Final answer:
The statement suggests that life's lessons are valuable investments toward building one's future success. It highlights the importance of education and personal sacrifices in achieving long-term goals and impacting the world positively.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement "Each lesson is going to be a down payment for your empire" conveys that life's lessons are immensely valuable in personal development and contribute significantly to one's future successes, akin to building a personal empire. Education and personal growth are likened to investments that pay off over time, requiring effort, patience, and sacrifice. This sentiment reflects the idea that every lesson learned, much like a down payment, is a foundational investment in one's long-term success and accomplishments.
Choices such as pursuing additional education and making financial sacrifices are seen as steps toward achieving substantial personal wealth and impact. The college experience, for example, is posited as a transformative journey that empowers individuals to understand, participate in, and ultimately influence the world in profound ways, whether it's through developing a vaccine or addressing social injustices. The life course for people within a culture is thus not just predetermined, but rather shaped by the lessons they must learn and how they apply them.