One poor widow worked day and night - she really wanted her only son to go to school and become a scientist. The boy, while he was small, studied very willingly. He loved to read books and read them carefully. The mother was happy that her son was hardworking, diligent and smart.
But the boy grew up and began to become arrogant. “I already know everything, and I don’t need to study anymore,” he decided. He became lazy, stopped going to school, and instead of going to school he went for a walk somewhere. And he hid from his mother that he dropped out of school.
One day, while walking, he saw a huge stone by the road. An old, old woman was sitting on a stone, sharpening a thick iron stick on the stone with all her might. The boy thought this was funny, and he asked the old woman:
“Why are you sharpening this stick on a stone?” “And I want to sharpen a thin needle from this stick,” answered the old woman. “Do you want to make a needle from such a large stick?” — the boy exclaimed in surprise and laughed. -Can you do this? After all, you are already old, and your life is not enough for this. “Although my stick is great, my strong will is even greater,” said the old woman. “Today I’m sharpening this stick, tomorrow I’ll sharpen it again, and the day will come when I’ll still sharpen a needle out of it.” It’s not for nothing that they say: “If you want, you can move a mountain!” But you, I know, are lazy, you don’t want to learn, you want to get by with your little mind. And you're deceiving your mother. And she, poor thing, works without rest, only so that you can study. And don't be ashamed to be idle!
The boy blushed with shame. He bowed to the old woman, thanked her for her instruction, returned to school and began to study even more diligently.
When the boy grew up, he became a famous scientist.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru