It is correct. It would also be correct to say "She had to learn that her wishes did not take precedence over other people's needs."

The sentence you provided is in the past tense, and it is grammatically correct. However, there is a minor typo in the word "precedence," which should be spelled as "precedence." Here's the corrected sentence: "She had to learn that her wishes do not take precedence over other people's needs."