Tirukural

CHAPTER 60

Possession of Industriousness

591

Possessing belongs only to the industrious. Do those who lack such energy really possess their possessions?§

592

Those who own a mental energy possess a thing of worth. Material wealth is an unenduring possession that goes away.§

593

Those who possess persevering industry will never say in despair, “We have lost our wealth.”§

594

Good fortune of its own accord ferrets out and finds the man of unflagging energy.§

595

The length of the lotus stalk depends on the water’s depth. Even so, a man’s greatness is proportionate to his mind’s energy.§

596

Let all thoughts be thoughts of noble progress, for then even failing cannot be called a failure.§

597

Elephants stand firm even when wounded by a barrage of arrows. Strong-willed men are not discouraged when they meet disaster.§

598

Without a zealous spirit, one will never enjoy the proud exhilaration of the world’s generosity.§

599

The towering elephant, with his tapering tusks, still shrinks in fear when a fierce tiger attacks.§

600

An industrious mind is a man’s real wealth. Lacking it, he is immobile—more tree-like than human.§