The Greats are Self Taught

Abraham Lincoln, one of America’s greatest presidents, was a self-taught lawyer. Since he lived in a rural area, Lincoln did not attend a university or apprentice under an established lawyer to learn the craft. Instead, he spent years pouring over books and learning the law himself.

If even in the 1800’s it was possible to teach yourself the necessary skills to become someone great, can you imagine the opportunity of today? The internet has opened the floodgates to a sea of knowledge. There’s no longer a gatekeeper to the world’s information.

I acknowledge that today’s regulations hinder one’s ability to be a self-taught lawyer. However, if you look beyond the specifics of this example, you can see there’s so much opportunity to make something of yourself if you’re willing to put in the effort to learn something new. We are absurdly lucky to be born in a time where it has never been easier to elevate your life through self education. Although the physical world is in quarantine right now, the internet is not. Extra time is gift. I hope we all use it to learn something new.