Study and formal education are great but you’ll learn the most from getting your hands dirty.
General Petraeus said this on June 3, 2009 at the Harvard ROTC Commissioning Ceremony at Harvard Yard. He also imparted what he called “five critical admonitions” necessary for leadership: Lead by example, stay humble, make timely decisions, build a team, and “don’t take yourself too seriously — but take your work seriously.”
Source: Ireland, Corydon (June 4, 2009). At ROTC commissioning, Faust touts idea of ‘soldier-scholar’. Harvard Gazette. Retrieved from http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/