. I didn't apply myself. My mother thought I had learning disabilities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-goodell/i-spent-a-lot-of-time-in-the-school-psychologist-s-office-i-didn-t/) [Roger Goodell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-goodell/) > [Neurologically, I'm a quadriplegic, so virtually everything about my work has been driven by my learning disabilities, which are quite severe, and my lack…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-close/neurologically-i-m-a-quadriplegic-so-virtually-everything-about-my/) [Chuck Close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-close/) > [There are so many artists that are dyslexic or learning disabled, it's just phenomenal. There's also an unbelievably high proportion of artists who are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-close/there-are-so-many-artists-that-are-dyslexic-or-learning-disabled-it-s/) [Chuck Close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-close/) > [Today, however, anti-vaccine activists go out of their way to claim that they are not anti-vaccine; they’re pro-vaccine. They just want vaccines to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-a-offit/today-however-anti-vaccine-activists-go-out-of-their-way-to-claim/) [Paul A. Offit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-a-offit/) > [I wanted to translate from one flat surface to another.In fact, my learning disabilities controlled a lot of things. I don't recognize faces, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-close/i-wanted-to-translate-from-one-flat-surface-to-another-in-fact-my/) [Chuck Close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-close/) > [I had learning disabilities, and I couldn't express myself in the written word,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-linney/i-had-learning-disabilities-and-i-couldn-t-express-myself-in-the/) [Laura Linney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-linney/) > [I'm often in conversations with people who have learning disabilities, and they talk about how they were teased and perhaps laughed at sometimes as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-pinkney/i-m-often-in-conversations-with-people-who-have-learning-disabilities/) [Jerry Pinkney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-pinkney/) > [Well, if you can't then write in the press or put on television the importance of parents changing what they're doing, then the safe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-kagan/well-if-you-can-t-then-write-in-the-press-or-put-on-television-the/) [Jerome Kagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-kagan/) > [I was not good in school. I could never read very fast or very well. I got tested for learning disabilities, for dyslexia. Then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/channing-tatum/i-was-not-good-in-school-i-could-never-read-very-fast-or-very-well-i/) [Channing Tatum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/channing-tatum/) > [A major cause of the Roman Empire's decline, after six centuries of world dominance was its replacement of stone aqueducts by lead pipes for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harris-l-coulter/a-major-cause-of-the-roman-empire-s-decline-after-six-centuries-of/) [Harris L Coulter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harris-l-coulter/) > [As long as you have a set of beliefs or lack of skills that make you feel you have at the effect of life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-robbins/as-long-as-you-have-a-set-of-beliefs-or-lack-of-skills-that-make-you/) [Tony Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-robbins/) > [I wanted to do a film for a while, but I never found a script that I felt I was going to be the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-corbijn/i-wanted-to-do-a-film-for-a-while-but-i-never-found-a-script-that-i/) [Anton Corbijn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-corbijn/) > [The lack of education and lack of skills don't hurt the unemployed, they hurt America and American business, making us less competitive in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-stempel/the-lack-of-education-and-lack-of-skills-don-t-hurt-the-unemployed/) [Robert Stempel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-stempel/) > [My real passion is social justice, resolving the lack of empowerment, the lack of skills, the fact that young people can't get on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-leadsom/my-real-passion-is-social-justice-resolving-the-lack-of-empowerment/) [Andrea Leadsom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-leadsom/) > [Employees hate meetings because they reveal that self-promotion, sycophancy, dissimulation and constantly talking nonsense in a loud confident voice are more impressive than merely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-foley/employees-hate-meetings-because-they-reveal-that-self-promotion/) [Michael Foley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-foley/) ## More by Willard Wigan > [At home, when the heating pipes made noises, I imagined a tiny person was in there skipping with a rope. The fantasy world of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willard-wigan/at-home-when-the-heating-pipes-made-noises-i-imagined-a-tiny-person/) [Willard Wigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willard-wigan/) > [I'm just honoring my mother's words. She always told me, 'The smaller your work, the bigger your name will become.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willard-wigan/i-m-just-honoring-my-mother-s-words-she-always-told-me-the-smaller/) [Willard Wigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willard-wigan/) > [I became obsessed with making more and more tiny things. I think I was trying to find a way of compensating for my embarrassment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willard-wigan/i-became-obsessed-with-making-more-and-more-tiny-things-i-think-i-was/) [Willard Wigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willard-wigan/) > [I started making houses for ants because I thought they needed somewhere to live. Then I made them shoes and hats. It was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willard-wigan/i-started-making-houses-for-ants-because-i-thought-they-needed/) [Willard Wigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willard-wigan/) > [My work knocks people out; you've not seen the best of me yet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willard-wigan/my-work-knocks-people-out-you-ve-not-seen-the-best-of-me-yet/) [Willard Wigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willard-wigan/) > [I was told I would become nothing. Now I am showing people how big nothing is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willard-wigan/i-was-told-i-would-become-nothing-now-i-am-showing-people-how-big/) [Willard Wigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willard-wigan/) > [When I first heard that Barack Obama was going to be the first black president, I wanted to do the smallest, biggest tribute in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willard-wigan/when-i-first-heard-that-barack-obama-was-going-to-be-the-first-black/) [Willard Wigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willard-wigan/) > [Those that don't believe how small my work is should just come along and see it for themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willard-wigan/those-that-don-t-believe-how-small-my-work-is-should-just-come-along/) [Willard Wigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willard-wigan/) > [At school I'd want to be so small that nobody could see me, and so my work depicts and reflects me - what it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willard-wigan/at-school-i-d-want-to-be-so-small-that-nobody-could-see-me-and-so-my/) [Willard Wigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willard-wigan/) > [Flying helicopters is what I do for fun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willard-wigan/flying-helicopters-is-what-i-do-for-fun/) [Willard Wigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willard-wigan/) > [My teacher said my brain was the size of a pea. He made my life miserable by singling me out in the classroom as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willard-wigan/my-teacher-said-my-brain-was-the-size-of-a-pea-he-made-my-life/) [Willard Wigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willard-wigan/) > [I'm like a mad professor, but without the spiky hair.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willard-wigan/i-m-like-a-mad-professor-but-without-the-spiky-hair/) [Willard Wigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willard-wigan/) > [When you work at a microscopic level, you have to control every part of your body movement - your fingertips, your joints, the pulse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willard-wigan/when-you-work-at-a-microscopic-level-you-have-to-control-every-part/) [Willard Wigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willard-wigan/) > [People find it very, very difficult to believe what I've done. Scientists have seen my work and they can't explain it. Even nano-scientists have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willard-wigan/people-find-it-very-very-difficult-to-believe-what-i-ve-done/) [Willard Wigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willard-wigan/) > [There are times when I've inhaled my work. There are artworks still inside of me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willard-wigan/there-are-times-when-i-ve-inhaled-my-work-there-are-artworks-still/) [Willard Wigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willard-wigan/) [Explore all 27 Willard Wigan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willard-wigan/) ## More Body quotes > [Most of us are convinced that we are our egos, which is who we think we are. The ego is part of our incarnation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-dass/most-of-us-are-convinced-that-we-are-our-egos-which-is-who-we-think/) [Ram Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-dass/) > [The very purpose for being in this body, for every one of us, is to live and rejoice in that virgin area, that untouched,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/the-very-purpose-for-being-in-this-body-for-every-one-of-us-is-to/) [Sri Sri Ravi Shankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/) > [Because of the womb being a central phenomenon in the feminine body, the whole psychology of woman differs: she is non-aggressive, non-inquiring, non-questioning, non-doubting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/because-of-the-womb-being-a-central-phenomenon-in-the-feminine-body/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [When you're scared - and I mean really scared, not just hearing a noise in the night, or standing toe to toe with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/when-you-re-scared-and-i-mean-really-scared-not-just-hearing-a-noise/) [Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/) > [I've used the Phoenix Centrifuge to replicate what the body's going to go through on the flight up. I've also done some gravity tests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/i-ve-used-the-phoenix-centrifuge-to-replicate-what-the-body-s-going/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [Practically all animals which move fast in a homogeneous medium have found means of giving their body a streamlined shape, thereby reducing friction to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/practically-all-animals-which-move-fast-in-a-homogeneous-medium-have/) [Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/) > [If the media is sending girls the message that their value lies in their bodies, this can only leave them feeling disempowered and distract…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-siebel-newsom/if-the-media-is-sending-girls-the-message-that-their-value-lies-in/) [Jennifer Siebel Newsom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-siebel-newsom/) > [Boys and boys' body image and clothes have become just as important an issue for boys as for girls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosalind-wiseman/boys-and-boys-body-image-and-clothes-have-become-just-as-important-an/) [Rosalind Wiseman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosalind-wiseman/) > [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/) > [Racism is a cancer. You cannot ignore it and it'll go away. If you ignore cancer, it simply metastasizes and consumes the whole body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-davis/racism-is-a-cancer-you-cannot-ignore-it-and-it-ll-go-away-if-you/) [Daryl Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-davis/) > [America, you're sending girls a mixed message. On one hand, you're saying to have positive body image and love who we are; on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adora-svitak/america-you-re-sending-girls-a-mixed-message-on-one-hand-you-re/) [Adora Svitak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adora-svitak/) > [I read a couple of books about neuroscience and the relationship between the mind and the body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-kinnaman/i-read-a-couple-of-books-about-neuroscience-and-the-relationship/) [Joel Kinnaman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-kinnaman/) > [If japa is maintained, no useless talk during work will be possible. The mind will always remain peaceful. Modern day diseases are mostly psychosomatic.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mata-amritanandamayi/if-japa-is-maintained-no-useless-talk-during-work-will-be-possible/) [Mata Amritanandamayi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mata-amritanandamayi/) > [It is the incongruous thing in my entire life, this isolation.. ... My work requires it - but I myself have no need or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marsden-hartley/it-is-the-incongruous-thing-in-my-entire-life-this-isolation-my-work/) [Marsden Hartley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marsden-hartley/) > [My friends, this body - perhaps more than any other gathering in human history - now faces that difficult task.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/my-friends-this-body-perhaps-more-than-any-other-gathering-in-human/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) [Browse all 20,814 Body quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When I was a kid, I had trouble at school because of my learning disabilities. Carving is my body compensating for the lack of other skills.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Willard Wigan" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willard-wigan/when-i-was-a-kid-i-had-trouble-at-school-because-of-my-learning/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Body" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willard-wigan/when-i-was-a-kid-i-had-trouble-at-school-because-of-my-learning/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/265/willard-wigan-22381_body_when-i-was-a-kid-i-had-trouble-at-school_2294124.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/265/willard-wigan-22381_body_when-i-was-a-kid-i-had-trouble-at-school_2294124.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/265/willard-wigan-22381_body_when-i-was-a-kid-i-had-trouble-at-school_2294124.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When I was a kid, I had trouble at school because of my learning disabilities. Carving is my body…” — Willard Wigan", "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": "Willard Wigan", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willard-wigan/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When I was a kid, I...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willard-wigan/when-i-was-a-kid-i-had-trouble-at-school-because-of-my-learning/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willard-wigan/when-i-was-a-kid-i-had-trouble-at-school-because-of-my-learning/#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 } } ] } ```