“I am slow to learn and slow to forget what I have learned. My mind is like a piece of steel: very hard to scratch anything on it, and almost impossible, after you get it there, to rub it out.”
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About this quote
The line forces you to own how habits and lessons settle — once they take hold they stay. Ask yourself what you are letting into your head and whether you are deliberate enough to overwrite bad patterns; steady, accountable effort is the only way to change what feels permanent.
When to use it
- Write the sentence in your notebook after repeating a bad habit; use it as a reminder that careless inputs stick and you must act to change them.
- Tell a mentee who keeps repeating the same mistake: slow learning means repetition matters — set small daily tasks and track them until the behavior changes.
- Use the line as a blunt morning prompt: review what you allowed into your mind yesterday and remove one useless habit by replacing it with a specific action today.
- In a coaching session, ask: what have you engraved on your mind that needs erasing? Then plan three concrete steps you will repeat for 30 days.