ALSphere Foundation
Rome wasn’t built in a day; Lay bricks every hour, every day
“The woods are lovely, dark and deep
But I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep…”- Robert Frost
When I was a kid, my mother gave me some seeds to be sown in the kitchen garden. Every morning I rushed to the garden and got disappointed that no seed had sprouted. My mother understood my restlessness and said, “Bitiya! It may take days before the seeds sprout. They are in the womb of earth and coming to life, you’ll soon see them with tiny and tender leaves. Have patience.”
At that time, I was too young to understand the role of patience but as I grew up I comprehended the concept in a better way. In the Science class, when we couldn’t grasp the equations and formulae, our teacher (gauging our exasperation), often said, “Rome wasn’t built in a day but they were laying bricks every hour.” We gradually learnt to imbibe the connotations of the adage attesting to the need of time and perseverance to create or comprehend things. The adage came as an epiphany that we must put in constant and consistent efforts coupled with fortitude and forbearance to attain goals.
The origin of the full quote, “Rome wasn’t built in a day…” comes from medieval France and the phrase, “Rome ne fu(t) pas faite toute en un jour,” was published in a book of poetry called ‘Li Proverb au vilain’ in the year 1190. It was the English writer John Heyword who said, “Rome wasn’t …..,” a translation which soon changed to the version we know today.
Earth is a beautiful expression and manifestation of the adage as the epitome of perseverance. Heavenly bodies, nature and vegetation continue to teach the lesson of patience and discipline. Sun and moon tirelessly take turns to come and go. Seasons- spring, summer, autumn and winter wait patiently to recreate their magic. If we have mindful eyes and ears, we can observe that the power of perseverance is inner conviction- belief in self, which is necessary to attain our goals in life. No one can instil in us that sense of patience and spirit of consistent endeavour to reach the sky. Only our will power can do wonders for us. When Buddha was getting old, he spent his time visiting groups around the cities, giving them easy discourses on belief in self. He said, “We shouldn’t take refuge in anything except in ourselves. There is an island, very safe, very peaceful, within each one of us and we should go back to ourselves and take refuge in that island. Take refuge on the island within yourself.” The inner power within us restrains us from being whimsical.
I have been very impatient since my teens. I found college life interesting but the content of some subjects taught in the classroom was very dull and dreary. I didn’t like the unpleasant task of cramming, stuffing the mind without enriching it. But slowly literature changed my perception and I happily embarked on a new academic that instilled in me many humane values- empathy, discipline, perseverance, kindness, and love for life and humanity. I realized that studying every subject is necessary to understand different aspects of life. That self-knowledge came with the attributes of patience. Even after leaving college as a Professor of English literature, my self-education continues. Every time I read a classic, I learn a new thing and my perspective widens. I happily help my students to train their emotions and notions in forbearance and other social values. To achieve, we must aspire and perspire, be consistent and patient. Empty talks take us nowhere. On the face of failure, be patient. Brick by brick you are bound to build your citadel.
On the face of failure
Maintain calm and patience
Try again with passion
Success will be yours
Posterity will remember you
For your consistent efforts
Ritu Kamra Kumar
