What You Taught Me is a beautiful book with compiled quotes. The are small subsections that are based on a theme, such as kindness and love. This book was fun to read and reminded me of various people in my life that taught me a little bit of something. It would serve as a perfect gift or even a coffee table book.

This is an attractive enough little book of quotations, obviously intended as an end-of-the-school-year gift for teachers. Nicely decorated with a green and teal leafy theme, the book is divided up into ten sections: kindness; patience; confidence; courage; gratitude; preparation; commitment; teamwork; perspective; and respect.

Quotations from many of the expected big-name inspirational figures are here—the Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu, Nelson Mandela, and Martin Luther King Jr. There are also lots of (often trite) words from highly paid athletes and pop stars. Film and book characters are quoted, and so is the occasional author of literary fiction, visual artist, or scientist. In short, it’s pretty much as one might expect.

I have to say I was somewhat ill-disposed to it from the get-go. Let’s say my cynicism was immediately “triggered” 😊 by one of the opening sentences: “A classroom is a magical world of information and knowledge and so much more.” Only the “so much more” part rang true for me. The last quotation, from Guy Kawasaki, was just annoying: “If you have to put someone on a pedestal, put teachers. They are society’s heroes.” Hmm. Not so sure about that. It seems to me that education might be failing, if that’s the outcome.

I suspect I’m not the typical reader of a little book like this. I found myself thinking over a number of the statements and finding that I disagreed with many. (An intellectual exercise of sorts.) Some, of course, are so vague, bland, and anodyne that there’s nothing of substance to disagree with.

Teachers who haven’t been around the block a few times might appreciate this. The best I can say about it is that it is inoffensive and there’s a place at the front where a student might write what he or she personally learned from the teacher. That’s not a bad thing, but a nice little card serves the same end and would perhaps be better received.

Rating: 2.5

This title would make a good gift for someone whom you value. Each section represents a quality. These include Kindness, Patience, Confidence, Courage, Gratitude, Preparation, Commitment, Teamwork, Perspective, and Respect.

The quotes come from a wide range of sources. Each is short and meaningful and all offer a nice bit of inspiration.

For example, Marie Curie said

Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that? We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something and that this thing mus be attained.

And one more…

Nelson Mandela-I’ve learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it.

Dip in and out of this book when a boost is needed. It might just help!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Zeitgeist for this title. All opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley for an advance copy to this book. What a special book full of wonderful quotes regarding kindness, patience, confidence, courage,and gratitude Also, quotes are there regarding these themes: preparation and commitment, teamwork, perspective, respect.
This would make a wonderful gift for a teacher, coach or anyone who is special in your life.
We all need encouragement in hard times and this is a gem!
As a retired teacher I would have loved to have received this book and would keep in on my special bookcase to have as a resource.
I am so happy I had to chance to read in advance. How very uplifting!

I always love a good quote. It sparks something in me whenever I need a good push during normal times. And it’s normal for me. So I always need a collection of amazing quotes.

This collection is one of my favourites now. Yes, it is yet to come out this year but it’s already my favourite. I specifically love this collection as the quotes are regarding kindness, patience, confidence, courage, gratitude which I always look for. Also, quotes are there regarding these themes: preparation and commitment, teamwork, perspective, respect.

This collection is a gem. Get it for yourself. Gift it. Pass it around. It will change someone’s world entirely!

Thank you, Zeitgeist, for the advance reading copy.

This is a simple but powerful book. We need more kindness, we need more encouragement, and we need more voice. This is a book for these times we are living in.

This is a wonderful little book! This would be a great gift for teachers, caregivers, therapists, coaches, etc. to show sincere appreciation. It’s amazing how much this means to the recipient - to know you made a positive difference is everything to those who give their all! Highly recommended.

Yes, this is definitely a special appreciation book, the kind of gift that comes packed with words of encouragement from various people known and unknown in this world and it certainly uplifts you. I love the green theme color and the fonts used throughout the book.

Thanks Netgalley for the eARC. We could all use some encouragement and this is the kind of book I'd recommend.