Confederate General Robert Edward Lee
Many know General Robert Edward Lee as the commanding force of the Confederate soldiers during the Civil War. However, many do not realize the intelligence of this man. At 18, He enrolled at West Point Academy and graduated second in his class. Biography.com says, "He was one of just six cadets in his graduating class who finished without a single demerit, and wrapped up his studies with perfect scores in artillery, infantry and cavalry." All of these feats were singularly unheard of in the days of serious military schools, such as West Point. Because of the fact that Lee achieved all of these things during his tenure at West Point, he is known as one of the smartest military men this nation has ever seen.
Of the many different quotes from Lee that I have run across, one that really interests me is "The education of a man is never completed until he dies." This quote interests me because of the vagueness instilled in it. What does Lee really mean when he says this?
I tried to put my thoughts and mind into those of the military genius' Robert Edward Lee. In his life, Lee had learned just about everything a man could learn when it comes to military strategy, tactic, history, and future. If this man was so packed full of knowledge, how can he say his education is not complete? I think Lee has a great point with this quote. What Lee is trying to say is, no matter what goes on in your every day life, you learn something new every single day. An education is not only earned while in school or with your face in a book; new information to learn is available everywhere we look. Even if a man is on his death bed, he can learn something; however, it may not be the type of education that we are used to but learning is learning. Many things cannot be learned while we are healthy beings, but must be witnessed when we are at our worst. Education continues throughout a man or woman's life until the day that person takes their last breath. This being said, we should all keep an open mind to learning anything and everything we can until we cannot learn anymore.
