Beyond one’s own limits

An archer was out walking near a Hindu monastery known for the austerity of its teachings when he saw the monks in the garden, drinking and having fun.

‘How cynical you seekers after God’s path are,’ he said out loud. ‘You claim to place great importance on discipline and then get drunk on the quiet.’

‘If you were to shoot a hundred arrows one after the other, what would happen to your bow?’ asked the oldest of the monks.

‘My bow would break,’ replied the archer.

‘If someone forces himself to go beyond his own limits, then he will break his will,’ said the monk. ‘If you do not balance work with rest, you will lose your enthusiasm, drain yourself of energy and not achieve very much at all.’

words from the wise
thanks to Paulo Coehlo