All that is necessary to break the spell of inertia and frustration is this: Act as if it were impossible to fail. That is the talisman the formula the command of right about face which turns us from failure to success.
Courage and perseverance have a magical talisman before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish into air.
The British system had requirements including Latin. I'm not positive you ever had to know Greek but there are certainly kinds of curricula where you had to know Greek too. I think in Britain there was the most mindless repetitive sort of learning.