A famous remark by Abraham Lincoln goes that “Give me six hours to chop down a tree, and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.” Obviously, by so saying, the late American President means that laying a solid foundation is of vital importance in achieving succe.
This saying is truly inspiring and instructive, especially when it comes to our daily life and work.Take English study as an example.There are numerous failures in College English Test Band 4 or Band 6.Most of them lack a sound grasp of basic grammar and vocabulary, rushing to take model tests, only to erode their confidence or wasting their time.Others, on the contrary, do a careful and painstaking job with the study of their text books, reviewing grammatical rules and vocabulary even learnt in middle school.Though seemingly they are slow in starting their preparation for the exam, they are usually the final winners.
People tend to be impatient or too thirsty for easy succe in modern society.Actually, whenever we are in haste, we should let Lincoln’s words ring by our ear and remember: no pains, no gains, and haste makes waste.
A well-known proverb goes that “where there is a will, there is a way”, which means that one can find a way to succe as long as he or she has a strong will.With a strong will, one can focus all his energy on one point, which makes his succe poible.Without a strong will, however, one can be easily distracted from his goal or discouraged by setbacks, which leads to his ultimate failure.
（或The proverb “where there is a will, there is a way” means that one can find a way to succe as long as he or she has a strong will.With a strong will, one can focus all his energy on one point, which makes succe poible.With a strong will, one can find any chance poible and make the best use of it.Also with a strong will, one can move people around him or her, thus obtaining help and hints from them.）
History abounds with examples of strong-willed figures winning succe.Actually, there is no better illustration of the proverb than the deeds of Gou Jian, king of Yue in ancient China.Defeated by Fu Chai, king of Wu, Gou tried every means
poible to steel his will.Eventually, with the help of Fan Li and Xi Shi, he managed to rebuild his country and his armies and had Fu Chai taste the bitterne of failure.
In short, a strong will is eential if we want to make achievements in our studies or work, or indeed in any other aspect of our lives.One should lose no chance to strength his will and remember, God helps those who help themselves.
常用名言警句：
1.Living without an aim is like sailing without an aim.Alexander Dumas (Davy de La Pailleterie, French Writer) 生活没有目标就像航海没有指南针.(法国作家大仲马.A.)
2.Genius only means hard-working all one\'s life.( Mendeleyer, Ruian Chemist) 天才只意味着终身不懈的努力.(俄国化学家门捷列耶夫)
3.patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet.(Jean Jacques Roueau , French thinker) 忍耐是痛苦的,但它的果实是甜蜜的.(法国思想家卢梭.J.J.)
4.I am a slow walker, but I never walk backwards.(Abraham Lincoln , American president)我走得慢，但我从不后退(美国总统林肯.A.)
5.Only those who have the patience to do simple things perfectly ever acquire the skill to do difficult things easily.(Friedrich Schiller, German Dramatist and poet).只有有耐心圆满完成简单工作的人, 才能够轻而易举地完成困难的事.(德国剧作家, 诗人席勒.F.)
6.You have to believe in yourself.That\'s the secret of succe.(Charles Chaplin , American actor ) 人你必须要对自己有信心，那是成功的秘诀(美国演员卓别林.
C.)
7.Happine lies not in the mere poeion of money; it lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of creative effort.(Franklin Roosevelt , American president ) 成功不仅仅在于拥有钱，还在于成就带来的喜悦，和努力带来的兴奋(美国总统罗斯福.F.)
8.None of us is as smart as all of us.Winston Churchill 三个臭皮匠，顶个诸葛亮~丘吉尔
