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his ideas were often rejected and mocked by his scientific peers
who thought they were outrageous and impossible. Today rockets
and space travel don't seem far-fetched at all, due largely in part
to the work of this scientist who worked against the feelings of
the time.
Isaac Newton: Newton was undoubtedly a genius when it came to
math, but he had some failings early on. He never did particularly
well in school and when put in charge of running the family farm,
he failed miserably, so poorly in fact that an uncle took charge
and sent him off to Cambridge where he finally blossomed into
the scholar we know today.
Socrates: Despite leaving no written records behind, Socrates is
regarded as one of the greatest philosophers of the Classical era.
Because of his new ideas, in his own time he was called "an
immoral corrupter of youth" and was sentenced to death.
Socrates didn't let this stop him and kept right on, teaching up
until he was forced to poison himself.
Robert Sternberg: This big name in psychology received a “C” in
his first college introductory psychology class with his teacher
telling him that, "there was already a famous Sternberg in
psychology and it was obvious there would not be another."
Ouch! Sternberg showed him, however, graduating from Stanford
with exceptional distinction in psychology, summa cum laude, and
Phi Beta Kappa and eventually becoming the President of the
American Psychological Association. This should inspire students
at traditional and accredited online colleges to always strive to
succeed, no matter what anyone says along the way.
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