The Secret of Success

unleashed new and unsuspected forces from within him. These hitherto unrevealed capacities were to find their outlets in what was, for him, a new field—that of the historical romance in novel form. The pressure of his debts spurred him on to tremendous literary efforts over the next few years, and, because of his desperate need to sell his books rapidly and at a high price, he devoted himself to writing the kind of narratives which were sure to arrest the attention of his readers. Such extraordinary diligence became the guarantee of his novels' popularity. They sold like hot cakes, and he was able to pay off his debts. A great literary success, he was knighted later in life in recognition of his contributions to English literature. But if he had not originally had the stimulus of his debts, he might never have composed works of such high literary merit, he would never have been so prolific and would certainly not have become Sir Walter Scott. It was his determined tackling of a serious situation which led to his being awarded one of the highest places in English literature. It is the challenges in life that either make men or break them. You Are Not Poor, You Are Rich Once, when a beggar was calling out for alms on the street, a passerby turned towards him only to find that he was in no way disabled. So he asked how he was entitled to charity. The beggar replied, “I’m poor.” The man said, “No you are not. On the contrary, you are very rich.” The beggar pleaded with him not to make fun of him, as he was really poor. The man went on, “All right, give me whatever you have, and in return, I’ll pay you Rs. 50,000.” The beggar happily handed over to him his dirty bag containing a few coins and said, “That’s all I have, you can take it.” The man said, “No, you have much more besides this. You have two feet. Give me one of them and I’ll pay you Rs. 10,000 in exchange.” The beggar refused.