"Think not those faithful who praise thy every word and deed, but those who kindly reprove thy faults."
Socrates
Those words were inscribed on my seventh-grade yearbook by my English teacher in Lexington, Ky. And they've stayed in my mind to this day. It is the only yearbook inscription I remember. At the time, the quote stung. Rather than feeling inspired, I felt mystified and a bit hurt. The teacher I most admired didn't seem to think so highly of me after all.
Over the years, however, I've come to understand what Socrates and my teacher meant: Everyone has faults.