Persist to Succeed
Guidance for Reciting
I will be likened to the raindrop which washes away the mountain；the ant who devours a tiger；the star which brightens the earth；the slave who builds a pyramid. I will build my castle one brick at a time for I know that small yet repeated attempts will complete any undertaking. I will persist until I succeed.
When problems seem insurmountable，quitting seems to be the easiest way out. When success lies just around the corner―when just that little bit extra would have made the difference―it is the time when most seem to be the hardest hit. It is the time when it is easiest to put up the white flag，to give up the ghost，to throw in the towel. It happens in relationships，in jobs，in marriages，in endeavors.
Most people do not succeed not because they lack knowledge or talent，but because they quit. Winners have setbacks，and even many failures―but they are not destroyed.
The power of persistence is the key to success. It is the little bit more，the little bit extra―the one percent that you have done more than the other person―that makes the difference between winning and losing，success and failure.
Notes
1.towel [5tauEl] n. 手巾，毛巾
2.endeavor [in5devE] vt./n. 努力，尽力，尝试
3.give up the ghost [古]死，断气
4.setback [5setbAk] n. 挫折，倒退，失败
坚持到底就是胜利
诵读导言
就像冲洗高山的雨滴，吞噬猛虎的蚂蚁，照亮大地的星辰，建起金字塔的奴隶，我要一砖一瓦地建造自己的城堡，因为我深知滴水穿石的道理，只要持之以恒，什么都可以做到。坚持不懈，直至成功。
当问题显得困难重重难以应付的时候，放弃似乎是最简单的解脱之道。当成功近在咫尺――再多一丁点努力就会大有起色的时候，似乎正是最需要猛烈出击的时候。
这种时刻出现在人际关系、工作、婚姻、努力过程当中，是最容易亮出白旗、前功尽弃、投降认输的时候。
大多数人没能成功不是因为他们缺乏知识或才能，而是因为选择了放弃。胜利者也遭遇挫折，甚至失败多次――但是他们没有被打垮。
坚持的力量是成功的关键。正是因为多了一点点，恰好是这一点点――你比别人多努力了百分之一――造就了成败差异。
口语点津
white flag 和 throw in the towel 都是“投降”的意思，二者异曲同工。前者和汉语惊人的相似；后者则来源于拳击比赛。当拳击手打不过对方，他的教练会抛一条毛巾入场，表示认输。如：The company threw in the towel after losing all of its major customers.公司丢了所有的主要客户之后只好举白旗认输了。
