To lose heart just because of one or two failures is shortsighted indeed. Life is a long journey. Youth should go forward with courage, realizing that the more often you fail, the firmer the foundation you are building for your future life and happiness.
The final years of life are decisive. Unsurpassed happiness belongs to those who have overcome every difficulty, who can savor a genuine sense of fulfillment, and say, "Yes, I lived a good life."
Youthfulness is not determined by age. It is determined by one's life force. One who possesses hope is forever young. One who continually advances is forever beautiful.
Youthfulness originates from life-force. There are young people who look surprisingly old, and there are elderly people who, no matter how the years pass, always sparkle with the glow of youth, an inner vitality.
Our bodies may grow stiffer with the passing of time, but we should not let the same happen to our minds. The older we are, the more willing we should be to listen to others, especially young people.
The struggle against aging is a struggle against cowardice, the propensity to shun new challenges. It is a struggle against our complacent belief that we have done enough, an egocentric unwillingness to help younger people develop, and an attachment to our past glory. Aging sneaks in through such chinks of our soul. The life of one who continues to challenge to the end remains youthful, ageless, and victorious.
Life loses its dynamism from the moment we lose the passion with which to live it. No matter what our age, we cannot afford to let the flame within our heart grow dim. We do not become unhappy because we grow old. We become unhappy only when we grow ever more unwilling to change as we age.
