IN GIVING WE RECEIVE

In Giving We Receive ~ 250 ~ Mr. Lamba was able to recite faultlessly whatever followed on from Amir Hussain’s cues. But Amir Husain was ultimately unable to match his performance, and so lost the contest. Explaining his prowess, Mr. Lamba remarked, “I have been hovering around the candle of Iqbal like a moth for the past ten years. It is only if you have hovered around it more than I have that you will be able to outdo me in recitation.” It is only such utter devotion—no matter what the field of activity—which can lead to success. There are few things in life which cannot be likened to the candle. Only those who have hovered around it more than others in this world of struggle and competition can aspire to advance in life. It is by putting everything we have—brains, effort, talent, money, energy—into whatever we are doing, that we can hope to derive some benefit from it. And never can we hope to receive more than we have actually given.