“I know very well that because I am unlettered some presumptuous people will think they have the right to criticize me, saying that I am an uncultured man. What stupid fools! Do they not know that I could reply to them as Marius did to the Roman patricians: "Do those who pride themselves on the works of other men claim to challenge mine?”

Wow! what a great quote. Letters and Essays are just words on paper, what really counts in life are your actions and how you can help those in need. Most letters and other writings are just products on the shelf, and most gather dust - give me a person that goes out into the world and does good things more than a man of letters.

I giggled when I read this one.I know of such people.

yep ;-)

Being lettered or unlettered does not make the man or the woman. As the gracious person should not discrinate against the one he should also not discriminate against the other. College Degrees have been awarded to a lot of fools and a lot of uneducated folk have great minds. Some will criticize the level of education or culture of the current crop of high school pass throughs or those who speak "not good English", or as some have called it ebony speech. These cultural backwaters should take heart in the words of Leonardo.

Absolutely. Waffler, your response is completely contrary to your comments the other day asserting that I had no college education. Independent study has always been the earmark of what we call 'genius' -- that is unless it challeges conventional norms, then it is heresy. ;-)

"A professor is a mediocrity who is an expert in the works of great men."---a quote from someone.

Not totally contrary Archer. I strongly believe your world travels and independent study could be wonderfully enhanced by college education and vice versa for the college kid. You also appear to have been corrected for your aspersions on some folks uncultured used of language.