Academic Mentor Pillows

'So you didn't win the Nobel Prize, but aren't you happy of one of your former students did?'

'Do you think, perhaps, that we could start shooting for a few longer-term goals around here?'

'Put an egg in the bowl and beat it with the whisk.'

'... And some primitive cultures, believed that 'the great ones' modelled us from clay.'

Ethics exam cheater.

Grad School Parent-Teacher Conference

Reach for the Star.

'As a beginning teacher, you know you come here prepared to teach and become a good teacher. As you gain experience, you will learn that you also come here to care and become a great teacher.'

'No, your guess isn't as good as mine.'

"Women Supporting Women!"

"I've just been offered a job sorting out the Y1K bug.."

"Oh, stop it. You are not at all obtuse." Complimentary angles make the other angles feel good about themselves.

Academic Idol - 'Professor Johannsen's paper was zippy. It had robust vocabulary and I almost felt that I could dance to it. I would give it a 7.'

"Yes Dad, I passed math and now I'm passing chemistry and physics."

'I like the way you handle responsibility, McWit, so I'm going to blame some stuff on you.'

"I wasn't the smartest guy in the room, but I was the loudest."

Continuing education.

Leadership in the Covid-19 Era

"Leadership is all about knowing who to delegate responsibility for all your mistakes."

'Investment charts can be complicated, son, but that usually means, 'bonuses'.'

"Oh indeed I did: I went feral for a year when I was young. It taught me a lot about the world, but about myself too..."

'BANG' and a cosmology institute appears.

"If you really want independence, you should get into contract law."

"I'm not sure about this new trainee - he asked me when does he get to see the actual ropes."

'How many times have I told to seize the day before it seizes you?'

"...and before you embark upon life's journey, could one of you help me with my laptop?"

'Believe me, I know transformation isn't easy. I pulled a muscle once.'

Teamwork!

"I was young and cocky because I wasn't aware of my shortcomings. Now I'm old and cocky because I can't remember what they are."

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a MAP, actually."

"Here are the new sales figures, which way up would you like them?"

"I guess I was a good shot, because I took down 50 Nazis...all by myself. That's how I got my silver star. Honestly, I don't consider myself a hero. I consider myself lucky."

Academics At The Beach: The Old Man And The Sea