Whatever is worth doing at all is worth doing well We should care to do all our tasks properly, with due sincerity and responsibility. It is also important to ensure that our work does not harm the interests of others. Ideally, we should always do such things as will benefit us and everyone else in equal measure. Often, it will be necessary for us to do certain tasks that we might...

Beware you do not miss the Substance by Grasping the Shadow Outlook and attitude vary from person to person. Such variations, which make each one of us think and act differently, are an indication of our distinct personality. It is unlikely, therefore, that any two individuals will share the similar opinion about any issue. If we judge an issue by focusing attention only on those aspects of it that are easily...

Reckon not on your Chickens until they are Hatched Sensible optimism is indicative of a positive attitude to life and should be encouraged. But, excess hope and unreasonable expectation that can lead to disappointments must be avoided. We should always remember that we are not the masters of our destiny and that all we are capable of is doing our work well. It is unwise to expect success or benefits from...

Work Done Without Show and Pomp Presides Any work, done with the aim of realizing its own purpose rather than the selfish aims of its doer, will definitely be virtuous and successful. Success is possible in such cases because the efforts of the doer will be sincere, with attention focused fully on the work. But, if the aim of doing a work is to secure glory or acclaim for the doer,...

Probability is the Guide of Life We do not have a definite knowledge of either our origin or our destiny. Our experiences in life, consisting of both successes and failures, are all that we know about. By using the knowledge from these experiences, however, we can plan our future by predicting its nature. Such knowledge helps us determine the probability of an event happening or not serves as our guide in...

Character is Fate Character is inborn and predetermined. It varies from person to person, thereby giving us our distinct identities. We do not have any knowledge beforehand about our character. We get to know it only as we progress in life. It is also possible that we will never fully or properly understand character even in an entire lifetime. Just as we know of our fate only when we experience it,...

Life is Action, not Contemplation Life is meant for such activities as will help sustain it, more than for indulging in thoughts and planning about how to do them. Ideas, however well-thought-of and noble they may be, are useless until they are translated into actions beneficial to society. Thinking and planning are useful only if they lead to practicable ideas. Nowadays, we come across several self-proclaimed thinkers and intellectuals, who, despite...

Work is Worship The earth supports us, but not to the extent that we may live without working. It has enough natural wealth, but not in readily usable forms. It is our efforts that convert Nature’s gifts into materials that fulfil our needs. Just as our needs are varied, so are the ways in which we have to work to fulfil them. No work can, therefore, be ignored or considered inferior,...