The value of persistence

I received this in the mail today.

"Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence.  Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent.  Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb.  Education will not;  the world is full of educated derelicts.  Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan 'Press On' has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race."
-Calvin Coolidge

Absolutely.
 

I also found this one - rather apt given the current salary dispute in higher education and the fact that some of the stupidest people I have ever met have Ph.D's.

Strange as it seems, no amount of learning can cure stupidity, and higher education positively fortifies it.
  - Stephen Vizinczey