If I were a boy again.

If I were a boy again, I would practice perseverance more often, and never give up a thing because it was difficult or inconvenient. If we want light, we must conquer darkness. Perseverance can sometimes equal genius in its results. “There are only two creatures,” says a proverb, “who can surmount the pyramids — the eagle and the snail.”

If I were a boy again, I would school myself into a habit of attention; I would let nothing come between me and the subject in hand. I would remember that a good skater never tries to skate in two directions at once. The habit of attention becomes part of our life, if we begin early enough. I often hear grownup people say, “I could not fix my attention on the sermon or book, although I wished to do so” and the reason is, the habit was not formed in youth … （节选）