This Middlebury College summer 1974 commencement address is an informal presentation of the author's experiences as a language learner. The effectiveness of such pedagogical methods as the grammar-translation, audio-lingual, and "balanced" approaches, and of language learning with the aid of an informant, is discussed. It is concluded that, given adequate motivation, any method seems to work. In particular, the audio-lingual approach (without its excesses) proved highly effective. The author wonders whether those who now condemn the audio-lingual method have themselves ever been language learners rather than merely language teachers. (Author/DB)