MAN DOES NOT LIVE BY BREAD ALONE

         This is the basic difference between man and animals. Both of them require food in order to live, but while the basic needs of the animals end after they filled their bellies, the needs of man go beyond mere food. Man is endowed with intellectual faculties. He can think for himself whereas the animals lead mechanical lives. It is because of man’s thinking faculties that the civilization has progressed so far. We are no longer primitive like the animals and we do not need routine lives. It is because of innate intelligence. That is why it has been rightly said that man does not live by bread alone.

MONEY IS A GOOD SERVANT BUT A BAD MASTER

          Money, it is said can buy almost everything in life, except happiness. And people who make money through fair means or foul often lose sight of basic human values. They become cruel, heartless, callous and corrupt. They feel that they are a law into themselves and that the others do not matter. They take to bad habits, vices and other evil ways because they allow money to become their master. They are slaves to their money. On the other hand, those who use their money for the good of society and mankind treat the money that they possess as their servant. Such people are often remembered for their humanitarian and philanthropic acts rather than those who spend all their money on themselves. If one becomes rich one should follow the example of the Rockefellers, the Tatas and the Birlas rather than those who have allowed money to become their master and spend all their resources on eating, drinking and being merry.

FAILURES ARE THE PILLARS OF SUCCESS

     We should not be disheartened and discouraged by failures in life. Each setback in our path of progress has a lesson for us. We should sit down and analyse where we have gone wrong and try not to repeat the same mistakes that we made in the first attempt. Failures, we must keep in mind, are the stepping stones to success, as is amply illustrated by the story of Robert Bruce and the spider. Repeated failures could not deter the king from fighting for his country’s freedom from the British rule as he had the flame of hope burning bright in his heart. If we follow his example, nothing will be impossible for us to achieve in life. Our failures becomes the pillars of success.

A MAN IS KNOWN BY THE BOOKS HE READS

        Just as a man is known by the company he keeps, he is known by the books he reads. A person reading light-hearted stuff is likely to be light-hearted and frivolous in real life. Similarly, someone who reads motivating and inspiring books is bound to improve and do well in life. The company of such books as biographies and autobiographies of great men influences our thinking and encourages us to rise above our circumstances in life. The reading of books on science and technology broadens over mental horizons. We should, therefore, take to the company of books rather than waste our time and energies in idle gossip or useless pursuits. Reading should be judicious and we should carefully select the books that we are going to read because they are bound to leave an impact on our character and personality in the long run.

BREVITY IS THE SOUL OF WIT

        ‘Wit’ here stands for wisdom. Brevity is indeed the soul of wit because a short and pity statement can convey a thought much quicker than a long sermon preached. This was the advice given by Polonius to his son in William Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet. Surprisingly, Polonius himself did not follow his own advice. All his speeches were long and beside the point. But if we follow this dictum, we can save a lot of time and effort in conveying our thoughts to others. We must be brief and to point if we want others to pay attention to what we say and write. For example, if the answer to a question  needs just two pages, it is no use repeating ourselves and beating about the bush to write it in four to five pages. The examiner may lose interest in what he reads and it may cost us heavily. So, we must learn to compress our thoughts and be brief and to the point in whatever we say and write. Words, like money, must be economically used.

HE WHO CONQUERS OTHERS IS STRONG, BUT HE WHO CONQUERS HIMSELF IS STRONGER

           There have been instances of mighty conquerors in world history who won the wars and extended their kingdoms. Conquerors like Changez Khan, Alexander and Napoleon have left their footprints on the conquests they made during their lifetime. But those who conquered themselves, their desires and ambitions are still revered by mankind. Such men as Ashoka, Gautam Buddha, Guru Nanak, Christ and Mahatma Gandhi who worked for the good of others are still remembered with love, affection and respect because, instead of conquering new lands, they conquered the people’s hearts. Rightly therefore is it said that he who conquers others in strong, but he who conquers himself in stronger.