Excessive indulgence would ruin even the gods themselves. Gentleness, love for all beings, forgiveness, and regard for one's friends — all these, the learned say, prolong life. It is said that he who, with firm resolve, strives through virtuous policy to accomplish ends once thwarted possesses true manliness. That man attains all his purposes who is acquainted with the remedies to be applied in the future, who is firmly resolved in the present, and who, in the past, could foresee how an undertaken action would end. What a man pursues in word, deed, and thought becomes his own; therefore a man should always seek what is good for him. Effort toward acquiring good, attentiveness to time, place, and means, familiarity with the scriptures, activity, uprightness, and frequent association with the good — all these lead to prosperity. Perseverance is the root of prosperity, of gain, and of all that is beneficial. A man who pursues his goal with persistence and does not abandon it out of vexation is truly great and enjoys boundless happiness.