But the appetite for knowledge grows by what it feeds on,and there are men who come to like a constant breathless hurry of endeavour.Of them it may be said that a constant breathless hurry is better than an eternal doze.
In any case,if the programme exhibits a tendency to be oppressive,and yet one wishes not to modify it,an excellent palliative is to pass with exaggerated deliberation from one portion of it to another;for example,to spend five minutes in perfect mental quiescence between chaining up the St.Bernard and opening the book;in other words,to waste five minutes with the entire consciousness of wasting them.
The last,and chiefest danger which I would indicate,is one to which Ihave already referred--the risk of a failure at the commencement of the enterprise.
I must insist on it.
A failure at the commencement may easily kill outright the newborn impulse towards a complete vitality,and therefore every precaution should be observed to avoid it.The impulse must not be over-taxed.
Let the pace of the first lap be even absurdly slow,but let it be as regular as possible.
And,having once decided to achieve a certain task,achieve it at all costs of tedium and distaste.The gain in self-confidence of having accomplished a tiresome labour is immense.
Finally,in choosing the first occupations of those evening hours,be guided by nothing whatever but your taste and natural inclination.
It is a fine thing to be a walking encyclopaedia of philosophy,but if you happen to have no liking for philosophy,and to have a like for the natural history of street-cries,much better leave philosophy alone,and take to street-cries.