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A Life in Three Acts

When asked what advice he had for actors, Denzel Washington pulled out an interesting quote:

First part of your life you learn, second part of your life you earn, third part of your life you return.

I had considered including this quote in my Enough post because the quote feels good. It rhymes and it follows the Rule of Three. But the more I kept analyzing and over-analyzing the quote, the more I took issue with it.

1. We should always be learning, regardless of stage of life.
2. Denzel, now at the age of 70, is still earning. Many of us will be earning well into the third part of our life.
3. Returning can also happen at multiple stages. Many, like myself, earn through return. That is, we get paid to share our knowledge.

I like a pithy aphorism as much as the next person but they can easily become thought-terminating clichés.