without undergoing a discipline of self-denial and work which gives him
steadiness, restraint, and a certain kind of character. The giving up of
pleasures which are wholesome, the turning aside from fields which are
inviting, the steady refusal of invitations and claims which one would be
glad to accept or recognise, invest the power of concentration with moral
quality, and throw a searching light on the nature of all genuine success.
To do one thing well, a man must be willing to hold all other interests
and activities subordinate; to attain the largest freedom, a man must
first bear the cross of self-denial.




Chapter XVII

Relaxation


The ability to relax the tension of work is as important as the power of
concentration; for the two processes combine in the doing of the highest
kind of work. There are, it is true, great differences between men in
capacity for sustained toil. Some men are able to put forth their energy
at the highest point of efficiency for a short time only, while the
endurance of others seems to be almost without limit. In manual or
mechanical work it is mainly a question of physical or nervous resources;
in creative work, however relaxation is not a matter of choice; it is a
matter of necessity, because it affects the quality of the product. In the
alertness of attention, the full activity of every faculty, the glow of
the imagination, which accompany the putting forth of the creative power,
the whole force of the worker is concentrated and his whole nature is