[A/N # 1]Well, we had to make our own quotes as advice to Ponyboy for English class a while back, so I got this idea. Ponyboy's advice is similar to the one I originally made. Disclaimer: I do not own Ponyboy Curtis or Darry Curtis or anybody else in the Outsiders.

Ponyboy sat there in his desk at the back of his English teacher's classroom. He was drawing and goofing off a bit. As usual, he wasn't paying attention to a word his teacher was saying. They were discussing important quotes that famous people through out history had said. Some of them being what Mr. Syme considered as 'words of wisdom'.

"Ponyboy," Mr. Syme had been repeating for the last minute.

"Huh?"Ponyboy said while his mind was elsewhere. I turned in my theme. What does he want now? Ponyboy thought.

"Ponyboy, would you care to give some words of wisdom to the class?"

He was thinking of goofing off and saying he didn't care, but Ponyboy chose to stay quiet.

"Well, you can either choose to ignore me or take this as a rare opportunity. Let's say, I'll pass you with a B this semester instead of a C if you give some words of wisdom to the class," Mr. Syme said.

Ponyboy actually tried to think of some words of wisdom. Instead his thoughts went back to the promise Darry and he made to Sodapop the other day. He didn't realize that daydreaming was helping him get a B in English. He thought about what Darry yelled at him before making the promise. He yelled about how he just can't stop living because Dallas and Johnny died...

"Well, I suppose you seem to be satisfied with a C for the semester," Mr. Syme broke into his thoughts.

"Life...," Ponyboy began saying.

"Or I can give you more time. I am in a good mood today. Keep thinking, Ponyboy. I'm sure you can give some wonderful words of wisdom,"Mr. Syme encouraged.

"Life changes but that doesn't mean...,"he continued but paused again. He had the words dangling on his tongue, but they wouldn't come off. But that doesn't mean...that doesn't mean...life changes but that doesn't mean...Ponyboy thought.

"Life changes but that doesn't mean you have to change to," he finished. His thoughts finally came out into words.

"Well done, Ponyboy. I like it. Life changes but doesn't mean you have to change to,"Mr. Syme said more to himself than to Ponyboy.

"U-huh," Ponyboy replies uncertainly, Mr. Syme's monologue scaring him a bit.

"That's not it though. I'd like you to apply those words of wisdom to your life. You can't tell somebody to do something without being sure you've done it yourself."

Ponyboy didn't completely understand Mr. Syme's last sentence but he thought about his words of wisdom. He went back to what Darry told him or moreover, what he was trying to tell him.

He was trying to tell his younger brother that just because Johnny and Dally are gone, he doesn't have to go to. It doesn't mean I can stop living. It doesn't mean he had to change. Stay gold, Ponyboy, Stay gold. That's what Johnny told him. He was telling him to stay the way he was or to not change just because his life has to change. The depth of these words hit Ponyboy and he actually tried to pay attention to his English teacher, then to his History teacher and in the end, he was listening to all of them. He actually tried to not lose his shoes or take the wrong notebook home. He tried to stay gold. He tried applying his words of wisdom to his life.

I don't have to change, only if I need to but I don't because Johnny told me to stay gold which means I'm fine the way I am. My life changed but I tried not to let it change me and now, it's time to keep going, Ponyboy thought as he swung his high school diploma in the air for everybody, including his brothers, Two-Bit, his girlfriend, and Steve to see. He was going to keep on going even if some people tried to stop him along the way.

[A/N] My advice to Ponyboy was that life changes but don't let those changes change you.

-/Updated on September 7th, 2010/-

-/Posted on January 9th, 2009/-