A Floor for the Roof
Someone once said: “To have a roof over your head, you need a floor under your feet.”
The roof is above, but it always rests on a floor below.
If there is no floor, you cannot build a roof.
This is true for life as well. Before reaching the heights of success, you must first build a strong foundation.
Benjamin Franklin said: “A broken boat should stay near the shore.”
If a person forgets that their boat is damaged, and in excitement takes it deep into the sea, it can only lead to disaster. The boat will sink—and the person with it.
If your boat is damaged, stay near the shore, where the water is shallow and help is easily available in times of danger. And if you wish to venture far, first fix your boat. In such cases, your first step must be repair—not adventure.
This principle applies to every matter in life.
If you want to build a house, first gather the necessary materials. If you want to publish a newspaper in a certain language, ensure there’s a readership for it. If you want to contest an election, make sure there are voters ready to support you.
Without a basic foundation, no task can succeed—whether it’s personal, professional, or social.
An old saying goes: “Change yourself, and your fate will change automatically.”
This means the real cause of our problems is usually within ourselves, not outside. If a person reflects carefully on where their difficulties began, they will often find the root cause within their own shortcomings.
If failure is due to a personal fault, how can blaming others lead to success?
There’s a story of a man who opened a shop. Business didn’t do well, and he was close to bankruptcy. One day, a friend said, “Your shop isn’t running because the neighbouring shopkeeper takes away your customers.”
The man replied wisely, “If he can attract my customers, why can’t I attract his?”
He began to reflect. Soon, he realised the issue wasn’t his competition—it was his own behaviour. He hadn’t been speaking politely to his customers. He decided to fix that.
He started making a conscious effort to speak sweetly to everyone who entered. Gradually, his tone improved—and so did his business. When he corrected the weakness within himself, the outside problems started disappearing on their own.
Don’t Lose Your Senses
“Confidence is life, and lack of confidence is death.”
This powerful saying by Paramhansa is beautifully illustrated by a real-life incident involving the Queen of Britain.
In London, Buckingham Palace is the royal residence of Queen Elizabeth. On 13 July 1982, an unexpected and dangerous incident occurred: A stranger managed to enter the Queen’s private bedroom. In his hand was a broken ashtray—an object that could be used as a sharp weapon.
When the Queen suddenly saw this unknown man inside her room, she naturally felt a sense of danger. Her hand immediately went to the alarm button—a special bell installed in the palace to summon security in emergencies. She pressed the button several times, but for some unknown reason, it didn’t work. It was a critical moment. The Queen was alone, unarmed, and facing a strong man with a potential weapon.
If she had panicked, shouted, or angrily asked the man to leave, he might have reacted violently—and the result could have been tragic.
But instead, the Queen chose to stay calm. She kept her nerves under control and started speaking gently with the intruder. She even offered him a cigarette and, through casual conversation, diverted his attention.
She didn’t scold or threaten him for entering the palace. She simply kept him engaged in light talk for ten whole minutes—enough time for the security guards to arrive and arrest the man.
If the Queen had lost her confidence in that moment, it is possible that the next day, the British people would have been mourning the loss of their monarch.
In moments of crisis, maintaining your confidence and clarity of mind is crucial. Often, it’s fear and panic that cause people to worsen their own situation.
But if a person remains calm, doesn’t lose courage, and keeps their senses alert, they’ll usually find a way to escape the danger. Their mind will come up with some solution—a plan that may save them even at the edge of disaster.
The French poet Victor Hugo once said: “Caution is the most promising child of wisdom.”
It’s true—many of life’s successes are not the result of emotional reaction, but of careful and deliberate action. There are many aspects to wisdom—and caution is often its greatest sign.
But only those who retain their inner confidence can act cautiously even when the situation is difficult—those who don’t allow themselves to be overwhelmed by emotion.
Often, when people face something unexpected or fall into danger, they act on impulse—and such reactions usually make things worse.
But if you stay steady and calmly think through a plan, it becomes possible to overcome even the most dangerous situation. As inspired by Shakespearean (1564–1616) wisdom: “Many times, a person can get with a smile what they couldn’t get with a sword.”
All India Radio, New Delhi,
16-17 August 1982.
