# Exams kill by degrees

- Teacher: Ajahn Brahm
- Type: Story
- URL: https://beingmindfulstories.com/stories/brahm-exams-kill-by-degrees
- Themes: education, humour, motivation
- Life situations: study, university

## Synopsis (editorial summary)

Cambridge graffiti outside the Cavendish Physics lab: 'Exams kill by degrees' — study aimed at the credential kills curiosity for its own sake.

## The story, as told by Ajahn Brahm (verbatim captions)

graffiti which I remember outside the philosophy department, no, this was actually outside the physics lab in Cambridge. Graffiti in those days, you'd actually go looking for it because it was really profound. And that was - "exams - kill by degrees". It's a wondeful pun - they kill by degrees. They kill learning, they kill the excitement of investigating knowledge

## Teaching point

Reward-chasing hollows out the joy of discovery.

## Reflection (in the spirit of Ajahn Brahm's talk)

Graffiti outside the Cambridge physics lab read: exams kill by degrees. Grading kills curiosity and makes friends compete. Ajahn Brahm escaped that pressure with public talks. If people like them, wonderful; if they don't, even better, he gets more time in his cave. Drop the need to perform, and stress falls away.

## Source

- [Menangani Kelelahan | Ajahn Brahm](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOBRm2Qb9ew) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 28:15 to 28:49: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOBRm2Qb9ew&t=1695s

Other tellings of this story:

- [Devotion | Ajahn Brahm | 30-07-2010](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IbAy-OuLfo) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 33:10 to 33:39: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IbAy-OuLfo&t=1990s
- [Wie man mit Müdigkeit umgeht | Ajahn Brahm](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oC7qMBilP9M) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 28:15 to 28:53: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oC7qMBilP9M&t=1695s