"Then it will take ten,' said the master. '"Ten! That's far too long. How about if I studied all day and well into the night, every night?' '"Fifteen years,' said the sage. " 'I don't understand,' replied the boy. 'Every time I promise to devote more energy to my goal, you tell me that it will take longer. Why?' '"The answer is simple. With one eye fixed on the destination, there is only one left to guide you along the journey'" "Point well taken, counselor," I conceded graciously. "Sounds like the story of my life." "Be patient and live with the knowledge that all you are searching for is certain to come if you prepare for it and expect it." "But I've never been the lucky sort, Julian. All that I have ever received has come through sheer persistence."