http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/School_of_Hard_Knocks
School of Hard Knocks - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The School of Hard Knocks or University of Hard Knox is an idiomatic phrase meaning the (sometimes painful) education one gets from life's usually negative experiences, often contrasted with formal education. The term was first coined by American columnist George Ade in 1912,[1] and re-popularized b...