Some words to live by in law school
My blockmate took the pleasure of copying Dean Roy's more insightful quotes during the three days of Intro to Law. These words really strike a note, especially to those who are still having doubts about their place in this school. Dean Roy's a genius. :)
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"Only in our ability to predict that we are capable of defining the future."
"See, the problem with democracy is that no matter how smart you are, in elections, your vote counts just as much as the dumbest person ever."
"If you keep sending text messages to each other for too long, sooner or later you're gonna have a fight, because you keep misconstruing the context. And then you'll send the wrong thing to the wrong girlfriend. Oops, wrong send. 'You know that Cara is a fucking slut... Oh sorry, Cara. Wrong send.'"
"When I started teaching, I was a big cockroach, because I was afraid. Then I realized that if I didn't have the confidence, I will inspire no one. If I don't look like I know what I was doing, then no one will believe me. If I believe that I'm a cockroach, then I might as well be one."
"Do not be afraid. There is nothing to be afraid of, except maybe the uncertainty of your death. This is your shot. Use it. That's what law school should be like: just going and doing."
"You ask 'What about the poor? The foreigners are going to take away land from them.' They're poor, they don't own land! The last thing they're going to buy is land. When they get 10 pesos, they're not going to think 'Oh, I want to buy land!'"
"What does it take to survive law school? More than your best. If you keep pushing the limit, you're going to get better. How are you going to read 400 pages of readings a day if you don't start now? You've got to read. Look at you guys, you look rested! You're not supposed to look rested!"
"I was a party animal. I'm not anymore. I'm just an animal."
"The world isn't a level playing field. The world doesn't care about how you were trained. The world only needs to know how well that training will serve you, how well you're going to get past everything."
"You know what they tell you in college? 'Don't memorize. Understand.' Bull shit. Memorizing every single thing will guarantee that you will pass the bar."
"Everything has a specific meaning. So when I say brief the case according to Kinyon, then do it that way because that's exactly what I mean. 7 pages. 'But sir, I can fit in 4.' I don't care if you can fit it in 4! Bloat it and make it 7! Yellow paper. 'Sir, it's short.' I don't care! It's yellow! That's what I said, right?"
"Getting it or not getting it is not as important as getting into it."
"Having relationships in law school is possible. But you know, what I recommend for single people is polygamy."
"Intellectual orgasm puts your brain into overdrive."
"I don't watch local TV - It's so ridiculous, it kills brain cells. If you're gonna lose brain cells anyway, you might as well inhale it. But honestly, for me, it's chemical over organic all the time."
"Always say what you mean and mean what you say. The first part is a very important lesson. When you say what you mean, it means a lot to people, and saying what you mean is not just saying what you wish to convey, but when to convey what you wish to convey."
"I was a very lazy student. I'm just naturally gifted."
"You have to take your time in law school with utmost seriousness. You've got to reach deep inside you. Trust me, you're not going to burn out. The only reason why people burn out is because they don't have enough stamina to stay bright. People illuminate when they're thinking hard. If you can't deal with that, then it means you're used to always being low-wattage. You have to be used to being bright, shiny, never getting tired of it. You don't even have to please anyone 'cause it's a degradation of who you really are. If you'll turn it on, turn it all the way. To the max, always to the max, because you're young. Live hard. Play hard."
"The one advantage you must never lose sight of is language mastery. Everyday, I demonstrate this elegant language as flawlessly as possible, it's actually quite interesting and amusing. Some people call this a show. Language mastery. I am the show."
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"Only in our ability to predict that we are capable of defining the future."
"See, the problem with democracy is that no matter how smart you are, in elections, your vote counts just as much as the dumbest person ever."
"If you keep sending text messages to each other for too long, sooner or later you're gonna have a fight, because you keep misconstruing the context. And then you'll send the wrong thing to the wrong girlfriend. Oops, wrong send. 'You know that Cara is a fucking slut... Oh sorry, Cara. Wrong send.'"
"When I started teaching, I was a big cockroach, because I was afraid. Then I realized that if I didn't have the confidence, I will inspire no one. If I don't look like I know what I was doing, then no one will believe me. If I believe that I'm a cockroach, then I might as well be one."
"Do not be afraid. There is nothing to be afraid of, except maybe the uncertainty of your death. This is your shot. Use it. That's what law school should be like: just going and doing."
"You ask 'What about the poor? The foreigners are going to take away land from them.' They're poor, they don't own land! The last thing they're going to buy is land. When they get 10 pesos, they're not going to think 'Oh, I want to buy land!'"
"What does it take to survive law school? More than your best. If you keep pushing the limit, you're going to get better. How are you going to read 400 pages of readings a day if you don't start now? You've got to read. Look at you guys, you look rested! You're not supposed to look rested!"
"I was a party animal. I'm not anymore. I'm just an animal."
"The world isn't a level playing field. The world doesn't care about how you were trained. The world only needs to know how well that training will serve you, how well you're going to get past everything."
"You know what they tell you in college? 'Don't memorize. Understand.' Bull shit. Memorizing every single thing will guarantee that you will pass the bar."
"Everything has a specific meaning. So when I say brief the case according to Kinyon, then do it that way because that's exactly what I mean. 7 pages. 'But sir, I can fit in 4.' I don't care if you can fit it in 4! Bloat it and make it 7! Yellow paper. 'Sir, it's short.' I don't care! It's yellow! That's what I said, right?"
"Getting it or not getting it is not as important as getting into it."
"Having relationships in law school is possible. But you know, what I recommend for single people is polygamy."
"Intellectual orgasm puts your brain into overdrive."
"I don't watch local TV - It's so ridiculous, it kills brain cells. If you're gonna lose brain cells anyway, you might as well inhale it. But honestly, for me, it's chemical over organic all the time."
"Always say what you mean and mean what you say. The first part is a very important lesson. When you say what you mean, it means a lot to people, and saying what you mean is not just saying what you wish to convey, but when to convey what you wish to convey."
"I was a very lazy student. I'm just naturally gifted."
"You have to take your time in law school with utmost seriousness. You've got to reach deep inside you. Trust me, you're not going to burn out. The only reason why people burn out is because they don't have enough stamina to stay bright. People illuminate when they're thinking hard. If you can't deal with that, then it means you're used to always being low-wattage. You have to be used to being bright, shiny, never getting tired of it. You don't even have to please anyone 'cause it's a degradation of who you really are. If you'll turn it on, turn it all the way. To the max, always to the max, because you're young. Live hard. Play hard."
"The one advantage you must never lose sight of is language mastery. Everyday, I demonstrate this elegant language as flawlessly as possible, it's actually quite interesting and amusing. Some people call this a show. Language mastery. I am the show."