Who knows what Benjamin Franklin, author of this quote, would have thought about college today. Interactive class discussions, virtual tutors, online college applications, Skype-ing with guest speakers … it’s radically different from than education in his times.

I like to think the founding father and inventor would have found e-learning and the wide variety of college opportunities for adult learners to be as energizing for careers and personal satisfaction as that lighting rod he created.

But Franklin’s belief in the value of education still rings true, which is why college and universities often use his sayings about education. Scholars have respected his viewpoints through the years, too.

A hour or so away from my home in Georgia is a mountain town that once was home to flourishing gold mines. Tourists can go there now and pan for gold. Finding gold is equivalent to striking it rich, and kids and adults are disappointed if they find anything else. But what do they often find? Fool’s gold.

Like finding fool’s gold, it can be foolish to have the opportunity to go to college and throw it and the opportunity to learn more away.

Having the intellect is the first step (and congrats to you geniuses out there!). But just letting your natural intellect sit there, without furthering your education past high school, could hinder you from reaching your full potential.