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Showing posts from February, 2018

Of Gumption and Grit

"Judging from what you all, say" remarked Aunt Jamesina, "the sum and substance is that you can learn -- if you've got natural gumption enough -- in four years at college what it would take about twenty years of living to teach you. Well, that justifies higher education in my opinion. It's a matter I was always dubious about before." "But what about people who haven't natural gumption, Aunt Jimsie?" "People who haven't natural gumption never learn," retorted Aunt Jamesina, "neither in college nor life. If they live to be a hundred they really don't know anything more than when they were born. It's their misfortune not their fault, poor souls. But those of us who have some gumption should duly thank the Lord for it."   "Will you please define what gumption is, Aunt Jimsie?" asked Phil. "No, I won't, young woman. Any one who has gumption knows what it is, and any one who hasn't can n