Why

The best researchers are the most patient askers of “Why?”, and because of this often exasperate others.

Factor

The trick is to be so confident that the other person figures you must be right.

Appetite

“You know, I don’t have an army of students to do the work for me. I’m a one-woman group.”

“Okay, that’s fair. I’ll give you a month. That should be enough!”

Distorted

The classic sunk cost fallacy.

Tools

Professors always say that learning mathematics is all about, “adding new tools to your toolbox”. The problem is that they may be a little too enthusiastic about it. I sometimes need a teacher to come in and say, “Let’s take some time to organize and understand your tools.” If only!

Seesaw

In my case, it feels like this relationship really is a zero-sum game.

Potential

I’ve got more knowledge bottled up here than the great libraries of history!

Journey

We aren’t photons, so we do like to give a story that isn’t a straight line.

Use

The teacher: “If you think about it, we’re giving you the most topical information you could ever want for success in your career as a student.”

Coincidences

I think this is the reason behind the saying that life is stranger than fiction. Life is allowed to be as weird and wonderful as it likes, while those writers need to adhere to strict rules.