I sometimes tremble when I realise how slight is the difference between
success and failure. Success is the child of Audacity. Failure is the
offspring of discouragement.
There was a great inventor, once—great not because of his worldly
possessions, but because he dreamed the most beautiful visions of
helping humanity to bigger and better things. He had worked long and
arduously on one of his ideas hampered by lack of funds, lack of
friends, and (I am sorry to say) lack of food.
All the night through he had toiled over his model. There was just one
little part needed to give the necessary movement, but the proper
thought eluded him.
The cold gray dawn of another toilsome day found him discouraged and
alone on a damp, park bench. He was thoroughly hopeless and ready to
give up his idea and his ideal. True, the successful culmination of this
experiment would mean fewer accidents in a great industry, and fewer
lives sacrificed to unnecessary carelessness. But why struggle longer?
The world called him visionary and an impractical dreamer. Why fight?
Indeed, the fight had clean gone out of him. Death, breakfast, or the
lock-up were equally welcome to him. He was through!
And then, the little thing happened. The doorway across the street was
opened. Through it came a piping childish voice in joyous morning song.
Little feet pattered down the steps and soon the lisping notes came from
directly at his side, while a trusting little hand slipped confidently
into his. And at that minute the problem was solved—somebody trusted
him, somebody cared!
Exercises 11, 22, 24, and 30.