Zell Miller's 'final lecture on life,' according to his grandson

Zell Miller's grandson, Bryan Miller, spoke Tuesday at his grandfather's funeral.

Thousands showed up at Peachtree Road United Methodist Church to pay their respects to the former Georgia governor and U.S. Senator.

In his words of remembrance, Bryan Miller called his grandfather a constant learner and a gifted teacher, and left the world with one final lesson from the great Zell Miller.

“I am confident he would not want this moment to pass without the opportunity to remind and instill in others what he valued as life’s greatest lessons. And so, please allow me to share a few lessons from my favorite ‘teacher’ and what I believe he would want in his final lecture on life.

"On persistence, Zell once said, 'Dare greatly. Reject the rejection. And never, never give up.'

"On loyalty, Zell wrote, 'When I became governor, it was loyalty that kept me from getting a big head and making big mistakes. I always knew where I came from, and where I was going back to. In the North Georgia Mountains, from which I get my sense of place, we have a saying, 'if you ever see a turtle on a fence post, you know one thing, it did not get there by itself. Someone put it there.'

"On respect, 'Consistent respect for ourselves and others will go a long way toward solving many of the problems of society.'

"And on courage, 'No human attribute is more needed, or more sadly lacking, in today's climate of expediency and self-gratification than courage.'"

Cox Media Group