Gustave Courbet, “Despair: Self-Portrait,” 1845

A young man asked a wise man, “Teach me how to succeed in life. What should I do?”

The wise man led him into a deep pond and held him underwater. The young man struggled until he broke free, gasping for air.

“What did you want most underwater?” asked the wise man.

“To breathe.”

“Did you want to get rich, become famous, or buy new clothes?”

“No. I could think only about air.”

The wise man smiled. “That is true desire. When you want success as desperately as you wanted that breath, you will achieve it. Until then, it’s only a passing wish.”

Bright Bits