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“What is the most valuable lesson life has taught me?” A passionate belief in human nature, in spite of her crimes, in spite of her madness. For that madness is a result: it is not a cause.
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II
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We must come to the second question, “What advice would you give to a young friend which would help him to keep his balance in the most difficult experiences of his life?”
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That’s a question for a book, not for an essay. I think I should begin by insisting on the necessity for discipline. It is not well for a man or a woman to be ceaselessly seeking the whys and wherefores of everything. That a life may be happy, it must be based on fixed principles. I would almost say that it is of little importance what those principles are so long as they are solid, steady; and that we accept them without compromise. I am not speaking here of doctrinal creeds.“That,” says the poet Byron, “is an affair between a man and his Maker.” I am speaking of actions self-imposed, of building upon a solid base, of living by strict discipline. The discipline of a religious life, the discipline of work, of every kind of sport—these are all sane and wholesome, provided they are whole-heartedly believed in.
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Another condition making for mental and moral balance seems to me to be unity in the plan, continuity in the pattern. A young person is tempted by every possibility, and the possibilities are infinite. Limiting himself to a choice irks him. He wants to have every kind of friend; to take every possible journey; to embrace all learning; to embark upon every kind of career; to experience every kind of love. But one of life’s conditions is that he must limit himself; he has to choose. Then, and only then, can he live deeply and steadily.
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These, I think, would be my answers—if I were to answer.
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Notes
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questionnaire, a set of questions submitted to a number of persons, as in making investigations.
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bore, that which is tiresome, tedious, tiring, fatiguing, annoying.
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the interrogated, the person who is being questioned.
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his examiner, the person who is asking questions.
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his balance, his sanity, steadiness, composure, equilibrium.
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adolescence, the period of growing up, between childhood and manhood （14 to 25） or womanhood （12 to 21）; youth.
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every defeat seems final . Whenever youth meets with difficulties in his attempt to carry out a project, whenever he is frustrated in anything, he assumes that the defeat is final, that nothing else can be done in that matter, that it is of no use to attempt anything further.
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Disraeli, Benjamin （1804-1881）, Jewish author and statesman, twice British prime minister.
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naught, nothing.
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a blurred past, a picture of the past which is indistinct and confused.
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affliction, pain; suffering; grief; trouble.
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indifference, absence of attention or interest.
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skepticism, not inclined to accept currency or authority as proving the truth of opinions.
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fleeting, passing rapidly.
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Goethe, German author （1749-1832）.
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long-faced prophets, pessimistic people foretelling or predicating bad of the future.
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optimism, inclination to take bright views.
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solace, comfort in distress or disappointment.
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