But he allowed no moments to run to
waste. He always kept a book by him in the office, and every spare
moment was employed over its pages. In the morning, before he went to
work, he found some time for reading and study. He was an early riser,
not, perhaps, because he had no inclination to lie in bed, but he had
more time to improve his mind. He gained time enough in the morning,
by this early rising, to acquire more knowledge than some youth and
young men do by going constantly to school. In the evening he found
still more time for mental improvement, extending his studies often
far into the night. It was his opinion that people generally consume
more time than is necessary in sleep, and one of his maxims, penned in
ripe manhood, was founded on that opinion: "The sleeping fox catches
no poultry."
It is not surprising that a boy who subjected himself to such
discipline for a series of years should write some of the best maxims
upon this subject when he became a man. The following are some of
them:
"There are no gains without pains; then help, hands, for I have no
lands."
"Industry pays debts, while despair increaseth them."
"Never leave that till to-morrow which you can do to-day."
"Leisure is time for doing something useful."
"A life of leisure and a life of laziness are two things."
"Be ashamed to catch yourself idle.
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