Talk:School of Hard Knocks

Also a metaphor for the knowlegde and life skills learned from life on the street. The true idea that human worth is proven by the insight given from the teachings beyond a desk.

Still a stub?
Does this article require further expansion or shall we remove the stub? Robnpov 01:53, 2 November 2006 (UTC)

Knowing who we are, why we are here, and what we’re trying to do with our lives enriches our journey. Whether our purpose is to serve God, to raise healthy children, to create a healthier environment, or to play beautiful music, we are empowered by the purpose.

One of our purposes is to create the free economy which includes the ability to succeed and reap the results of their efforts in benefits, or fail and be penalized for that failure, which is in effect the University of Life and the School of Hard Knocks and Tough Surprises –

Some of which are caused by Murphy’s Law and its corollaries where the student learns the sometimes painful education one gets from life’s negative experiences (often contrasted with formal education). —Preceding unsigned comment added by 156.110.70.90 (talk) 23:56, 15 June 2010 (UTC)

Blackadder
This is loosely referred to in the BBC TV comedy series 'Blackadder goes forth' when the main character - Captain Blackadder states that he has a diploma from the school of getting-the-shit-kicked-out-of-you... 82.45.84.50 (talk) 17:25, 28 January 2011 (UTC)

First use ca 1870, not 1902
See e.g. The Men who Advertise: An Account of Successful Advertisers from that year. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Kalebeul (talk • contribs) 14:27, 31 March 2017 (UTC)

A quick look on Google Books indicates a possible even earlier reference is Public Documents of Massachusetts, Volume 5 from 1835. Other potential pre-1902 references to "school of hard knocks" listed in Google books are: A Golden Inheritance (Reese Rockwell, 1884), Proceedings of the Engineers' Club of Philadelphia (Engineers Club of Philadelphia, 1884), The Underwriter, Life and Casualty: Historical and Biographical (1896), The Medical Standard (1900), Teachers College Record (James Earl Russell, 1900). ShinyCapn (talk) 22:16, 8 October 2017 (UTC)

We do get a diploma from The School Of Hard Knocks!
For those of us who pay attention and learn from our hard-gained experiences that Life delivers, often painfully, every single one of us will receive a real honest-to-goodness diploma! Unfortunately, not one of us will ever have the opportunity to proudly display that diploma on a wall somewhere, for others to see. Oh, our diplomas are very real, be assured of that! All properly witnessed and signed by authorities, with our date of graduation duly noted. Since The School Of Hard Knocks is in session 24 hours a day, 'round the clock, all our lives, our diploma is our death certificate. Among many other things, it indicates that whoever it is for did indeed complete the assigned curriculum. Just an aside, The School Of Hard Knocks is the only place of advanced learning where students take the final exam before taking the actual course of study. Grades are sink or swim, all too often with sharks circling about and a bloody nose. Linstrum (talk) 02:16, 4 May 2024 (UTC)