if i were a boy again, i would practice perseverance more often, and never give up a thing because it was 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 grown up 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.
if i were to live my life over again, i would pay more attention to the cultivation of the memory. i would strengthen that faculty by every possible means, and on every possible occasion. it takes a little hard work at first to remember things accurately; but memory soon helps itself, and gives very little trouble. it only needs early cultivation to become a power.
假如我又回到了童年，我做事要更有毅力，永不放弃，不论它是否困难。如果我们想要光明，我们必须征服黑暗。毅力在效果上有时能同天才一样。“只有两种动物，“俗话说，”谁能登上金字塔，鹰和蜗牛。”
假如我又回到了童年，我就要养成专心致志的习惯;我决不让任何东西让我分心。我要牢记：优秀的滑冰手从不试图同时滑向两个方向在关注这个习惯成为我们生活的一部分，假如我及早开始的话。我常听成年人说：“虽然我希望能集中注意听牧师讲道或读书，尽管我希望这样做”，其原因是，年轻时没有养成这种习惯。
假如我现在能重新开始我的生命，我就要更注意记忆力的培养。我要采取一切可能的办法，并且在一切可能的场合。需要一点努力工作首先要记住的东西准确;记忆能帮忙且不麻烦。只需及早培养便能变得有能力。
