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June 10, 2016
Education/Schools

“There is no education in the second kick of a mule”

"There's no education in the second kick of a mule" is a proverb meaning that one should have learned the lesson the first time. L. Mendel Rivers (1905-1970), a Democratic U.S.…

December 31, 2012
Education/Schools

“There is no education like adversity”

"There is no education like adversity" was written by Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield (1804-1881) in Endymion (1880). William Hazlitt (1778-1830), in the essay "On the…

March 14, 2021
Education/Schools

“There once was a girl who loved pi…” (limerick)

A pi poem posted on EveAndersson.com is credited to Tom Wilson on June 27, 2002: "There once was a girl who loved piI never could quite fathom whyTo her it's a wonderTo me just a…

August 19, 2017
Education/Schools

“There’s a fine line between a numerator and a denominator” (math joke)

"There's a fine line between a numerator and a denominator (Only a fraction of people will find this funny)" is a jocular saying that has been printed on several images.…

October 26, 2018
Education/Schools

“There’s no future in becoming a historian”

Historians study the past. A joke was posted on Reddit -- Oneliners on October 26, 2018: "There's no future in becoming a historian." “Confucius Say—Student who study history,…

February 8, 2023
Education/Schools

“There’s nothing like the sound of a child’s laughter to remind you that your dorm is haunted”

A child's laughter is usually a pleasant sound, but sometimes it's not so pleasant. A joke was posted on Twitter by Howard Mittelmark on February 22, 2015: "There is nothing like the…

July 29, 2025
Education/Schools

“Thesis implies the existence of thebro”

A "thesis" has nothing to do with a "sister" or "sis," but there are "thebro" (from "brother" or "bro") jokes. "What do you call a…

June 10, 2021
Education/Schools

“THEY call it ‘summer break.’ TEACHERS call it ‘recovery’”

"To clarify: Teachers are not 'off for the summer,' they are 'in recovery'" is a jocular saying that has been printed on many images. "To clarify: Teachers are…

September 9, 2018
Education/Schools

“They need to bring back teaching binary in schools. That’s just my 10 cents”

People submitting their thoughts proverbially value them at two cents ("just my two cents"). "Network security professionals should be familiar with binary mathematics, but…

July 29, 2025
Education/Schools

“They should change the word ‘thesis’ to ‘thebro’ to fight matriarchy”

A "thesis" has nothing to do with a "sister" or "sis," but there are "thebro" (from "brother" or "bro") jokes. "What do you call a…

October 31, 2022
Education/Schools

“Thieves wear sneakers, artists wear sketchers and language teachers wear converse”

Converse shoes have nothing to do with conversations or conversing, but there are jokes. "What kind of shoes do linguists wear? converse" was posted on Reddit -- Funny on October 10,…

April 25, 2020
Education/Schools

“Think you’re bored? Sir Isaac Newton invented calculus during the plague”

It has been pointed out, during the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic and at other times, that some people have used isolation to great advantage. "Happy birthday to Isaac Newton, who, at the age…

March 3, 2024
Banking/Finance/InsuranceEducation/SchoolsGovernment/Law/Military/Religion /Health

“Thinking that printing banknotes ends poverty is like thinking that printing diplomas ends ignorance”

"Pensar que imprimiendo billetes se acaba con la pobreza es como pensar que imprimiendo diplomas se acaba con la ignorancia" ("Thinking that printing banknotes ends poverty is like…

December 1, 2017
Education/Schools

“This Fibonacci joke is as bad as the last two you heard combined”

There have been several math jokes on Fibonacci numbers. "Fibonacci joke: 'I feel like this year’s Fibonacci conference will be as big as the last two combined!'" was posted…

June 30, 2020
Education/Schools

“This pandemic is exactly why I hated group projects in school”

The 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic required cooperation from everyone. The situation reminded many people of group projects in school (where some people did no work). "For anyone who hated…

August 27, 2011
Education/Schools

“Those who can’t teach, teach gym”

George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) wrote in his play Man and Superman (1903): "He who can, does. He who cannot, teaches." The saying is often given as, "Those who can, do, those who…

April 28, 2019
Education/Schools

“Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it—next semester”

George Santayana (1863-1952) wrote in 1896, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." A parody was printed in the Washington (DC) Post on July 19, 1984: "Bill…

July 12, 2012
Education/Schools

“Those who go to college and never get out are called professors”

"Those who go to college and never get out are called professors" is a jocular line by the dialect actor George Givot (1903-1984), cited in print since at least April 1936. The saying has…

April 19, 2017
Education/Schools

“Time goes by fast when you’re avoiding homework”

"Time goes by fast when you're avoiding homework" is a one-line saying that has been printed on many images. "Random observation: Time flies when you're avoiding…

August 4, 2012
Education/Schools

“Time is the best teacher; unfortunately, it kills all its students”

"Experience is the best teacher" is a proverb that can be traced back to classical Rome. The French composer Hector Berlioz (1803-1869) wrote in a letter in November 1856: "Le temps…

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BARRY POPIK is a contributor to the Oxford English Dictionary, Dictionary of American Regional English, Historical Dictionary of American Slang, Yale Book of Quotations and Dictionary of Modern Proverbs. Since 1990 he has also been a regular contributor to Gerald Cohen's Comments on Etymology.

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