Life’s Labours are Never Lost

could even write persuasively on topics of general interest in newspapers and magazines. Her skills also made her of great assistance to her brother in his export business. The technique she employed is one that can be applied to the learning of any foreign language. So it is clear that there are many different avenues which can take us to the top—not just the known, the traditional and the easy-of-reach. We may find that some doors are locked along the way, but, there are always others that remain open and it is just a question of entering the right one to reach our destination. In the world of today, success lies within the grasp of those who are alert to the opportunities around them. Failure is the result not so much of a lack of opportunities but the lack of will to grasp such opportunities as exist, and to pursue one’s course with determination and energy. Wise Use of Money “Here are my entire life’s savings.” So saying, an elderly scholar, who had spent his whole life reading and writing, in the utmost simplicity, placed a cheque for Rs. 10,000/- in the hands of his newly-wed daughter and son-in-law. He explained that he had been able to save this amount out of his meagre income by living frugally and never wasting anything. “I could have spent all this on lavish wedding celebrations,” he added, “but I preferred to hand it over to you young people so that you could make a good beginning in life.” The young couple were extremely grateful for this decision and lost no time in investing the money in a small business. To begin with they had to work very hard to make a success of it, and passed through various difficult stages. But they never lost courage, and a time eventually came when they had considerably increased their profits and were able to live a happy, comfortable life, knowing, too, that