Any time you stick your neck out in high school, there's someone right there to chop your head off. Ryan Gosling, actor
I'd be satisfied just coaching in high school. I turned down a number of colleges when I was teaching in South Bend, Indiana, before I went into the service. I honestly believe that if I hadn't enlisted in the service, I would never have left high school teaching. I'm sure I would have never left. John Wooden, UCLA basketball coach
Today's Little Leaguers, and there are millions of them each year, pick up how to hit and throw and field just by watching games on TV. By the time they're out of high school, the good ones are almost ready to play professional ball. Mickey Mantle, MLB star
High school dropouts are forfeiting their opportunity to pursue the American Dream. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, NBA star
At North Hollywood High School, I was shunned by everyone. I would sit down in the cafeteria, and students would get up from the table and walk away. They thought I was from the Mafia. Philip Zimbardo, legendary Stanford psychology professor
You got guys now declaring they're ready to play pro ball in their second or third year of high school. It's crazy! They're missing so much. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, NBA star
When I auditioned for my high school band the band director was excited because my father was known to be a great musician. When he heard me, he said 'Are you sure you're Ellis's son?' Wynton Marsalis, legendary musician
Yes, but another writer I read in high school who just knocked me out was Theodore Dreiser. I read An American Tragedy all in one weekend and couldn't put it down - I locked myself in my room. Now that was antithetical to every other book I was reading at the time because Dreiser really had no style, but it was powerful. Joan Didion, novelist
No parent or coach can be true to any child and say he's ready for the N.F.L. out of high school. Tony Dorsett, NFL star
I loved to make people laugh in high school, and then I found I loved being on stage in front of people. I'm sure that's some kind of ego trip or a way to overcome shyness. I was very kind of shy and reserved, so there's a way to be on stage and be performing and balance your life out. Steve Martin, comedian, actor, writer
When I got out of high school, I thought, I'll take a year or two off and play the clubs, get this out of my system, and then go to med school. Gregg Allman, rock star
