[brettmjohnson]

Hmmm, "heard/read" limits it a bit, as "self realization" is more memorable.

However, in the 7th grade (age 13-14), my math teacher explained to me that education was a "privilege, not a punishment". I don't remember how it changed my thought processes, but I remember the moment. Previously, I was what you might call a "slacker". After that, I was "nerd slacker" - at least I paid attention, even if I was still lazy.

A decade late, I graduated university with a degree in Mathematics and went into software engineering. Smart + lazy = good software.