The Secret of Success

respect as the eldest brother, and he can always have his say. The women and children also help one another when the need arises, for they still think of themselves as one big family. Most fathers think that the best legacy they can give their children is wealth and property. But, in truth, the most fortunate children are those whose parents leave them a model for principled living. Those who, before leaving this world, have taught their children to have faith in hard work, to avoid confrontation, to remain content, to look forward to future opportunities rather than immediate gains and to adopt a realistic attitude rather than indulge in wishful thinking, have left behind them a moral inheritance that is far more lasting and of much greater value than the greatest fortunes in the world. But how many fathers are there who realize this great truth? Our Homage to the Past George Bernard Shaw once said of Shakespeare, "He was much taller than me, but I stand on his shoulders”—a fitting tribute from a great modern writer and philosopher to his most illustrious forerunner. Almost two and a half centuries before this, Shakespeare had refined and enriched the English language through the poetic form in which he cast it, and his literary successors strove to continue his good work. It was this ongoing process of refinement and enrichment which made it possible for Shaw to scale the literary peaks for which he is now renowned. Yet, if Shaw's predecessors had not provided this 'shoulder' for him to stand on, he could never—despite his best efforts—have reached such an outstanding level of excellence. This dependence on the achievements of our forebears is an essential feature of all creative, constructive processes. Without our ancestors having made their