Instructions for success in life

In practical life success does not depend exclusively or chiefly on knowledge but it needs other qualities like health, strength, patience, cheerfulness, honesty of purpose and pride of work. For handicrafts man common sense is more useful than genius which automatically gives knowledge of his business. If the use of common sense is done in addition to knowledge with the honest.

Success in any kind of practical life is not dependent solely, or indeed chiefly upon knowledge. Even in the learned professions, knowledge alone is of less consequence than people are apt to suppose. And if much expenditure of energy is involved in the day's work mere knowledge is of still less importance when weighed against the probable cost of its of its acquirement. To do a fair day's work with his hand a man needs, above all things, health, strength, and the patience and cheerfulness which, is they do not always accompany these blessings, can hardly in the nature of thing, exist without them; to which we must add honesty of purpose and a pride in doing what is done well. A good handicrafts man can get on very well without genius, but he will fare badly without a reasonable share of that which is more useful possession for work-a-day life, namely, mother wit; and he will be all the better for a real knowledge however limited of the ordinary laws of nature and specially of those which apply to his own business. Instruction carried so far as to help the scholar to turn his mother-wit to account, to acquire a fair amount of sound elementary knowledge, and to use his hands and eyes' while leaving him fresh, vigorous, and with a sense of the dignity of his own calling, whatever it may be, if fairly and honestly pursued cannot fail to be of invaluable service to all those who come under its influence.