Quincy

John Adams (who would become second president) was first a farmer and attorney. He wanted his son John Quincy Adams to follow in his footsteps at least as far as going to college. In those days that meant learning Latin. Quincy complained bitterly about having to learn Latin. To clarify the issue for him, John offered Quincy the alternative of digging a drainage ditch that was needed on the “back forty”. A few days later they had the following conversation:

Quincy: Father, is there nothing between Latin and the ditch?
John: Not in this world my son.

John Quincy did go to Harvard and became the sixth president of the US and later Speaker of the House.