11 Rules of Life were not in a speech by Bill Gates

Bill Gates 11 Rules of Life high school speech not real

Sometimes the www is wrong and apparently that was the case with the internet rumor being circulated that Bill Gates gave these 11 rules at a High School speech. It seems the credit goes to Charles J Skyles.
When I read these 11 rules in my email this morning, I sort of felt a little foolish. Upon a personal reflection, I definitely decided that I was NOT taught these 11 rules in High School or College. The embarrassing thing is that I didn’t really learn a lot of them until I was well passed middle age and am still learning some in my sixties. Oops! Slow learner.
According to truthorfiction.com, these 11 rules are from a book by Charles J Sykes entitled Dumbing Down Our Kids. His bio on the www reads:

Charles Sykes is a senior research fellow at the Wisconsin Policy Research Institute. A journalist and the host of a radio talk show in Milwaukee, he has written for and is frequently quoted by newspapers including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and USA Today. He is the author of several books, including PROFSCAM, THE HOLLOW MEN, A NATION OF VICTIMS, DUMBING DOWN OUR KIDS, and THE END OF PRIVACY.

These 11 rules are part of his book “Dumbing Down Our Kids”:

“Life is not fair – get used to it.” The more time you spend complaining about the things you can’t control, the less time you’ll devote to the things you can.
“The world doesn’t care about your self-esteem.” Respect is earned, not given. You need to achieve something on your own in order for others to stand up and applaud your contribution.
“You won’t earn $60,000 right out of high school.” You’ll need to work your way up, and – in many ways – the lessons and failures you experience along the way will serve as your real education.
“If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss.” In many cases, it’s your tuition that’s paying the teacher. In the business world, it’s the teacher who’s paying you.
“Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity.” When your grandparents were young, flipping burgers was an opportunity to learn.
“If you mess up, it’s not your parents’ fault … It’s yours.” Don’t waste time blaming others. They’ll resent you, and it doesn’t earn you any real respect.
“Take responsibility for your own contribution, rather than waiting for others to place opportunities in front of you.” Don’t waste years of your life waiting for someone to show up on your doorsteps and hand you the roadmap to success. Go out and grab it.
“Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life has not.” Hard work is often its own reward. And consistent hard work leads to greater rewards.
“Life is not divided into semesters and you won’t have the summers off.” Make time for yourself, but devote yourself to being focused and equal to the task on a daily basis.
“Television is not real life.” You need to step outside your comfort zone to really experience life.
“Be nice to nerds … Chances are, you’ll end up working for one.”