Going to school and working for good marks, indeed working for very good marks, was a serious business.

I read everything: fiction, history, science, mathematics, biography, travel.

Whatever the course, whether the course was boring or interesting to me, whether I was talented in mathematics or not talented in languages, my parents expected A's.

I learned quickly, as I tell my graduate students now, there are no answers in the back of the book when the equipment doesn't work or the measurements look strange.

A parent being called to the school because their child had misbehaved was as serious as a parent being called to the police station because their child had robbed a bank.

There were two free public libraries within walking distance of my home; I remember taking six books home from every visit, the limit set by the library.

Going to school and working for good marks, indeed working for very good marks, was a serious business.